In the 1970s, domestic violence came into view when feminist groups revealed the complicity in women to be compliant, even with men lifting their hand against them. Women who were maltreated were given refuge under the women’s movement, while health and social workers were being trained on how to handle women who were maltreated. By the 1980s, international organizations had declarations defining violence against women and children as “an unacceptable violation of human rights [and] a source of tragic consequences” (Romito, 2008, p.1). This, however, may have proven to be fragile, especially in certain parts of Europe wherein conjugal exemption was not considered to be an offence, and that men are being allowed to rape their wives no matter what their reasons are. There are a number of cognitive/behavioral theories that explain these behaviors, in which violence tend to take place in intimate relationships, such as in husband-and-wife relationship. Under the cognitive/behavioral theories are the social learning theory, as well as, the reactive aggression theory, which are both under the cognitive/behavioral theories of aggression and violence.
Cognitive/Behavioral Theories of Domestic Violence
The social learning theory
In the social learning theory, like other cognitive or behavioral theories, focuses on the individual-level factors contributing to aggression and violence taking place within the family and/or intimate relationships. According to the social learning theory, individuals learn their social behaviors by imitating and observing the actions, words, and behaviors of other people. This is applied not just in learning languages and in moral decision making but also in aggression, wherein individuals become violent and aggressive mainly as an effect of learning the behaviors of role models within the family or society. Individuals learn through operant conditioning, in which behaviors are strengthened or weakened, as an effect of a positive or negative reinforcement, and the suppression of behaviors through punishment. This is seen in corporal punishment, wherein a discipline method brings about children’s compliance with the demands of their parents, as seen in the study that Gershoff (2002) conducted, in which corporal punishment seemed to strengthened the behaviors of children.
The reactive aggression theory
Another aspect of domestic violence and aggression, under the social learning theory, can be seen in the reactive aggression theory centering on the emotional and cognitive processes behind certain behavioral responses. In this theory, it says that certain behaviors come about whenever an individual experiences a violent or hostile situation. This may lead to a number of repercussions, such as the following: (1) a negative emotional response taking place out of an aversive stimulus; (2) the negative emotional response leading to an urge to hurt others; and (3) the urge to hurt others leading to an aggressive behavior, unless there are deterring factors that counteract it (Hyde-Nolan & Juliao, 2012, pp.12-13). This was proven in several studies, in which a number of researchers found a direct correlation between parental anger, their use of physical discipline with their children, and the effective risk of child abuse within the family. In a study that Douglas & Dutton (2001) conducted, they used cognitive-behavioral interventions to men who were abusing their spouses, and they observed how these men reacted with rage whenever facing rejection or abandonment by their spouses. They experience emotional pain, which leads them to have a desire to hurt their spouses, which then leads to a violent or aggression behavior towards their spouses. This, on the other hand, can only be prevented whenever a deterring incident takes place and derails them from doing it like, for example, when they receive a response from a police or a neighbor.
Factors Contributing to Domestic Violence
There are a number of cognitive/behavioral and social factors that may contribute to domestic violence and aggression. Under cognitive/behavioral factors, this include emotions and moods, such as jealousy and the use of endogenous and/or exogenous substances that can affect the mood of the individual. One aspect of the endogenous substances is the biological rhythm and hormonal change taking place in instances like the women’s menstruation period, wherein hormonal changes may lead to distressed feelings that men never understood. This can lead to hostile or aggressive treatment of the husband toward their spouse and so, fuel domestic violence. In the same way, males also have predominant hormones in the testosterone, which plays crucial role in their expression of violence. In other studies, researchers are able to prove how men with higher levels of testosterone are more likely than others to divorce their spouses and be arrested for domestic violence (Mazur & Booth, 1998).
On the other hand, exogenous substances may also have their part in the increase of domestic violence and aggression. This is seen in men who use neuromodulators and mind altering substances, which both have a role in the increase of domestic violence, such as those who experience alcohol abuse and tend to have an impaired judgment. It may often lead to erratic behavior, which becomes the basis for domestic violence and increased aggression to occur, as it induces negative mood leading to aggression and the tendency for impulsiveness.
Conclusion
Domestic violence and aggression can be explained using the cognitive/behavioral theory, specifically the use of social learning theory and the reactive aggression theory that both imply how aggression appears to be a learned behavior and not one that is innate. In using both of these theories, there is the limitation reflecting the psychodynamic theory behind aggression reflected in the theory of Sigmund Freud. As Freud manifested, aggression is supposed to be a part of human emotion and can therefore manifest itself inwardly as a self-destructive behavior. If this is the case, then there is the possibility that the way to counteract the aggressive behavior is not through the use of cognitive/behavioral mechanisms, or even social mechanisms, since aggression is seen as part of human nature.
References:
Al-Adawi, S., & Al-Bahlani, S. (2007, April). Domestic violence: what’s love got to do with it? Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal, 7(1), 5-1.
Douglas, K.S., & Dutton, D.G. (2001). Assessing the link between stalking and domestic violence. Aggression Violent Behavior, 6(1), 519-546.
Gershoff, E.T. (2002). Corporal punishment by parents and associated child behaviors and experiences: a meta-analytic and theoretical review. Psychology Bulletin, 128(1), 539-579.
Hyde-Nolan, M.E., & Juliao, T. (2012). “Chapter 2: Theoretical basis for family violence.” In R.S. Fife & S. Schrager’s (Eds.), Family violence: what health care providers need to know (pp.5-22). Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Print.
Mazur, A., & Booth, A. (1998). Testosterone and dominance in men. Behavioral Brain Science, 21(1), 353-363.
Romito, P. (2008). A deafening silence: Hidden violence against women and children. Trans. J. Eastwood. Bristol, UK: The Policy Press. Print.
