Domestic Violence is defined as any type of physical abuse, threat or pattern thereof, between intimately involved partners, roommates, or family members.
The basic pattern of Domestic violence is exerting control over another.
Domestic violence could include physical violence, coercion, threats, intimidation, isolation, and emotional, sexual or economic abuse; which is controlling money, shelter, time, food, etc.
An important thing to remember about Domestic violence is that it is not defined solely by specific physical acts, but by a combination of psychological, social and familial factors.
The abuse differs for each family. In some cases, those who commit domestic violence on their spouses might routinely beat them (their spouses) until they require medical attention.
In other families, the physical violence may have occurred in the past. With that in mind, these abusers exert power and control over their partners simply by looking at them a certain way or reminding them of prior episodes.
In still other families, the violence may be sporadic, but may have the effect of controlling the abused partner.
- A leading clinical psychologist, Dr. Mary Ann Dutton, defines domestic violence as a pattern of interaction in which one intimate partner is forced to change his or her behavior in response to the threats or abuse of the other partner. (Dutton, 1994)
Domestic violence applies to spouses, partners, former partners and spouses, people who are dating and the elderly.
Domestic Violence can happen to ANYBODY - regardless of age, sex, sexual preference, race or class.
The rates of domestic violence in same-gender relationships is roughly the same as domestic violence against heterosexual women.
Domestic Violence occurs mostly with women and children but it does affect MEN too
- INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE
