Models for Dealing with Wife Abuse

The American home is said to be possibly the most dangerous place for women and children. Excluding wars and riots, violence between family members occurs more often than it does between any other individuals (Anderson, 1984). How wifebeating is viewed influences the steps taken to prevent it. If wifebeaters are thought to be mentally ill, then psychotherapy would be needed. If men hit their wives due to their early learning and/or the very structure of society itself, then cultural rules and values may need to be examined. Biological factors may need to be addressed as an additional factor (Roy, 1977). This paper will review the dynamics of wifebeating within the context of four models: the Psychiatric and Psychodynamic Model; the Social/Feminist Model; the Social Learning Model; and the Biosocial Model.

Psychiatric and Psychodynamic Model

Early beliefs associated with wifebattering include that the female victim is to blame for her situation with comments such as "Why does she stay, if she doesn't like it?" or "What did she do to provoke him?" A classic example of victim blame can be found in "The Wifebeater's Wife" (Snell, Rosenwald & Robey, 1964, as cited by Perlman & Cozby, 1983). This study concluded that the family structure included the woman as "castrating" and "masochistic" and the man as "passive." Times when the husband assaulted the wife were seen as a way of holding the family together, providing a meth

. . .
of failure and lack of control. Men may therefore experience the women's movement as a threat to their own opportunities and sphere of influence (Roy, 1977). Women's economic dependence on men requires constant negotiation for necessities of everyday life; this may be thought of as "nagging" and may be considered to justify the use of violence (Dobash & Dobash, 1978, as cited by Perlman & Cozby, 1983). Child care is viewed as the responsibility of the wife; this puts the wife in the dependent, less powerful position as long as there are small children in the family. Economic constraints and discrimination allow women few alternatives; without access to good jobs, women are dependent on their husbands. In the present social structure, women tend to develop negative self-images, particularly in relation to the trait of achievement. This contributes to feelings of guilt and masochism, which encourages toleration of male aggression and violence (Roy, 1977). Roy (1977) states the women's liberation movement would appear to equalize the greater physical strength of the abusive husband; however, data suggests that possibilities for reducing wifebeating require that men be able to fulfill adequately the male role of major economic
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
Perlman Cozby, Dobash Dobash, Mednick Christiansen, Harry Harlow, Model Biosocial, Child Beaten, Self Self, ASSAULT/ABUSE American, Guttentag Salasin, Elder Janes, roy 1977, battered women, perlman cozby 1983, cozby 1983, perlman cozby, physical force, dobash dobash, social learning, physical punishment, physical aggression, spousal abuse, cited perlman cozby, mednick christiansen 1977, straus et al, et al 1980,
Approximate Word count = 2848
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page)

More Essays on Models for Dealing with Wife Abuse