Causes of Domestic Violence

1. Family Origin
Battering is a learned behavior. Statistics show that 85% of convicted batterers grew up in households where they witnessed their mother being abused by a male partner. Not only are young men learning tactics, they are learning that they can get away with it. They see that the abuser is not arrested, there is no intervention, and that there are few consequences for the behavior. Child abuse and domestic violence are very highly correlated. These young men are not only learning to be abusive, they are very likely being abused themselves – resulting in many of the traits we see in batterers: low self-esteem, insecurity, manipulative behavior, etc.

2. Inner Physchological Makeup and Symbolic World
Batterers make the rules and define the roles in their relationships. They often feel as if different people in their lives, and society has wronged them as well. They tend to blame others for their problems and manipulate not only the people in their intimate relationships but friends, colleagues, and others that they come in contact with. Batterers often see themselves as “above the rules”, untouchable, and omnipotent.

3. Community of Peers
Many of us who witness domestic violence or know someone who is being abused do not know how to respond, so we turn away from it as if nothing unusual is going on. Lack of understanding, fear of our own safety, fear of embarrassing the victim, and fear of saying the wrong thing lead us to be silent rather than vocal in opposing the violence. To a batterer, this is empowering. We are sending the message that “we see this, and we will not stop it”. Community of peers extends to police officers, court systems, judges, parole officers – individuals as well as institutions. The behavior will end when batterers are held accountable from all segments of society.

4. Patriarchal Society
We live in a male dominated society with a history that not only encouraged men to treat their wives/daughters as property, but laws have also enforced it. Countless laws, cultural mores (such as the rule of thumb) have perpetuated the oppression of women. Gender socialization from a very young age also helps perpetuate this though the generations. This is continued through adulthood as we continue to receive messages affirming strict gender roles through the media, peers and family, etc.

Causes of Domestic Violence - Microsoft Word Format