“The drive to understand human behavior stems from our desire for order and justice” (Gail, 2002). If we do not understand the behavior that we observe, experience, and learn from in society we are left with a feeling that we are no longer in control with what will happen within our lives (Gail, 2002). The easiest way for society to understand behavior on multiple facets is through science (Gail, 2002). Science offers a way for us to explain using cause and effect, most of what we could encounter in society (Gail, 2002). This explanation helps us cope and comprehend what we encounter and possibly re-enter some of the missing control back into our lives.
In today’s society, child abuse is extremely prevalent in society. Abuse estimates range from about 700,000 to nearly 3 million children that were abused in some way (Lee et al., 2012). The abuse can either be sexual or physical, and it affects the children and how they develop into adults. Multiple studies have been done to try to see what abuse does to a child’s adult life, and one aspect that has been found is the idea that an abused child becomes an abuser when they grow into young adulthood. This paper will examine the relationship between abuse and adult violence by exploring the social learning theory, gender differences in abuse results, intimate partner violence, other theoretical ideas related to the relationship and finally possible problems involved with the research.
This paper uses the theory of Social Learning, which was theorized by Bandura. The relationship of abuse and adult violence perpetration can be attributed theoretically to the social learning theory (Franklin et al., 2012). With social learning, the adult learns the behavior from the corporal punishment o...
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...nd the non-abused (Siegal, 2000). However, it is important to note that only a small portion of the sample had matched controls (Siegal, 2000). When the results were matched in controls, sexual abuse ended up being a statistically significant risk factor for becoming a violent offender (Siegal, 2000). The findings of Widom bring the question to mind that the research into this relationship could be being examined incorrectly, giving the wrong impression in the results.
In addition, in a study by Garland and Dougher, they speculated several different characteristics that may attribute to a youth becoming a sexual offender (Burton et al., 2002).The first circumstance that affects the risk of adult violence is the age at which the sexual victimization occurred, because if the victim is younger, sexual aggression becomes more of a normal standard (Burton et al., 2002).
Parameswari, B. (2015). Domestic Violence and Child Abuse. IOSR Journal Of Humanities And Social Science, 20(2), 56-59. Retrieved from http://www.iosrjournals.org/iosr-jhss/papers/Vol20-issue2/Version-3/I020235659.pdf
Romero-Martinez A, Figueiredo B, Moya-Albiol L. Childhood history of abuse and child abuse potential: The role of parent's gender and timing of childhood abuse. Child Abuse & Neglect March 2014; 38(3).Print
Schewe, P., Riger, S., Howard, A., Staggs, S., & Mason, G. (2006). Factors Associated with Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Victimization. Journal Of Family Violence, 21(7), 469-475. doi:10.1007/s10896-006-9042-2
In conclusion, it is clearly shown that domestic violence has a negative effect on the children who witness it. An expanding body of research suggests that childhood trauma and adverse experiences can lead to a variety of negative health outcomes (Anda & Chapman & Dube & Felitti & Giles & Williamson, 2001, p.1). In fact, childhood stressors such as witnessing domestic violence and other household dysfunctions are highly interrelated and have a graded relationship to numerous health and social problems (Anda & Chapman & Dube & Felitti & Giles & Williamson, 2001, p.2). It is obvious and clearly shown that the children who witness domestic abuse have serious long term mental effects.
There are some human phenomena, which seem to be the result of individual actions and personal decisions. Yet, these phenomena are often - on closer inspection – as much a result of social factors as of psychological ones.
Research has been conducted on what type of children are the most at risk of being sexually abused. Childhood abuse has a greater chance of happening to children of certain backgrounds. One researcher states that "Child sexual abuse occurs more frequently in children from socially deprived and disorganized family backgrounds. Marital dysfunction, as evidenced by parental separation and domestic violence, is associated with higher risks of child sexual abuse" (Mullen 4). Mullen goes on to state that "The possibility has been raised that characteristics such as physical attractiveness, temperament, or physical maturity might increase the risks of children being sexually abused" (4).
The risk factors for child sexual abuse can be classified into three broad categories: the Perpetrator’s, family and community risk factors. Perpetrator risk factors are those factors associated with adult who may commit such an abuse. They include drug and alcohol abuse, acceptance of violence, prior sexual abuse, suicidal tendencies, exposure to explicit sexual content and poor social skills among others (Finkelhor et al, 2014).
Resik, P. A. (1993). Sexuality, substance use, and susceptibility to victimization. Journal on interpersonal Violence, 23, 1730-1746.
Each year approximately 4.8 million acts of physical or sexual aggression are perpetrated against women while 2.9 million physically aggressive acts are perpetrated against men within the United States (Edleson, Ellerton, Seagren, Kirchberg, Schmidt & Ambrose, 2007). Many of these incidents take place in the presences of children, which make these figures even more disturbing (Evans, Davies & DiLillo, 2008). Research indicates that 40.2% of United States battered women responding in national surveys state that their children have witnessed one or more abusive events (Edleson et al., 2007). Overall 66% of research samples regarding childhood exposure to domestic violence reported to having direct exposure to the abuse (Barnett, Miller-Perrin & Perrin, 2011).
Molestation is the first type of sexual abuse that’ll be discussed. Molestation is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Most people think sexual abusers are strangers to their victims. But the truth is most abusers know their victims and use their stand in their relationship to try to make the victims do what the abusers want them to do. Most children who get molest are by family members. “More than 90 percent of juvenile sexual abuse victims know their perpetrator in some way.” (Snyder, Howard). According to Dr. Elizabeth Forsyth and Margret Hyde, research done in the 1980s and 1990s suggests that almost all abusers are males who are known to their victims and that most abuse occurs within the family. (pg. 21) One in three girls and one in five boys get sexually abused before the age of eighteen. (Arta, C)
Although some psychologists suggest that the negatives of anti-social behavior on tv nullify the pro-social behavior shown, Lovelace and Huston (1983) suggested that if the pro social behavior is shown to be more favourable than the anti-social behavior in the same show, such as the bad guy being caught and punished, then the children will be more likely to follow the pro social behavior.
Social Learning Theory is the progression that happens in the course of watching the punishment of others and by deciding if such activity is important enough to replicate (Wallace, n.d.) Fundamentally, this idea supports that individuals discover by examining others. In the 1930s, the Social discovering idea was evolved by Edwin Sutherland, Robert Burgess, Ronald L. Akers, and Daniel Glaser. This group of theorists evolved the discovering idea by distinguishing examples of criminalistic demeanor and the values that escorted these lawless persons, the way in which they dwelled and broadcast they called differential association (Schmalleger, 2012.) Albert Bandura is another theorist that has aided in the development of the idea. Bandura's work put the focus on reciprocal determinism, which focuses on how a person’s behavior, natural environment, and individual features all reciprocally leverage each other. ("Learning- Theories.com", 2012). Bandura evolved a form that involved the following steps. 1. Attention: In order for an individual to discover, they must be adept to pay vigil...
Data has shown that sex offenders tend to have experienced secual and physical abuse as childrem. Child molesters are about twice as likely as rapists to have experienced childhood sexual abuse. Overall only about one third of all offenders claimed to have been physically abused as a child. Although a big majority of sex offenders claim to have been victimized, they’re not all true. Regardless this should not be seen as an excuse for doing.
How do we explain, predict and control human behavior? This question remains a central underlying theme within psychology as a whole. Few specific branches of psychology have attempted to integrate multiple perspectives within their fields of research. Evolutionary psychology appears to be unique in this endeavor, and as the following researchers point out, “Evolutionary psychology is the long-forestalled scientific attempt to assemble out of the disjointed, fragmentary, and mutually contradictory human disciplines a single, logically integrated research framework for the psychological, social, and behavioural sciences—a framework that not only incorporates the evolutionary sciences on a full and equal basis, but that systematically works out all of the revisions in existing belief and research practice that such a synthesis requires” (Tooby & Cosmides, 2005)
Why do women put up with abuse? This question is often the first question people ask, but it is misdirected. Why doesn't she leave? This focuses on the woman’s behavior and not the batterers behavior. Instead we should ask why do men batter? This question is also misinformed. Many women leave every day. Leaving doesn't always mean protection from future violence. Leaving is a multi-staged process.(Sussman) On average a woman leaves and returns six times before she leaves permanently. There are many factors that often help to keep a woman with her batterer.