African American domestic violence - Essay Example

ABSTRACT The paper presents how family or domestic violence is defined. This is defined by understanding the risk factors at play, such as sociocultural, economic and historical or traditional factors. Also, the paper presents a view on the primary difference of domestic violence and outside home violence. The primary difference lies in the relationship between the abuser and the victim, the abuser being a member of the family. By understanding the risk factors, we also understand how the abuser behaves in such manner, and why the victims become victims. Research and studies of African American domestic violence treats such cases as different but equally valid as that of White Americans. Different because African American families are on a different sphere, in other words, they have a different social structure deeply impacted by their cultural and racial heritage. Their place in the society, even in the modern days is still colored by their history. The paper also looks into the intervention programs and activities focusing on re-establishing the self or identity of the abusers and victims alike. Since both parties are psychologically impacted by the violence, they need to re-establish their confidence and trust in themselves, as well as their family members. With this, they are able to redefine and recreate their family relationships. Family violence is not something unique to a certain community, culture or country. It is a pervasive phenomenon, something that occurs within different societies regardless of its nature, color, race or economic standing. Although 84% of the societies studied had occurrences of wife beating and 74% had corporal punishment for children, this does not mean that it is an inevitable occurrence or result of family life (Morrison & Hines, 2004). Higher rates of domestic violence can be found in communities of color (Sokoloff & Dupont, 2005). Violence in African American families should be treated differently but equally valid as that of other communities or families because of the social and racial influences in its structure, as well as their economic standing in the social structure. With this, African American families differ from White Americans as they have a different social structure. The effects of race and income, and other risk factors, such as early exposure to violence, heavy drinking and drug use, and tradition are all socially inclined or related. First and foremost, though, we need to define the term family or domestic violence. Family violence does not differ from violence outside of the home. It is similar in nature, that is, violence is any form of abuse, maltreatment or neglect, whether it causes another individual physical, emotional, mental or psychological harm. In defining family violence, we turn to understanding the different risk factors at play. The primary difference between violence outside of the home and within the home is that of the interactions between the family members, the aggressor and the victims. One of the major risk factors in family violence is the patriarchal social structure. With this, violence is believed to maintain authority and resolve conflicts (Morrison & Hines, 2004). The patriarchal ideology justifies and maintains male authority, thus, making it a contributor to women victimization (Morrison & Hines, 2004). Another risk factory is the isolation of the parent-child relationship from support systems (Morrison & Hines, 2004). This increases child abuse and neglect as support systems are cut-off and instead of assisting each other, families within neighborhoods compete with each other. This is caused by the socio-economic nature of African-American families, which are located in the lower part of the economic ladder. Although, there are studies that indicate support systems of the family lie within the informal support provided by the relatives (Caffaro & Caffaro, 1998). Sociosituational stress, such as low income, unemployment, poverty and lack of adequate education, may increase violence as a reaction to resenting such conditions (Paglicci, et. al., 2002). This, combined with exposure to violence and the emphasis on constructing manhood identity through the traditional male role as a provider increases stress, resulting to violence. This situation becomes a cycle within the family as the children are continuously exposed to violence (Williams & Griffin, 1991). The risk factors mentioned above increases the use of violence as it immediately gratifies the aggressor’s, oftentimes the male, need to control those around him. This can also be seen in violence against children, as parents use violence in order to control the behavior of their children. Since the male is the head of the household, and because of the need to fulfill the traditional male role as a provider, fathers are oftentimes the aggressors. Looking at the sociocultural aspect of African Americans, their history is filled with violence (Asbury, 1999). They have become slaves, and force and violence were not strangers to them. Because of this, the fathers tend to turn to force as a means of maintaining their role as the head of the family, this is even more evident especially when the woman has a more stable income than her husband. Focusing on this, it is a wonder why the wife does not always leave the aggressor. It is understandable when the children cannot leave the aggressor as they are dependent on him because they are weaker and smaller. They need the help of the aggressor in order to live and survive, as with them they have access to food, shelter and clothing. Dependency is common in domestic violence, a risk factor that increases even more the violent nature of the situation. A wife may become dependent on her husband for strength or economic resources, or she may have been thinking of the traditional family life, in which she needs to stay to ensure that the children would still have their father. Domestic violence increases the vulnerability of the victims, moreso with the children. Since they cannot easily get out of the situation, the children’s exposure to violence increases the risk of their use of violence. It may also shatter their confidence and repeat the same mistake that their parents did. Thus, domestic violence becomes a cycle within their families. With this, it is important that not only the aggressor is treated but also the victims. Without treatment or intervention, the abuser may inflict severe and irreversible damage not only to his victims but also to himself. With the victims, they may inflict pain and suffering more onto themselves if they go on living in such situation. Intervention programs of such cases focus on how to redefine family relationships, as well as, improve self-awareness, in order to address the deeply ingrained sociocultural and traditional ideologies that promote or strengthen violence. Intervention programs use methods such as liberation rituals and activities that re-establishes the abuser’s sense of self and confidence are helpful in re-creating a better family life for the abuser and the victims (Paglicci, et. al., 2002). Also, intervention programs for the victims focus on strengthening the victims’ awareness of the abuser’s behavior in order to stop their dependency behavior. With this, the victims are able to redefine themselves and recreate their relationship and trust with the abuser. Works Cited Asbury, J. (1999). What Do We Know Now About Spouse Abuse and Child Sexual Abuse in Families of Color in the United States? Ed. Hampton, R. Family Violence, 2nd ed. Prevention and Treatment. Issues in Children’s and Families’ Lives, Vol.1. Caffaro, J. and Caffaro, A. (1998). Sibling Abuse Trauma: Assessment and Intervention Strategies for Children, Families and Adults. NY: The Haworth Press. Morrison, K. and Hines, D. (2004). Family Violence in a Cultural Perspective: Defining, Understanding and Combating Abuse. CA: Sage Publications. Paglicci, L. et. al. (2002). Handbook of Violence. NY: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Sokoloff, N. and Dupont, I. (2006). Domestic Violence: Examining the Intersections of Race, Class and Gender – An Introduction. Eds. Sokoloff, N. and Pratt, C. Domestic Violence at the Margins. NJ: Rutgers University Press. Williams, O. and Griffin, L. (1991). Elder Abuse in the Black Family. Ed. Hampton, R. Black Family Violence: Current Research and Theory. MD: Lexington Books. Read More