SUMMARY OF CURRENT THEORIES EXPLAINING
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
EXCHANGE THEORY
--states that members of the family will resort to violence to obtain their goals for
as long as what is to be gained outweighs the cost.
CULTURE OF VIOLENCE THEORY
--maintains that sub-groups in a society will develop norms and values that stress
and justify the use of physical force to a higher level than has been accepted in the past.
RESOURCE THEORY
--allocates power in a relationship to the one who contributes the most of the
resources, initially and continually.
PATRIARCHAL THEORY
--justifies violence against women and children as a way to preserve domination
and control
ECOLOGICAL THEORY
--connects family violence to social values and order.
SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY
--states that violence is a learned behavior and can be precipitated by stress,
alcohol abuse, money, or relationships.
EVOLUTIONARY THEORY
--justifies the use of violence to insure that the members are compliant and
maintain the desired patterns of behavior, particularly in the family setting.
SOCIOBIOLOGICAL THEORY
--that people will behave in such a manner as to insure that their genetic
superiority will be transmitted to future generations, survival of the fittest/strongest.
SOCIAL CONFLICT THEORY
--addresses the idea that bonding is the glue for communities and families, when
the bonds are threatened, people resort to protective behaviors.
GENERAL SYSTEMS THEORY
--holds that family violence is a result of a broken system, fix the system and fix
the family.
Current thinking is that the Patriarchal Theory is the dominant theory explaining the
cause of domestic violence and sexual assault crimes. The behaviors of the offender are
parallel to the brainwashing behaviors described by Biderman. Biderman, a German
scientist, studied the patterns of brainwashing and developed the Scale of Coercion. The
behaviors listed in the Scale of Coercion correspond to those listed in the Power and
Control Wheel which is used to train domestic violence and sexual assault advocates.
The Power and Control Wheel behaviors were gleaned from victim reports over a period
of years.
Biderman’s Scale of Coercion says there are essentially five steps to gaining control by
one person over another:
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Omnipotence
Threats of violence and violent attacks
Isolation
Emotional abuse
Kindness
The Power and Control Wheel, developed by the programs in Duluth, Minnesota from
interviews with victims of domestic violence lists the following behaviors demonstrated
by offenders towards victims:
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Using coercion and threats—making and carrying out threats to do
something to hurt her, threatening to leave, to commit suicide, to report
her to welfare, to gain custody of the children
Using intimidation—destroying property and pets, displaying weapons,
actions and gestures
Using emotional abuse—name calling, mind games, humiliation and
making her feel guilty
Using isolation—controlling what she does and who she sees, acting out in
front of family and friends, threatening relatives
Minimizing, denying and blaming—making light of injury and abuse,
denying harm, blaming her for the attacks
Using children—threatening custody, complaints to child protective
services, telling the children that she doesn’t care or that she has a
boyfriend
Using male privilege—insisting that he is head of household, making the
decisions for all of the family members, controlling the activities of the
family
Using economic abuse—controls all of the money, pays all of the bills,
goes with her shopping for groceries, clothing and personal items, gives
her an allowance, requires receipts, takes money from her that she has
saved.