The Causes and Signs of Domestic Violence

Domestic violence is a destructive issue that is very common and affects many Americans today. Abuse can occur in heterosexual couples and in gay or lesbian relationships as well. These actions can occur within all ages, all ethnic backgrounds, and all income levels. Domestic violence has no boundaries when it comes to personal features. It is disastrous for the batterer and the battered. Abuse is a tragic occurrence and can be fatal. One in four women are abused by their partner and nearly more than 10 million people are abused every year.

There are multiple types of domestic violence including physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological /emotional abuse, intimidation, verbal abuse, and economic abuse. These are all serious forms of abuse and do not overpower one another. Domestic violence is any consistent violent or aggressive behavior towards another person that takes place within the home, this effects couples, siblings, parents, or any other people that live within the home.

The cause of domestic violence could be unknown, or the person may just feel the need to control the other person because they are better. Abuse can affect anyone including, babies, little kids, teenagers, young adults, women, men, and elderly women/men, however women are proven to be affected the most. Many sources state that the abuser may feel the need to control the other person due to lack of self-esteem, serious jealousy issues, difficulties in regulating anger, psychological disorders, or other strong emotions. People could have mental illnesses that cause them to think as if they are inferior the other person such as bipolar disorder, depression, psychopathy, narcissism, PTSD, or undiagnosed personality disorders.

More than 57 million people in the United States (18 and older) suffer from a mental illness. Over 50% of women who live with a mental illness have previously experienced some sort of trauma such as physical or sexual abuse (either during childhood or adulthood), (Trauma). However, there are multiple types of abusive behavior including coercion, isolation, intimidation, economic prevention, or use of children (threatening to take them away, using visitation for other reasons, criticizing the others' way of parenting). Children who grew up in homes containing violence, often develop PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) due to the trauma.

Post-traumatic stress disorder may last months or possibly years, symptoms may include extreme nightmares, sleep paralysis, intense flashbacks, anxiety, or a constant depressed mood. It typically affects people within the ages of 19 and older. These people learn to treat women with little respect and handle their anger in violent ways, which makes domestic abuse more common and repetitive. It is often passed down through generations. Alcohol and drugs can also contribute to this behavior. A drunk or high person is less likely to control their violent actions towards their partner/victim.

People may act like this and have this behavior because it is meant to scare, physically harm, or control the other person. However, some religions believe that abuse is just and okay. The followers of these religions believe that they have the right to control their partner and that women are not equal to men. Some religions still practice human sacrifice. They believe it is okay to kill people and animals for God. People also learn from others in the community or any other cultural influences as they grow up.

Violence in a home doesn't only affect the people in the home but the others around too. It sets an example for children that these actions are okay and acceptable behavior. They may view these actions are normal and causing no harm. Studies prove that harmful behavior is caused by interaction of situational and individual factors. This meaning, abusers inherit these actions from family members growing up, and some abusers will even admit they witnessed abuse in their community or home growing up. The denomination could be in the form of sexual, emotional, or physical abuse. However, no cause of the violence justifies the action or makes it in any way acceptable.

Domestic violence often escalates from verbal threats, arguing and verbal fights to violence. There are ways to gather whether you or someone else may be suffering from domestic violence at home. Abuse could begin with behaviors such as possessiveness, name calling, threats, or distrust. The abuser may apologize after fights profusely and claim it was out of love and not intended to hurt the person.

Some abusive tendencies include accusing the victim of cheating, telling the victim they can't do anything right, showing jealousy over the victim's family and friends, embarrassing/shaming the victim, controlling every penny they spend, forcing or pressuring the victim to take drugs or alcohol, threatening to hurt, kill, or take away their children, or intimidation with weapons such as guns and knives. Dominance, humiliation, isolation, threats, intimidation, denial and blame are common signs of domestic violence as well. Domestic violence isn't always physical violence.

Emotional or psychological abuse can be just as worse and even more severe than physical violence. Often examples of physical violence are hitting, slapping, strangling, kicking, pushing, biting, and engaging in forced sexual acts. Unfair blame put on the victim is very common in violent relationships. This could lead to emotional abuse; common examples are making someone feel mentally insane and crazy and causing them to blame themselves for the abuse. The violence doesn't always end when the victim escapes the abuser or tries to seek help.

Overall, Domestic violence is a problem that needs to be emphasized and there are ways that we can try and prevent this from reoccurring. Stated in the text above, there are many causes of domestic violence, some being preventable and some you cannot do anything about prior to. However, doing thigs such as discovering mental illnesses and reporting suspicious behavior when you see it, could save someone's life. Domestic violence is any behavior that the purpose is to gain power and control over another person in a relationship. These actions can lead to horrible things such as anxiety, depression, and suicidal behaviors.

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