Offenders and Victims of Domestic Violence

By: Erica Hutton

The following discussion considers the social and psychological characteristics associated to both the offender and victim of a domestic assault. A brief examination of the differences in perception of these events are discussed as well as the reasoning behind the new approach to investigating domestic assault and law enforcement’s response to this form of violent behavior.

According to the National Domestic Violence Hotline (2009), abuse may be described as a pattern of coercive domination and with battering incorporating the utilization of “…physical and sexual violence, threats and intimidation, emotional abuse and economic deprivation…” (p. 1). Widespread categories of abuse include: physical, emotional, sexual, threats, intimidation, isolation, and economic abuse (Women’s Rural Advocacy Programs, 2009). Other categories of domestic violence and abuse include: dominance, humiliation, denial, and blame. Domestic abuse can be classified as a cyclical process of violence that initiates with abuse, guilt, rationalization or excuses, normal behavior, fantasy and planning, and set-up (Helpguide, 2009).

Social characteristics for victims and offenders include: socioeconomic status, age, economic resources, cultural structure and social composition, level of income, race, status of gender norms, level of education, level of communicative skills, and other societal pressures such as religion, the perception of feeling like a victim themselves, using and abusing substances, previous history of violent behavior or prior criminal record (Babcock et al., 1993). The risk of violence is elevated in societies in which violence is a norm that is socially acceptable among the members of the community (Jewkes, 2002). Unequal placement of women in relationships and within certain areas of society can reflect that violent is appropriate in conflict situations (Jewkes, 2002).

Psychological abuse in relation to domestic violence victims, may undergo verbal or nonverbal abuse in addition to emotional abuse (Helpguide, 2009). Many men desire to maintain authority and power within their relationships, representing dominance through isolating their victims from others and creating a form of dependency upon the offender’s themselves (Moser, 2007). Psychological characteristics that are associated with domestic violence offenders include: abuse of power, sexual identity and perception of one’s role, and behavioral expectations for certain genders. According to Gilchrist et al., (2003), offenders of this nature may represent the following psychological characteristics: “…witnessing domestic violence in childhood, disrupted attachment patterns, high levels of interpersonal dependency and jealousy, attitudes condoning domestic violence and lack of empathy…” (p. 1).

There are typically two predominant types of domestic violence offenders that may be identified as Borderline/Emotionally Dependent Offenders and Antisocial/Narcissistic Offenders. The first type of offender may contain a high level of jealousy and anger while demonstrating low levels of self-esteem and high levels of interpersonal dependency (Gilchrist et al., 2003). The latter classification of offending represents those offender’s who maintain a hostile attitude towards women, may have a previous arrest record, partakes in alcohol or substances, and holds a low level of empathy towards others (Gilchrist et al., 2003).

Psychological characteristics that are associated with victims of domestic violence may include: emotional abuse, sexual abuse, mental illness, learned helplessness, depersonalization, reduced sense of self-worth, and reduced level of self-esteem. According to the American Psychological Association, verbal abuse, physical abuse, and sexual violence, are all considered to be methods of torture in war (Kiume, 2007). This is interesting because society may not perceive such methods of abuse to be classified as such violent criminal behavior.

An offender may perceive the domestic assault as somewhat of a technique to receive a desired response by utilizing power and control to dominate over another (Moser, 2007). Kristiansen and Guilietti (1990) purport that the perceptions of men towards wife abuse evolve from negative attitudes towards women; however, the perception of women towards wife abuse are derived from the male’s need to obtain control towards possible victimization (as cited by Locke & Richman, 1999).

Policies, procedures, and programs have been implemented to address the issue of domestic violence within the United States. According to Sherman (1992), there was a significant development in regards to the arrest policies for domestic violence cases in which demands were placed on the court system (Feder, 1997) to seek a method to manage domestic violence offenders (as cited by Feder & Dugan, 2002). Therefore, court-mandated counseling increased with the realization that this form of treatment was not very effective in regards to treatment but did provide the court system with an option other than that of incarceration (Feder & Dugan, 2002).

The feminist psychoeducation approach became popular as time evolved in which women’s shelters and programs for batterers developed onto the forefront (Feder & Dugan, 2002). I had a challenging time in assessing the perspective of law enforcement officers in relation to domestic assault and how this perspective has evolved throughout the past decades. Research does support the notion that society has definitely evolved throughout the past several decades in relation to how domestic abuse is perceived, the causes, and interest or concern in understanding this type of behavior.

References:

Babcock, J., Waltz, J., Jacobson, N., & Gottman, J. (1993, February). Power and violence: The relation between communication patterns, power discrepancies, and domestic violence. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 61(1), 40-50. Retrieved April 21, 2009, doi:10.1037/0022-006X.61.1.40.

Domestic violence and abuse. (2009). Helpguide.org. Retrieved on April 21, 2009, from http://www.helpguide.org/mental/domestic_violence_abuse_types_signs_causes_effects.htm.

Feder, L., & Dugan, L. (2002). A test of the efficacy of court-mandated counseling for domestic violence offenders: The Broward experiment. Justice Quarterly, 19(2). Academy of Criminal Justice Services. Retrieved on April 21, 2009, from

Gilchrist, E., Johnson, R., Takriti, R., Weston, S., Beech, A., & Kebbell, M. (2003). Domestic violence offenders: Characteristics and offending related needs. Homeoffice.gov. Retrieved on April 21, 2009, from http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs2/r217.pdf.

Jewkes, R. (2002). Intimate partner violence: Causes and prevention. The Lancet, 359 (9315), p. 1423-1429. Retrieved on April 21, 2009, from http://proquest.umi.com.library.capella.edu/pqdlink?Ver=1&Exp=04-20-2014&FMT=7&DID=117048237&RQT=309&cfc=1.

Kiume, S. (2007). Domestic violence. World of Psychology. http://psychcentral.com. Retrieved on April 21, 2009, from http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2007/12/06/domestic-violence/.

Locke, L.M., & Richman, C.L. (1999). Attitudes toward domestic violence: Race and gender issues. Sex Roles, 40(3/4), 227-247. Retrieved April 21, 2009, from ProQuest Psychology Journals database. (Document ID: 41267842).

Moser, P. (2007). The driving psychological forces of domestic abuse. Domestic Violence Dynamics. http://Abuse.suite101.com. Retrieved on April 21, 2009, from http://abuse.suite101.com/article.cfm/domesic_violence_dynamics.

National Domestic Violence Hotline. (2009). Retrieved on April 21, 2009, from http://www.ndvh.org/get-educated/.