Domestic Violence Effects On Children - 2318 Words

Domestic Violence The mental image that people generally attribute to domestic violence is a husband physically abusing his wife. The battered woman has been the symbol for this issue as far back as anyone can trace. An illustration done in 1848 uses this image to warn people about the effects of alcohol abuse (Illustration). This image may be useful in warning people about the harmful effects of alcohol, but the unfortunate truth about domestic violence is that it doesn’t affect just one group of people, it has the potential to affect everyone. Neither gender, age, race, nor sexuality exclude a person from this problem. By definition, domestic violence is â€Å"acts of violence or abuse against a person living in one s household, especially†¦show more content†¦The three main schools of thought include the sociological, feminist, and interpersonal relationship theories. The factors are substance abuse, experiencing violence as a child, and age. The sociological theo ry relies on learned behaviors to explain why domestic violence exists and is the most widely accepted theory. The culture of the environment that a person grows up in will determine how he feels about violence. Many parts of life contribute to the environment, such as social class and belief systems. Social class seems to weigh in on the level of domestic violence because wealthy people have other means of controlling their victim, whereas someone with less money or status will resort to more primal instincts (Causes). Statistics show that domestic assault is, on average, four percent higher in poverty level households, than in well-to-do homes (Family Violence). However, one of the most high-profile domestic violence cases deals with a professional football player in the NFL, Ray Rice. He knocked out his then, fiancà ©e and it was caught on camera (Criticism). According to the sociological theory, social status would not be the trigger for the violence towards his fiancà ©e. Thi s theory would then blame Rice’s upbringing for his outburst. The belief