rwhelming majority of abuse within families and households is perpetrated by adult malesùfathers within families and male heads of household (Arbetter, 1995). The attribution in this article of the cause of the violent, abusive behaviors exhibited by these men as a sense of powerlessness on their part is consistent with the functionalist (social constructionist) approach to the understanding of behaviors within societies. Adult males within capitalist societies such as the United States are indoctrinated with the ideas of freedom, equality, and choice. In reality, however, the capitalist economic system causes society to be so structured that most adult males find that they are free to choose only within the limited confines of their family or household environments. Thus, within this restricted environment, these adult males brook no challenges to their authority, and they are quite prepared to employ violence to enforce their perceived authority. One implication of this analysis is that, as greater levels of real freedom, equality, and c
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