Chapter 13 Violence and Abuse in Relationships

1. Chapter 13Violence and Abuse in Relationships

2. Chapter 13: Violence and Abuse in RelationshipsChapter Outline • Nature of Relationship Abuse • Explanations for Violence/Abuse in Relationships • Sexual Abuse in Undergraduate Relationships • Abuse in Marriage Relationships • Effects of Abuse • The Cycle of Abuse • General Child Abuse • Child Sexual Abuse • Parent, Sibling, and Elder Abuse • The Future of Violence and Abuse in Relationship

3. Chapter 13: Violence and Abuse in RelationshipsIntroduction • Quote: “Domestic violence causes far more pain than the visible marks of bruises and scars. It is devastating to be abused by someone that you love and think loves you in return.” • Dianne Feinstein, U.S. Senator • Discussion: What are all the different types of violence that can occur in a relationship? What is the most common form of abuse?

4. Chapter 13: Violence and Abuse in RelationshipsIntroduction • True or False? • As of 2006, a Pentagon survey of the Army, Navy, and Air Force military academies reported virtual elimination of sexual harassment of women.

5. Chapter 13: Violence and Abuse in RelationshipsIntroduction • Answer: FALSE • Half of the women in the Army, Navy, and Air Force academies in a 2004 Pentagon survey reported being sexually harassed.

6. Nature of Relationship AbuseViolence and Homicide • Violence: intentional infliction of physical harm by either partner on the other • Intimate-Partner Violence • Situational Couple Violence • Intimate Terrorism • Battered Woman Syndrome • Uxoricide • Intimate Partner Homicide • Filicide • Parricide • Siblicide

7. Nature of Relationship AbuseEmotional Abuse • Emotional abuse: Designed to denigrate the partner, reduce the partner’s status, and make the partner vulnerable, so that the abuser has more control • Examples of emotional abuse: • Yelling and screaming for intimidation • Staying angry until the partner gives in • Requiring an account of the partner’s time • Treating the partner with contempt • Making the partner feel stupid • Withholding emotional and physical contact

8. Nature of Relationship AbuseFemale Abuse of a Partner • A review of literature found that women’s physical violence may be just as prevalent as men’s violence but is more likely to be motivated by self-defense and fear. • Men’s physical violence is more likely to be driven by control motives.

9. Nature of Relationship AbuseSpiritual Abuse • Spiritual Abuse is defined as any attempt to impair the woman’s spiritual life, spiritual self, or spiritual well-being. • Ways in which men spiritually abuse their partners include: • Belittling their spiritual worth • Preventing them from performing spiritual acts • Causing them to transgress spiritual obligations

10. Nature of Relationship AbuseStalking in Person • Stalking is defined as unwanted following or harassment that induces fear in a target person. • In about 80% of the cases, the stalker is a heterosexual male who follows his previous lover. • Women who stalk are more likely to target a married male.

11. Nature of Relationship AbuseStalking in Person • Although various strategies have been identified, additional research is needed on how to manage unwanted attention. • Make a direct statement to the person: “I’m not interested in dating you.” • Seek protection through formal channels, e.g., restraining order • Avoid the perpetrator: ignore, don’t talk to, or hang up if they call • Use formal coping methods: seek professional help

12. Nature of Relationship AbuseStalking Online - Cybervictimization • Cybervicitmization – a jilted person may send a lover threatening e-mails, computer viruses, or junk mail (spamming). • People typically respond in eight ways to being rejected • Hyper intimacy • Relentless electronic contacts • Interactional contacts • Surveillance • Invasion • Harassment or intimidation • Threat or coercion • Aggression or violence

13. Explanations for Violence/Abuse in RelationshipsCultural Factors • Violence in the Media • Corporal Punishment • Gender Inequality • View of Women and Children as Property • Stress

14. Explanations for Violence/Abuse in RelationshipsCommunity Factors • Social Isolation • Poverty • Inaccessible or Unaffordable Community Services

15. Explanations for Violence/Abuse in RelationshipsIndividual Factors • Dependency • Jealousy • Need to control • Unhappiness and dissatisfaction • Anger and aggressiveness • Quick involvement • Blaming others for problems • Jekyll-and-Hyde personality • Isolation • Alcohol and other drug use • Emotional deficit • Criminal/Psychiatric Background

16. Explanations for Violence/Abuse in RelationshipsFamily Factors • Child abuse in family of origin • Family conflict • Parents who abused each other

17. Sexual Abuse in Undergraduate Relationships • Acquaintance rape is nonconsensual sex between adults who know each other. • Date rape refers to nonconsensual sex between people who are dating or on a date. • Alcohol and rape: • Rophypnol—”Date Rape Drug” causes profound, prolonged sedation and short-term memory loss. • Use rape prevention techniques

18. Abuse in Marriage Relationships • General abuse • The ways in which spouses are abusive toward each other resemble the abusive behavior of unmarried couples. • Rape in marriage • Marital Rape: Forced sex by a spouse my take the form of sexual intercourse, fellatio, or anal intercourse.

19. Effects of Abuse • Effects of partner abuse on victims • Effects of partner abuse on children • Some women are abused during their pregnancy, resulting in a high rate of miscarriage and birth defects. • Negative effects may also accrue to children who witness domestic abuse. • It is not unusual for children to observe and become involved in adult domestic violence.

20. The Cycle of Abuse

21. The Cycle of AbuseWhy Victims Stay in Abusive Relationships? • Emotional attachment to abusive partner • The abuse is only part of the relationship • The presence of children • Entrapped in an abusive relationship and unable to extricate oneself from the abusive partner because of: • Fear of loneliness • Love and hope • Emotional and economic dependency • Commitment to the relationship • A view of violence as legitimate • Guilt and fear • Isolation

22. Strategies Abused Women Use in Coping with Abuse • Self-Talk • Keeping It at Bay • Taking Blame • Spirituality • Release • Drugs and or Alcohol • Thoughts of Death

23. How One Leaves an Abusive Relationship • The decision to leave often follows the acknowledgement that one has had enough, and the belief that one must withdraw and move on since the relationship will only deteriorate. • Safety Plans: • Identifying a safe place to go • Telling friends or neighbors about the violence and requesting they call the police • Storing an escape kit

24. Treatment of Partner Abusers • Treatment involves: • Teaching responsibility to the abuser for the abusive behavior • Developing empathy for their partner’s victimization • Reducing their dependency on their partners • Improving their communication skills

25. General Child Abuse • Child abuse is the interaction or lack of interaction between a child and his or her parents or caregiver that results in nonaccidental harm to the child’s physical or psychological well-being. • Child abuse includes physical abuse, verbal abuse, and neglect.

26. Child Abuse and Neglect Cases: 2008

27. Factors Contributing to General Child Abuse • Parental psychopathology • Unrealistic expectations • History of abuse • Displacement of aggression • Social isolation • Disability of a child

28. Factors Contributing to General Child Abuse • Other Factors: • The pregnancy is premarital or unplanned, and the father or mother does not want the child. • Child-rearing techniques are harsh. • Mother-infant attachment is lacking. • The parents are unemployed. • Abuse between the husband and wife is present. • The children are adopted or are foster children.

29. Effects of General Child Abuse • Researchers have found that children who have been abused are more likely to display the following (Reyome, 2010): • Few close social relationships • Communication problems and learning disabilities • Aggression, low self-esteem, depression, and low academic achievement • Increased risk of alcohol or substance abuse and suicidal tendencies as adults

30. Child Sexual Abuse • In extrafamilial child sexual abuse, the perpetrator is someone outside the family. • A more frequent type of child sexual abuse is intrafamilial child sexual abuse (formerly referred to in professional literature as incest).

31. Effects of Child Sexual Abuse • Associated with being withdrawn, anxious, and depressed. • Daughters of mothers who have been sexually abused are 3.6 times more likely to be sexually victimized. • Spouses who were physically and sexually abused as children report lower martial satisfaction, higher individual stress, and lower family cohesion. • Adult males who were sexually abused as children are more likely to become child molesters themselves.

32. Strategies to Reduce Child Sexual Abuse • Regendering cultural roles • Providing specific information on sex abuse • Improving the safety of neighborhoods • Providing sexuality education at school • Promoting public awareness campaigns

33. Parent and Sibling Abuse • Parent abuse • It is not uncommon for teenage and younger children to physically and verbally lash out at their parents. • Sibling abuse • Most incidents of sibling violence consist of slaps, pushes, kicks, bites, and punches.

34. Elder Abuse • As increasing numbers of the elderly end up in the care of their children; abuse of the elderly, though infrequent, is likely to increase. • Neglect • Physical abuse • Psychological abuse • Social abuse • Legal abuse

35. Quick Quiz • Which of the following is not a factor in domestic abuse? • abuse in the family of origin • egalitarian gender roles • cultural tolerance of violence • violence seen as a way to solve problems

36. Quick Quiz • What is the key reason for staying in an abusive relationship? • guilt • feeling stuck • emotional dependence and love • financial dependency

37. Quick Quiz • What is a characteristic of a woman who leaves an abusive relationship? • isolation from family • disengaging from the husband • dependence on husband • feeling they deserved the abuse

38. Quick Quiz • Which of the following is not a negative effect of child abuse? • PTSD • Withdrawal behavior from early forced sex • Spouses who were physically and sexually abused report lower marital satisfaction • Children who were abused are more likely to be murderers

39. Quick Quiz • Which of the following are common types of elder abuse? • Neglect • Physical abuse • Social abuse • All of the above