Why does domestic violence occur? 3 theories about it

There are many theoretical models that have tried to explain the origin and/or maintenance of violence against women in an intimate relationship..

Next, we are going to review some of the models that try to explain gender violence in terms of its origin or etiology. That is, we are going to try to answer the question of why it happens or what causes it.

• Related article: "The 11 types of violence (and the different kinds of aggression)"

Theories about the causes of gender violence in the couple

In addition to the theories that we will see here, there are others that help us understand other aspects of gender violence, such as those that focus on emotional dependence, or models that explain why the woman continues in the relationship. However, in this article we will focus on three theories or models that try to explain the origin of this type of violence.

Theory of Intergenerational Transmission of Violence

This theory states that violence is a learned behavior, through direct experience and/or observation of other people's behavior.

From there, he tries to establish a relationship between a previous history of family violence and becoming a victim and/or aggressor in the future. According to this theory, children learn from their caregivers that violence or aggression is an appropriate way to solve problems.

Critics of this theory argue that this theory is insufficient to explain the phenomenon of violence against women. women because not all individuals who experience abuse during childhood become abusers in later life. adult.

The results of the investigations are contradictory, which probably shows that other factors that are not contemplated in this theory come into play.

• You may be interested: "Primary and secondary socialization: its agents and effects"

Interactive Model of Domestic Violence

This model is based on the idea that gender violence is a problem caused by multiple factors of a diverse nature.. The factors proposed by its authors are the following:

• Vulnerability factors of the family and the individual: these factors refer to socialization experiences characterized by the exposure to violence, individual characteristics and characteristics of the nuclear family (mainly the quality of the relationship of couple).
• Stress factors: they can be maturational (such as pregnancy or the birth of a son or daughter), the stress unpredictable (such as unemployment or a chronic illness) and triggering events, which are the aggressor's excuse for violent behavior.
• Individual, family and social resources to deal with vulnerabilities and stress: economic well-being, educational level, health status, characteristics of personality, family cohesion, clear and open communication, balance of power between the members of the couple, social isolation… These are all factors important.
• The sociocultural context in which these factors exist: it is the set of values ​​and norms shared by families of the same community and culture. The most relevant in terms of gender violence are the acceptance of violence and the subordinate status of women in certain cultures.

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Feminist Theory

Feminist theory proposes that many social norms are androcentric or exclusionary, because the perspectives of women and other less powerful groups have historically been ignored or excluded from public spaces.

The feminist model questions male rights and privileges over women, as well as the traditional idea that violence against women is a private family matter, defending the idea that the personal is political.

Another dimension that feminist theory is responsible for studying is the conflict of gender roles. This dimension explores the influence of normative behaviors associated with gender. The conflict of gender roles is the phenomenon that occurs when rigid, sexist or restrictive gender roles, learned during socialization, result in the restriction, devaluation or violation of oneself or the the rest.

feminist theory clarifies the influence of gender factors and the balance of power in abusive relationships. However, by itself it cannot explain the mechanisms through which gender contributes to the structure and functioning of violent relationships.

In conclusion...

As is evident throughout the article, there are several authors who have tried to explain the origin of intimate partner violence through various theoretical models. Although all the proposed models have scientific evidence of their validity, they are not by themselves capable of explaining all the aspects encompassed by gender-based violence.

This is probably due to the fact that gender violence is a complex phenomenon, in whose origin personal, social and cultural factors are involved. For this reason, it is necessary to combine the different theories proposed, since these are not mutually exclusive, but complement each other to try to explain this multi-causal phenomenon.