Domestic Abuse
...12% of marriages will involve some sort of domestic violence. The injury done to women because of domestic violence greatly surpasses injury done by any other violent crime or car accidents combined. Medical expenses to care for the abused cost $3 to $5 billion dollars a year. Obviously, domestic violence is a prevalent and costly crime that is on the rise.A It should be stopped. However, at what cost? Or for that matter, how? When do the abused gain the right to cause harm to the abuser? Or do they have this right at all? In this paper, I will focus on domestic violence and whether the use of deadly force is ever justified. Please note that domestic abuse is not limited to only relations between spouses.B It includes children, friends, and other family members. To narrow my scope in this paper, I will focus on women as the abused in particular since the majority of domestic violence cases occur with a male abuser.
Background
Domestic abuse is described as “a pattern of escalating and cyclical violence characterized by periods increased tensions, abuse, and finally ‘loving contrition’ when the abuser expresses remorse.” The majority of cases occur when men harm their wives or significant female companions.
Another common circumstance that arises from consistent abuse is learned helplessness. In these cases, the victim begins to perceive the violence as beyond their control and therefore may feel that they have no choice but to remain in the relationship. These effects are usually coupled with financial dependence and the fear of addition harm to family members. Learned helplessness can cause extremely passive behaviors.
For women, a recent development in the psychological field has been the Battered Woman Syndrome. It is a type of post-traumatic stress disorder suffered by psychologically and physically abused women who react with violence against their...
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