Abusive Relationships

1
Abusive Relationships
2
Deciding to leave an abusive relationship

• Do the questions Will I be better off? and Can
  I do it? contribute to the stay/ leave decision?
• In this research study, participants filled out
  questionnaires about these two constructs
• The two questions accounted for 87 of their
  likelihood to stay or leave

3
Disentanglement Process

• Begins with seeds of doubt
• Includes various
• turning points
• reappraisals
• objective reflections
• self reclaiming actions

4

• Paradigmatic shifts were accompanied with a last
  straw event

5
Why Women Stay

• Fear of losing Children
• Fear of physical abuse
• Love for partner wants to be together
• Believe things will get better
• Afraid of negative impact on children

6

• Afraid of failure family, friends, community
• Religious beliefs
• Feel helpless, nothing will help
• Feels guilty about some of the things she did
  wrong

7

• Blames herself for the violence
• Lack of financial resources
• Negative responses from community
• Unable to use current resources because of how
  they were provided

8

• Partner started doing the things she had been
  asking for
• Fear of partner doing something to retaliate
• Needs time to plan and prepare to leave

9

• Feels insecure about the competence as a person
• If she stays, she at least knows what to expect
  sense of control
• Fear of unknown fear of change

10

• Fear of being without a mate/partner thinks
  this is the best she can do
• Exhaustion-- too tired to do anything

11
Cycle of Violence

• 1. Building
• anger builds
• 2. Violence
• 3. Honeymoon
• apologies and increased intimacy

12
Violence Occurs
Anger builds
Honeymoon
13
3 Characteristics of the Cycle

• severity increases each time
• cycle goes faster each time
• cycle is reinforcing

14

• 50 of battered spouses were physically abused
  before they married the person
• Only 10 of the violence is done by husbands

15
Changes in society to decrease domestic violence

• Equal decision making
• No double standard for premarital sex
• Equal freedom to divorce
• Marriage is monogamous

16

• Low divorce rate
• Disagreements solved peaceably
• Neighbors help immediately when violence happens

17
Behaviors often seen in the Battering
Personality

• Jealousy
• Controlling behavior
• Quick involvement
• Unrealistic expectations

18

• Isolation
• Projecting blame onto others for personal
  problems
• Blaming others for their feelings

19

• Hypersensitivity
• Cruelty to children or animals
• Playful use of force in sex

20

• Verbal abuse
• Master/servant behavior
• The quick change syndrome
• Past battering and a history of physical abuse

21

• Threats of violence
• Breaking or striking objects
• Any force used during an argument