Example Of Essay On Marital Violence

The prevalence of marital violence in the society has managed to stay steady for a significant period. Cases of violence between spouses is a common norm in the society, and a lot of studies have been conducted on the issue. A study conducted in 1985 using the Conflict Tactics Scale found that 16% of all married couples report a violent incidence in their marriages (Marital Violence: Antisocial Behavior Learned in Childhood, 20150). Perhaps one interesting finding from this study is that wives actually hit their husbands more than the husbands hit their wives.
Although incidences of marital violence are common, they rarely escalate over time, and most do not result in psychological trauma or physical violence Simons, Simons and Wallace, 2004). However, there is a type of marital violence known as intimate terrorism whose effects are appalling. This is a type of violence that is persistent, severe and frequent, and that results in emotional trauma as well as physical injuries. This type of violence is usually perpetrated by male spouses (Simons, Simons and Wallace, 2004).
Research seems to indicate that the men who commit this intimate terrorism can be categorized into two groups. The first group consists of those men who not only engage in spousal abuse but also other antisocial behaviors (Simons, Simons and Wallace, 2004). In this group, therefore, spousal abuse and violence is part of a general antisocial orientation. This can be attributed to having grown up in a violent and disorganized family. The other group is comprised of men who espouse borderline personality disorder and apart from spousal abuse, they engage in little other antisocial behavior (Simons, Simons and Wallace, 2004). According to Simons, Simons and Wallace (2004), their engagement in marital violence may actually be an expression of anger about rejection and not an element of general antisocial orientation. Once again, it is postulated that these men could have also been brought up abusive households, both emotionally and physically.
This aspect of having grown up in an abuse household and then abusing spouses in later life is proven by a study conducted by Sunday et al (2011) who found that young adults who had been abused during adolescence by their parents were more likely to abuse their intimate partners both verbally and physically. In addition, it was found that abuse history was a strong predictor of partner and emotional and physical violence perpetration.
In regards to these findings, several questions arise; what can be done to ensure that people who are brought up in abusive households do not become abusive themselves to their spouses? What other factors besides a violent and abusive background contribute towards marital violence perpetration by either spouse?

References

“Marital Violence: Antisocial Behavior Learned in Childhood”. Families and Crime (CCJ 4931). 2015.
Simons, R.L., Simons, L.G., and Wallace, L.E. (2004). Families, Delinquency, and Crime: Linking Society’s Most Basic Institution to Antisocial Behavior. Los Angeles, CA: Roxbury. (ISBN 1- 931719-30-6).
Sunday, S., Kline, M., Labruna, V., Pelcovitz, D., Salzinger, S., & Kaplan, S. (2011). The role of adolescent physical abuse in adult intimate partner violence. Journal of interpersonal violence, 26(18), 3773-3789.