Most Common Causes of Domestic Violence in Relationships

Most Common Causes of Domestic Violence in Relationships

Domestic violence, often known as domestic or family violence, is any form of abuse or violence in a marital or cohabiting relationship. Domestic violence, which can occur in partnerships or between ex-spouses or partners, is used synonymously with intimate partner violence and is perpetrated by one person in an intimate relationship against another.

Domestic violence also includes acts of aggression directed toward young people, older people, or parents. Domestic abuse is one of the crimes that both men and women globally underreport. 

Many people mistakenly think of their experiences as out-of-control family disputes, which prevents them from realizing they are abusers or victims. Male domestic violence victims also have a higher chance of being dismissed by healthcare professionals because of social stigmas associated with male victimhood.

Types of Domestic Abuse

There are several different types of domestic violence, including:

Physical abuse: when someone causes agony or physical injury to another individual by harming their body.

Sexual abuse: any sexual contact or activity without that person’s express agreement or between an adult and child who is under the age of 16 or, depending on the state, under the age of 18

Emotional or psychological abuse: screaming, swearing, calling names, intimidating, gaslighting, humiliating, harassing, infantilizing, scaring, manipulating, isolating, or any other non-physical form of controlling a person.

Neglect: neglecting to give a dependent the necessary things, including food, water, clothes, housing, medical attention, or supervision, or failing to show a family member love, care, and support.

Financial abuse: controlling a person’s income, limiting their employment options, or racking up debt in their name to take control of their money.

Technological abuse: threatening, stalking, harassing, and abusing the other individual through technology.

Cultural and identity abuse: utilizing a person’s culture or identity to do them harm or forbidding them from following religious traditions and rituals.

Immigration abuse: causing damage to a person by threatening or limiting areas of their life because of their immigration status.

Common Causes

Numerous risk factors and reasons have been identified by research as contributing to domestic violence, but they all share the demand for total control by the abuser. According to research, environmental and personal variables contribute to domestic violence. 

In essence, this implies that when abusers mature from children to adults, they learn to manipulate others via the impact of their family, their environment, and cultural customs. These are some of the most common contributing factors to domestic violence in relationships:

Cultural Factors

Women and children, who are considered to be a man’s property, have historically been allowed to be beaten and reprimanded in many patriarchal countries. 

In addition, the idea of a woman’s sexuality is frequently connected to the family’s honor. As a result, any conduct or action by a woman seen as a shame to the family is addressed with criticism and assault.

Social Factors

It can be challenging for abuse victims to come out and report their abusers since society still tends to hold victims responsible for their abuse. Victims are frequently examined in great detail, and any flaws are used against them.

Legal Factors

Law enforcement frequently treats domestic violence as a private family concern, and they might be reluctant to step in or become involved. Domestic violence is sometimes given a lighter sentence than crimes committed by strangers. In many cultures, intimate relationship sexual abuse is not even considered a crime.

Economic Factors

Domestic violence is frequently correlated with a lack of financial means.

Substance Abuse

Domestic violence is frequently caused by the excessive use of addictive substances like alcohol and narcotics.

Environmental Factors

Domestic abusers may be more prone to commit the crime as adults if they were exposed to abuse as children or observed it. The abuse cycle that spans generations is what this means – also known as the intergenerational abuse cycle.

Common triggers that set off abuse include:

• Disagreements
• Long stretches of unemployment
• Financial difficulties
• Desperation
• Anger management issues
• Humiliation
• Jealousy
• Envy

Are The Victims The Cause of Their Abuse?

Experts do not universally agree upon the root causes of domestic and family violence, but they all concur that the victim never initiates or requests domestic abuse. Men can also be harmed by an abusive relationship, although women make up most of domestic violence victims. 

The abuser progressively destroys the victim’s sense of self-worth to exert control over the victim. The abuser may “lose control” if the victim is persuaded that they deserve the abuse or somehow instigated it. This is a typical abuser control mechanism. The abuser is entirely in control of their actions; the victim is not the source of the abuse.