Domestic Violence

Domestic Violence

Domestic violence is a well known issue in our society today. What people have not figured out is why it is such a problem. Morally, it is absolutely wrong to hurt another person, and yet everyday there are new cases of abuse, and sometimes it is too late. It is important to understand that domestic violence is behaviors used by one person in a relationship to control the other. Partners may be married or not married; heterosexual, gay, or lesbian; living together, separated or dating. There are three perspectives that researches have investigated to explain why a person would be violent, yet not one can fully explain this as there are advantages and disadvantages. Some researchers use a psychological lens, a feminist lens, and some use a sociological lens.

The psychological lens focuses on people that have personality disorders. Personality disorders (PD) are self-reproducing dysfunctional patterns of interaction that can sometimes link to one’s social interaction, especially in intimate relationships. The article explains that a psychological lens examines people that fit into at least one of three main types of PD’s which are antisocial, borderline, and “over-controlled.” The advantage of this lens is how researchers look into family origin, biological factors, and the use of drugs and alcohol to help explain why someone may have developed such behaviors. A man or woman that was abused as a child is more likely to grow up to be abusive as well. Not that it is an excuse for why he/she may be violent, but to them it is what is normal is and it is at least an explanation for why they are violent. Behaviors range from being narcissistic, schizoid, passive, dependent, and compulsive. Relating back to domestic violence, along with those behaviors can come the “abusive personality” in which someone has shame-based rage, and sustained rageful outbursts. Because we can analyze people’s backgrounds, we can have a better understanding of the offender’s...