Psychology Research Paper on Domestic Violence

Domestic violence has been one of the major problems concerning the life of many families nowadays. There have been many reports on domestic violence; however, not all victims prefer to reveal that they are being abused at home because of certain reasons. These reasons often include fear to be exposed to further violence, a feeling of disgrace or a conviction that the victims themselves should be blamed for some of the reasons of violence. Though being unreported cases of domestic violence still continue to exist, and their number is constantly increasing. However, domestic violence is not a problem of a victim and an aggressor; it is a problem of the whole society, because family is primary cell of it.

According to the dictionary domestic violence felony or misdemeanour crimes of violence committed by a current or former spouse of the victim, by a person with who the victim shares a child in common, by a person who is cohabitating with or has cohabitated with the victim as a spouse [2]. There are multiple reasons for being involved in domestic violence, however, women tend to resort to physical aggression to express anger or pain, while men use it to scare or control a woman [3]. The vast majority of such violence, and the most severe and chronic incidents, are perpetrated by men against women and their children [1]. Domestic violence can be represented in different forms, but very often it combines physical, emotional, psychological, sexual and financial abuse. The degree of abuse and violence varies within each partnership, often occurring on a continuum of severity and effect. For some the abuse and violence are periodic with minimal long-term effects [1]. Very often women become so controlled and used to violence that they don’t take any steps to prevent the violent actions, they cannot act without permission, and become completely obedient to every order of their spouse. The only way out that such women find is alcohol or drug abuse, depression, self-mutilation, and eventually suicide or a total dependency on the abuser [1].

Some women are strong enough to come and speak about their problems to healthcare institutions. And here is an example of an interview with a female victim of domestic violence.

– Good morning Mrs. Smith. I’m glad you were able to come and talk. Take a seat and we can start our conversation.

– Good morning.

– Before we start to talk I would like to emphasize one more time that it is safe for you to come here. The information you provide will remain within the walls of our institution, so you don’t have to worry about anybody else getting to know about it. I want you to feel safe, please, don’t be afraid to speak. No matter what decision you come to we will support you. So, what has happened to you?

– I became a victim of domestic violence from the side of my husband. We have been married for three years, and during last year my husband used to abuse me psychologically. He used to shout at me all the time, telling me that everything I did was wrong. For some time I tolerated such behaviour, but then I started to shout back, and he… he started to raise his hand at me.

– And you decided to come here?

– No. Well, yes, but not right away. I loved my husband and wanted to keep our marriage. Besides, I was afraid that my husband might get to know that I came to you, and he would be furious. I also, didn’t want anybody to know about this situation, because I feel ashamed, because it is my fault too.

– No, it is not. Please don’t blame yourself for what was happening. Violence that you were exposed to is not your fault. Every error is recoverable, and no one should be beaten even if he did something wrong, especially by people whom they love.

– I don’t think I did something wrong in particular. I loved my husband, and wanted him to be happy. I have never cheated on him, but he always suspected me. He was extremely jealous. He didn’t allow me to meet with my friends, and he was always angry when I talked on the phone. At first he expressed his anger and irritation with words, and later with his fists. It became unbearable. And I decided to seek for help.

– You did the right thing, believe me. We can help you, and you don’t have to feel ashamed. There are a lot of women like you, who suffer and are afraid to come and ask for help. But you are not alone. You can always come here and talk with me or with other specialists, and we’ll do our best to help you.

– Thank you. But I don’t really know what to do. I don’t want to go home. If I come back the tortures will continue, and I don’t want that. I want to get divorced, because I cannot bear it any more.

– Yes, it might be dangerous for you to come back home now. Do you have any relatives or friends that you can stay with, and that your husband doesn’t know?

– Well, I can stay with my sister, she just moved to another house, and I don’t think my husband knows the address.

– This would be good. After you get some rest, you should probably contact a lawyer and start the process of divorce. Don’t be afraid, the law is on you side. Here is my phone number, you can always call me and I will help you.

– Thank you. I should better go now.

– And remember, don’t be ashamed of what was happening. Try to rest and forget about the bad things that were happening to you. And please, don’t tell anybody the address you are staying at. Good bye!

– Good bye!

As it can be seen from the dialogue, the woman was exposed to domestic violence from the side of her husband. Now she is very depressed and is not sure about her future. However, she decided to get divorced. She feels guilty for what was going on, which is a usual thing in such cases, though it is often not true. The woman will need some time to relax until she is able to think wisely about the situation. It is good that she came and asked for help, however there are so many “battered women” that don’t reveal the situation and continue to suffer. This is wrong, and they should not hide their problems behind the door of their houses. Every problem can be solved, and it is easier to solve it at the beginning, until it is too late.

Bibliography

1. Lyn Shipway. Domestic Violence: A handbook for Health Professionals. Routledge, 2004
2. Goelman, Deborah M. Shelter from the Storm: Using Jurisdictional Statutes to Protect Victims of Domestic Violence after the Violence against Women Act of 2000. Columbia Journal of Gender and Law, Vol. 13, 2004
3. Scott Sleek. Sorting out the reasons couples turn violent. 1998http://apa.org/monitor/apr98/violent.html
4. Felicia Collins Correia. Domestic Violence Can Be Cured. USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), Vol. 126, November 1997
5. Richard L. Davis. Domestic Violence: Facts and Fallacies. Praeger, 1998