overly demanding and sadistic; there is a sex role division and the woman is usually the submissive partner. Women have low self-esteem and fail to view their role as beaten, and do not take steps to free themselves. Women may feel captive of their husbands since wives are usually physically weaker. Pathological relationships between paranoid women and dependent men are frequently found in the literature (Gullattee, 1981; Rounsaville, 1978; Roy, 1977).
Personality problems of the beaten wife might include neurotic needs. It is suggested that women's verbal behavior provokes assault. Victims tend to play an active role in their victimization; patterns of verbal aggression may lead to physical aggression. Wives verbally assault spouses to provoke violent reactions. This is the opposite of the belief in verbal aggression being cathartic, the theory that if couples get out their pent-up hostilities they will reduce potential for violence. Couples are experts on each other's vulnerability and are able to and do hurt each other effectively and efficiently (Perlman & Cozby, 1983; Roy, 1977).
Psychological dynamics also emphasize effects of childhood violence on the mature psyche. It is believed that what a batterer experiences in his early life greatly effects tendencies toward assault. Early beliefs regarding the wifebatterer include Freud, in his paper, "A Child is being Beaten," stating that pleasure feelings were connected with beating fantasy and memory and that violent feelings became fused with erotic ones. This may be enacted through assault in which "making up" with the wife sexually is the second and hidden component of the assault. It is further believed that the experience of corporal punishment and a development of an identification with the aggressor may cause assault tendencies in later life (Roy, 1977).
Other factors associated with spousal abuse include lack of resources and stress. Stress can inclu...