Examine the patterns of, & reasons for, domestic violence in the society.

is the most violent group to which they are likely to belong. Despite fears to the contrary, it is not a stranger but so called loved one who is most likely to assault, rape, or murder  us’. Therefore the pattern in most cases, is for women to be the victims of domestic violence, although there are also cases where men and children are the victims.According to the British crime survey domestic violence is estimated to be the most common type of violence in UK although, because it takes place behind closed doors, often without witnesses, it is difficult to measure and document. It is also difficult to define, as Scalter (2000) notes, some behavior, such as kicking and punching, is easily recognizable as violent, but behavior such as threats, verbal abuse, psychological manipulation and sexual intimidation are less easy to categorize and may not be recognized by some men and women as domestic violence. The way in which domestic violence is defined in a country or by an individual will have a huge impact on the statistics and may show a false picture.Official statistics from the british crime survey states that violence by men against their female partners accounts for a third of all reported violence. Stanko’s (2000) survey found that one incident of domestic violence is reported by women to the police every minute in the UK. Again Mirrles-Black (1999), using data from the British crime surveys, found that women were more likely to suffer violence than men- 70 per cent of reported domestic violence is violence by men against their female partners. However these figures are said to be an underestimate because many women are reluctant to come forward for various reasons,-They love their partners and think they can change them,-They blame themselves in some way for the violence,-They feel they may not be taken seriously,-They are afraid of the repercussions,-Abusive patterns can tend to be seen as normal by the victim having lived with it for a length of time,-Also the way in which they were nurtured(brought up) may be a vital factor. If they observed domestic violence with their parents they may feel that it is normal or okay.All these factors make the statistics show a false picture, as in most cases they are an underestimate of the actual amount of domestic violence. However it is clear the pattern of domestic violence is towards women as the victims and men as the offenders.There could be several reasons for domestic violence,Firstly, Social stress could cause domestic violence. Stress maybe increased when a person is living in a family situation with increased pressures. Social stresses due to inadequate finances or other such problems in a family may further increase tensions. Violence is not always caused by stress, but may be one way that some people respond/deal with stress.                          Secondly, domestic violence maybe a way in which the man/woman is trying to attain power and control over the partner. This is using violence in order to gain power and control. A causalist view of domestic violence is that it is a strategy to gain power and control over the victim.                         Abusers efforts to dominate their partners have been attributed to have a low self esteem or feelings of inadequacy, unresolved childhood conflicts, the stress of poverty, hostility and resentment towards women(misogyny)/ hostility and resentment towards men(misandry), personality disorders, genetic tendencies and sociocultural influences among other factors.Mental illnesses also maybe a reason. Psychiatric disorders are sometimes associated with domestic violence like borderline personality disorder, antisocial personality disorder, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, among others.Social theories of domestic violence looks at the external factors in the offenders environment, such as family structure, stress, social learning & includes rational choice theories.The social learning theory could be a reason for domestic violence. The social learning theory(slt) believes that all behavior is learnt form experience(nurture) but we also learn through observation. The offenders in this case may have observed domestic violence among their parents and saw this as a normal or acceptable behavior. This is the cycle of abuse which passes down from generation to generation. In most cases where children observe violence among their parents they are most likely to imitate this behavior when they get a partner as they see it as an acceptable behavior.The resource theory by William Goodle(1971), suggested that women who are most dependant on their spouse for economic well being are most likely not to leave their husband, or complain against them, even if they are violent, due to the financial burden if they leave the marriage. Dependency means that they have fewer options or resources to help them cope with or change their spouses behavior. Couples who share power equally experience lower incidence of conflict and when conflict does arise are less likely to resort to violence. A Freudian concept, ‘repetition compulsion’, has been cited as a possible cause of a woman who was abused in childhood seeking an abusive man(or vice versa), theoretically as a misguided way to ‘master’ their traumatic experience. Also gender roles and expectations can and do play a role in abusive situations.                                In conclusion, Understanding the patterns and reasons of domestic violence in a society is very important as we could determine ways to reduce it. Women in most cases are the victims. Domestic violence is clearly a major issue and should be considered illegal in order to reduce it. Awareness of domestic violence as a crime should be made more clear. Laws should be put in place to reduce it and the police could be trained to deal with such situations. Vicarious reinforcement is whereby we learn behavior by observing the consequences of the actions of others. Therefore if domestic violence is clearly set out as a crime and offenders are prosecuted accordingly, this could be a vital step reducing the cycle of abuse, whereby the children observe violent behavior among parents, and the parents getting reinforced accordingly, this would discourage them from doing the same. Help should be easily accessible for all victims regardless of gender or race. All this is vital in reducing domestic violence in a society.