Domestic Violence Against Women: Who and Why?
All of us must have witnessed domestic violence in one form or the other. In a society where a man is supposed to protect and take care of his better half who is physically weaker of the two sexes, some men indulge in this heinous and beastly act with a sense of impunity. It is shameful that women are most unsafe behind the same doors of their home which are supposed to protect her. To say that such acts of domestic violence are inhumane, outrageous and atrocious will be a gross understatement.
Domestic violence include physical, emotional, economic and sexual violence as well as intimidation, isolation and coercion. It can take variety of shapes from emotional abuse to near-fatal physical battering. It is experienced by bothmarried and unmarried women, however married women are much more subject to this disgraceful act of humanity. But the big question here is why some men indulge in such acts and what kind of men are more likely to perpetrate such crimes? Another question is whether it is caused due tosocial factors or it is related to personality characteristics of the perpetrator?
Domestic violence has been studied in detail by psychologists. It has been found that it is result of interplay of social and personal factors. We will try to analyse why and who of domestic violence in perspective of psychological point of view.
Our society stereotypes male characteristics as aggressive, dominance over female, physically and emotionally stronger than women, rigid gender role expectations. It is appalling that these pathological qualities are how our society and culture defines the masculine identity. Also preference of male child over the female creates a notion in male's psyche that he is superior and special and female is an organism of inferior status.
While social factors creates notion of female inferiority and legitimizes domestic violence , personal factors make an individual prone to performing such acts and ultimately matter when it comes to real acts of violence. It has been found that men who indulges in such acts are characterized by constrictive cognitive process, low self esteem, negativism, suspicion, masked dependency, poor impulse control, poor social skills and impaired reality orientation. Husbands who physically and sexually abuse their wives also tend to have extra marital relations and multiple partners and attribute their extra marital relations to alleged failure of wife. It is a form of defence mechanism to rationalize their extra marital relations and protect their ego from guilt.
Domestic violence not only cause physical harm and injury to the victim but it leaves deep and permanent scars on her psyche and inflicts unspeakable and indescribable wounds to her self esteem and self identity.
We should make a promise to ourself to raise voice against domestic violence whenever we witness such acts being performed in our surroundings. It is time our society should realize that real virtue of masculine identity lies in giving equal status to its better half and in protecting her from harm and not in brutally exercising his superior physical power over the weak. There is a saying that goes like ''With Power Comes Responsibilty''.
Domestic violence include physical, emotional, economic and sexual violence as well as intimidation, isolation and coercion. It can take variety of shapes from emotional abuse to near-fatal physical battering. It is experienced by bothmarried and unmarried women, however married women are much more subject to this disgraceful act of humanity. But the big question here is why some men indulge in such acts and what kind of men are more likely to perpetrate such crimes? Another question is whether it is caused due tosocial factors or it is related to personality characteristics of the perpetrator?
Domestic violence has been studied in detail by psychologists. It has been found that it is result of interplay of social and personal factors. We will try to analyse why and who of domestic violence in perspective of psychological point of view.
Our society stereotypes male characteristics as aggressive, dominance over female, physically and emotionally stronger than women, rigid gender role expectations. It is appalling that these pathological qualities are how our society and culture defines the masculine identity. Also preference of male child over the female creates a notion in male's psyche that he is superior and special and female is an organism of inferior status.
While social factors creates notion of female inferiority and legitimizes domestic violence , personal factors make an individual prone to performing such acts and ultimately matter when it comes to real acts of violence. It has been found that men who indulges in such acts are characterized by constrictive cognitive process, low self esteem, negativism, suspicion, masked dependency, poor impulse control, poor social skills and impaired reality orientation. Husbands who physically and sexually abuse their wives also tend to have extra marital relations and multiple partners and attribute their extra marital relations to alleged failure of wife. It is a form of defence mechanism to rationalize their extra marital relations and protect their ego from guilt.
Domestic violence not only cause physical harm and injury to the victim but it leaves deep and permanent scars on her psyche and inflicts unspeakable and indescribable wounds to her self esteem and self identity.
We should make a promise to ourself to raise voice against domestic violence whenever we witness such acts being performed in our surroundings. It is time our society should realize that real virtue of masculine identity lies in giving equal status to its better half and in protecting her from harm and not in brutally exercising his superior physical power over the weak. There is a saying that goes like ''With Power Comes Responsibilty''.
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