Domestic violence

Why does domestic violence happen?

Why do some people abuse their partners? There could be any number of reasons, including family dysfunction, inadequate communication skills, provocation by women, stress, chemical dependency, lack of spirituality, and economic hardship. While these issues are often associated with the abuse of women, they are not the cause, nor will the removal of these factors mitigate or end the problem of domestic violence. Abusers adopt and maintain abusive behavior patterns because these patterns allow them to gain and maintain control over another person. Batterers typically don't suffer adverse consequences as a result of these behaviors.

Violence against women, historically, has not been treated as a real crime; those who abuse their partners are rarely incarcerated, fined, or ostracized by their communities. Abusers come from all walks of life, all backgrounds, and all personality types. There are, nevertheless, some characteristics that may be used to define the general profile of an abuser:

• Abusers objectify women, unable to see them as people. They do not respect women as a group and instead, they view them as property or sexual objects.
• Abusers typically have low self-esteem and feel powerless and inadequate, despite their successes in life (e.g., academic, professional, economic, athletic).
• Abusers externalize the causes of their behavior, casting blame on outside circumstances (e.g.. stress, a bad day, his partner's behavior, chemical dependency, etc.)
• Abusers may be charming, outgoing, friendly between violent episodes. (See The Cycle of Abuse.)
• Abusers may be extremely jealous, possessive, ill-tempered, unpredictable, cruel to family pets, and verbally abusive.