Category: Domestic violence

Introduction

The manner or behaviour that entails one party abusing the other denotes domestic violence. The violence mainly happens between the families, dating, cohabitation, marriages, as well as intimate relationship. Domestic violence may come I form of intimate partner violence, dating abuse, family violence, battering, spousal abuse, and domestic abuse.

Different kinds of domestic violence encompass sexual, economic, verbal, emotional, and physical abuses. These types result into death or defect considering that they vary from coercive and slight forms to brutal and bodily cruelty.

Globally, husbands have murdered more than thirty-eight percent of their spouses as asserted by the World Health Organization. In this paper, I looked at the different programs that provide services for eradicating domestic violence in Miami.

The Miami-Dade County

During the course of the week, I got involved in searching for the information about stopping the domestic violence in Miami-Dade County. Miami-Dade County has a population of around 3 million people. The information regarding the census did not cater for the people who were unwilling to participate for one reason or the other. Indeed, the population is a huge number for a city that has grown for the last 70 years.

The exponential growth in the County is analyzed from the fiscal 1930s and 1940 up to the present date. Interestingly, the population by that time was nearly 20-30 thousand people (Miamidae.Gov, par. 2). With the increase in the number of people in the County, the number of different kinds of violence increases significantly.

Community Action and Human Services

In the course of my research, I found several resources within the county that provided valuable and important information about violence in general. The fact that violence could have different faces, the most common type of violence was related to the abuse of dominant gender male over the female (Miamidade, Gov, par. 5). After several trials, I made contact with the authorities that deal with domestic violence.

The Director (Roberta) provided me with the valuable website that helped in locating the required information that relates to domestic violence. The conversation between us engaged a face to face chat that lasted for almost 7 to 10 minutes. The lady was sympathetic towards the incidences of domestic violence.

However, due to the nature of her work she regretted releasing more information. Based on the information that was available in the website and other additional materials, she could not be permitted to release more information about abuse, rape, and domestic violence issues. Subsequently Roberta availed me with some links that contained information about the issues of violence and its different contexts.

The MUJER Program

After going through the information provided in the websites, I realised how diverse violence posses different characteristics. Certainly, the most common type of domestic violence arises from the male partners over their feminine counterparts. MUJER, the Miami-based website that also means WOMEN in English version, was one of the main sources that proved important.

The website provides information regarding violence and its consequences in the society. Through the site, I could navigate and see all the different options of getting information regarding the type of violence that any person may experience (MUJER, par. 3).

MUJER is more dedicated to domestic violence in all its dimensions. Surprisingly, I discovered the program that involved a student from the Florida international University where I pursued my undergrad courses.

The Crusade Immigrant Outreach Project

The program (FIU/Crusade Immigrant Outreach Project) provided the agency with the tips of promoting the wellbeing and safety of the families that suffer from domestic violence. Besides, the program was aimed at supporting the women who suffered from domestic violence but could not take any action since they lacked immigrant status.

It would have been easy to take part in this project if I had familiarized myself with it while I was still a student at FIU. Moreover, my cooperation could boost women to raise their voices besides fighting for their rights through the project (Miamidade. Gov, par. 7). Presently, I am aware of the existence of diverse resources that can be lifesaving to women who suffer from domestic violence at any particular time.

The DVSAC Miami

Additionally, I was introduced to another website that provided me with the relevant information. The DVSAC Miami that stands for Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Council of Greater Miami provides the possible information I required. The more comprehensive website targeted women from different communities all over the County.

The entire information in this website is in three different languages to ease understanding. The English translation enables all the Anglo-speaking women to understand. Similarly, the Spanish edition enables ease of understanding to the Spanish speaking community. Further, the Creole enabled the Haitian society that is rapidly growing section of the Miami diversity to understand.

The website also targeted the women with disabilities (DVSAC, par. 3). Such women fall victims of domestic violence or sexual assault. In personal view, I never thought of the existence of such type of crime. My attempt to reach Maria Rodriguez, the in-charge of Women with Disabilities Cant be Beat program bounced as she could not attend to my phone calls.

The program mainly aimed at the women with disabilities. In this context, immigrant women are the target under this program. My aspiration was to comprehend whether or not women who were not capable of denouncing crime for fear of immigration repression was considered a disabled lot under this website.

Sexual Crime Investigation Unit

The Miami-Dade County government has its own website that is dedicated to the issue of domestic violence. The 311 phone number is in place to denounce any domestic violence. I later came across a program that targets mothers and their children who suffer from domestic violence. In this case, both the mother and her children faced violent abuses from the father.

The website discusses means of detecting the element of domestic abuse in order to stop the cycle of violence in the family (Miamidade.Gov, par. 8). Equally, it helps to monitor the behavioural changes in children who suffer from domestic violence that might lead to future criminal behaviour.

The website deliberates the relationship between drug abuse and the high rate of families with illegal drug usage and domestic violence. Ultimately, the site addressed the consequences of DIU along with the way it marks a sign of potential domestic violence supposed it was feebly tackled.

Conclusion

The assignment is important as it enabled the awareness of the importance of obtaining information related to domestic violence. In essence, it prepared me to be in a position of helping other individuals with the information obtained. It is important to understand the resources that are relevant and well positioned when dealing with domestic violence.

One is capable of embracing the different ways of stopping the cycle of domestic violence after understanding the assignment. The concept of learning the outcomes of violence might contribute in reducing family-related violence by the imminent generation. Thus, the specific assignment provided me with enough tools for learning that it is important to eradicate violence at all costs.

Works Cited

DVSAC. Domestic Violence and Assault Council of Greater Miami.

Miamidade. Gov. Community Action and Human Services.

MUJER. Men and Women United in Justice, Education, and Reform: The One-Stop Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Centre.

Abstract

Battered Woman Syndrome is an inductive theory that seeks to explain the reactions of women when they are subjected to domestic violence. This theoretical approach seeks to sympathize with women who have been victims of domestic violence. In social context, several women have been exonerated from legal liabilities as a result of expert testimonies on Battered Woman Syndrome.

Battered Women Who Harm- Inductive Theory

The fight against domestic violence has several dimensions. The most radical progress in the fight against domestic violence came in 1994 when the Violence Against Women Act became law. According to this legislation, resolving domestic disputes is not a prerogative of the legal department alone but it also involves the medical and health community, social service agencies, community leaders, and the private sector (Ross, 2007).

Consequently, domestic violence has been updated to encompass its effects on the victims, community, children, and families. Through the spirit of combating domestic violence, the connection between inductive theory and criminal prosecution of victims was established. The Battered Woman Syndrome has always been applied in criminal prosecution processes to address the plight of the women who retaliate to instances of abuse (Schuller & Rzepa, 2002).

The Battered Woman Syndrome is an inductive theory that was constructed after expert observations were made on behaviors of abused women. This paper explores how the Battered Woman Syndrome (BWS) is applied during criminal proceedings in favor of abused women.

There are several stakeholders when it comes to issues of BWS including the Department of Justice, Department of Health and Human Services, the State Justice Institute, and the National Association of Women Judges. The social and legal fraternities concur that battering has both medical and psychological effects (Faigman, 2006). Consequently, evidence relating to BWS has been presented in a number of criminal trials that involve domestic violence.

Nevertheless, it is apparent that research on BWS has not yet been exhausted. Consequently, social policy stakeholders recognize that there is need for additional research on BWS. For instance, the term battered woman syndrome does not adequately reflect the breadth or nature of the scientific knowledge that is now available concerning battering and its effects (McCauley, Kern & Derogatis, 2005). The inclusion of the word syndrome in the description of this theory implies that there is a disease involved in the manifestation of the BWS.

BWS cannot be used as a summary explanation for the actions of women who have been subjected to domestic violence. Therefore, expert testimonies in cases that involve BWS should be used to support a battered womans claim of self-defense or duress and not to replace it (Terrance & Matheson, 2003).

Expert testimonies on the role of BWS in criminal cases against victims of domestic abuse have been used to exonerate suspects. In addition, research indicates that there is scientific evidence and criminal knowledge that can validate the premise of BWS. Repeated cases of domestic abuse often lead to reactions that are closely related to traumatic stress.

During criminal-prosecution proceedings, expert witnesses on BWS have been admitted in courtrooms across the country to shed light on the sociological implications of this phenomenon. Overall, the expert testimonies that are offered during criminal prosecutions serve as pointers of the effects of domestic violence.

The information that is contained in expert testimonies also assists fact finders in their deliberations, and dispels common myths that may interfere with their ability to consider fairly the issues of the case (Terrance & Matheson, 2003). All the social stakeholders of domestic violence will continue to use and enrich the validity of BWS as a theoretical explanation of its effects.

References

Faigman, D. L. (2006). The battered woman syndrome and self-defense: A legal and empirical dissent. Virginia Law Review, 2(1), 619-647.

McCauley, J., Kern, D. E. & Derogatis, L. R. (2005). The battering syndrome: prevalence and clinical characteristics of domestic violence in primary care internal medicine practices. Annals of internal medicine, 123(10), 737-746.

Ross, L. (2007). The intuitive psychologist and his shortcomings: Distortions in the attribution process. Advances in experimental social psychology, 10(1), 173-220.

Schuller, R. A. & Rzepa, S. (2002). Expert testimony pertaining to battered woman syndrome: Its impact on jurors decisions. Law and Human Behavior, 26(6), 655.

Terrance, C., & Matheson, K. (2003). Undermining reasonableness: Expert testimony in a case involving a battered woman who kills. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 27(1), 37-45.

Abstract

Resilience is a major determinant of the rate at which people recover from traumatic life experiences. Flexibility is a major factor that victims of different traumatic events, such as domestic violence, should have to lead a normal life in the aftermath of violence. Spirituality is an important aspect in resilience.

It has been shown that spiritual people are more resilient than those who are not. In this paper, the discussion centers on the concept of resilience, spirituality, and its application in the aftermath of domestic violence. Dees Resilience Life Cycle is also put into perspective to help in explaining how people can gain resilience and hence the ability to withstand lifes tribulations.

Introduction

All people experience major disruptions in the course of their lives at various points. Such events can push them to the wall. In many instances, during such disruptions, it is easy to feel that life has been unfair and almost blowing up. For instance, some of the major disruptions may present themselves in the form of financial difficulties, the loss of loved family members, sicknesses, injuries, and/or trauma from war, especially to soldiers and their families.

For instance, research that focuses on people who have histories of emotional, sexual, and physical abuse, learning disabilities, natural disasters, major illnesses, loss of loved ones, and war shows that some people virtually experience any ill effects from trauma. This realization has led to researchers to investigate the nature of resilience.

Considerable research shows that resilience is a characteristic that is deeply embedded in the heart to determine ones mental and emotional health. Recently, research on spirituality and resilience has shown that the two are closely linked and that people who have a strong spirituality show more ability to recover from trauma relative to those who have less spirituality. This paper discusses the concept of spirituality and resilience and its application and relevance in the aftermath of domestic violence.

Resilience and Spirituality

Resilience is defined as the ability or capacity to recover quickly from traumatic or difficult events in life. In the context of this paper, resilience will majorly indicate the capacity to recover from domestic violence. According to Smith, Webber, and DeFrain, (2013), resilience refers to a dynamic process where individuals use the available personal characteristics and ecological resources to face events of life as they unfold.

These personal characteristics and ecological resources are derived from the interactions between personal attributes and social support structures in the community, community resources, and health promoting interventions. Other factors that promote resilience include family members, friends, community, governance, and culture.

According to Bradford (2012), resilience is marked by various characteristics that include having a sense of hope and trust, ability to tolerate pain and distressing emotions, interpreting distressing and traumatic events in a new light, a strong sense of control over ones destiny, self-reflection and insight, and a meaningful social support system.

It also includes the ability to deal with emotional pain and/or having a wide range of interests in ones life. The availability or lack thereof of these characteristics separates people who have resilience and those who do not demonstrate it and hence the ability to easily bounce back after traumatic events or lack thereof of such ability.

On the other hand, spirituality refers to a deep sense of interconnectedness and aliveness. It may be seen as a sense of connection to something that is bigger than oneself. It involves the search for the meaning of life. For a very long time, spirituality was linked to the process of transformation at a personal level in accordance with religious teachings. Since the 19^th century, spirituality has been separated from religion. It is used to refer to subjective experiences and psychological growth.

However, the linkage of spirituality to religion is still very relevant and indeed even more prominent in the present-day era. For instance, in Christianity, spirituality is greatly linked to the desire to emulate the image of God and Christ. According to Smith et al. (2013), the existing research strongly links spirituality to positive life outcomes, including extreme life disruptions.

In another review of research on religion and human flourishing, Rymar (2009) found that those who engage in religion had a more sense of happiness and satisfaction in life. They reported less cases of depression in addition to a tendency to recover fast from loss and life crises as compared to nonreligious people. According to Dees (2011), Christianity plays a crucial role in guiding people towards resilience in difficult times.

Drawing heavily from personal experiences as a soldier in the battlefield, Dees (2011) has come to face with what life disruptions from war can do to an individual. Harmed with this experience as well as drawing from other areas of research in the topic of resilience and spirituality, Dees (2011) makes important recommendations that are linked to the bible teachings to guide people on a path to resilience and bouncing back after traumatic events.

The linkage between religion and spirituality and its relevance in todays world cannot be ignored. For instance, a research on religion and quality of life for patients with debilitating diseases such as Schizophrenia found that people who demonstrate a positive religious coping had a better quality of life than their counterparts who felt that God was punishing them (Glasson, 2009). The study concluded that religion played an important role in the lives of a big number of patients and that it was at the peril of the patient if psychiatrics ignored such beliefs in their treatment.

According to Rymar (2009), consideration of such beliefs can have a great bearing on treatment and even on the patients response to the treatment. Despite the overwhelming support for the linkage between religion and spirituality, critics point out that such evidence in research is inconclusive (Smith et al., 2013). Its association with health is weak (Fleming & Ledogar, 2008).

Resilience and spirituality play a very important part in coping and dealing with issues, which families face in their daily lives. One of the major problems that families are encountering even in the 21^st century is domestic violence. According to Wilson (2009), violence at home is a major public health problem where women and children suffer the most from its effects. In children, the effects of such violence are long-term and dependent on the timing, type, and frequency of exposure to violence.

Further, such effects occur in children, even if they are not the direct victims of the violence. They are close to the victim who in most cases is their mother. Since domestic violence occurs in a familial setting, the affected family members are marred with danger, which can have a long impact on their lives (Aldridge, 2013). Parents may be unable to offer safety since they are the perpetrators or the victims in some way.

The ability to offer care is restrained by various reasons. The consequences of domestic violence may include family breakups and lifelong injuries among other repercussions (Aldridge, 2013). Further, homes that encounter aggression are likely to have other problems, for instance deficiency, joblessness and drug addiction, and psychopathology.

These tough situations are associated with heightened danger of chronic hostility while the aggression boosts the probability of such situations in an iterative style. Just like other life stressing issues, recovering from domestic violence can be a very difficult process, especially since violence can have lifelong repercussions on the victims. Further, some people show more resilience and ability to recover from such violence faster than others do (Dees, 2011).

The main question on this paper is on whether spirituality can help victims to recover from violence and consequently lead a normal life. In other words, the concern is on whether spirituality plays a role in developing resilience in people who are experiencing domestic violence. If it does, in what ways can others be helped to recover from such a traumatic life event?

Resilience and Spirituality in the Aftermath of Domestic Violence

Domestic violence is also referred to as intimate partner violence since it mostly occurs between people who are in an intimate relationship such as marriage. The ability to recover from domestic violence is a key determinant of the quality of life an individual will lead after the violence (Stoll, Michaelson, & Seaford, 2012).

The aftermath of domestic violence is marred by mixed feelings that differ from one individual to another. For instance, many victims report horror and nervousness, which are regular effects of treacherous circumstances, although they may turn out to be enduring expressive conditions that require specialized interventions.

Memories of traumatic events at the hands of people who were supposed to protect, love, and care can trigger and immobilize domestic violence survivors (Wilson, 2009). If children are involved, the situation may lead to hyperactivity, aggressiveness, and development of phobias, which may hinder the childrens ability to have a fulfilling life. According to Dees (2011), experiencing fear and anxiety is a common emotion after traumatic events.

Dees (2011) draws heavily from the bible to help victims to withstand such emotions. In this case, he quotes Joshua 1: 9 (New International Version), which says that, Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go (New International Version).

In this verse, Dees (2011) points out a power that is beyond our understanding of fears and that fearing is not abnormal. However, it is important for those who are in the aftermath of domestic violence to understand that they are not alone and that the war they are experiencing within themselves against fear and anxiety is already known. God who is the commander of their lives will see them through the difficult times.

Domestic violence victims also experience shame and guilt. They blame themselves for the violence they are experiencing. The most important step towards recovery is to understand that the victim or survivor is never to blame for the acts of the perpetrator. When one harbors such feelings, it is easy to develop a negative self-image and distrust for others and the world. In this case, Dees (2011) encourages survivors of traumatic events that difficulties in life are normal and that while it is easy to have strong emotions, they (feelings) do not last. A brighter day is coming when such sorrows will be no more. For instance, the bible says, &weeping may endure for a night.

But joy comes in the morning (New International Version Psalms 30: 5). In this case, it is evident that no one is immune to tough times. People should not feel guilty or ashamed when their turn for tough times comes. They should instead look beyond the tough times since such times do not last forever.

They should anticipate the joys that will come in the future when they overcome the difficulties of the present moment. While Dees (2011) draws his experience from the battlefield as a soldier, his text is highly applicable to all traumatic events that push individuals to the edge of despair.

For instance, soldiers experience grief and depression from the bloody experiences they face in the combat. In the same way, the home can turn from a safe haven to a bloody place where loved ones are threatened with death and serious injuries on a frequent basis. Sorrow and despair may result in mood of defeat, unhappiness, and bleakness.

They result in weeping moments, despondency, and abandonment. At that moment, it is important to turn to the teachings of the bible to understand what it says to believers when they face situations that lead to helplessness and despair.

According to Dees (2011), the scripture offers the best comfort and resilience when people feel lost and not sure of where they are going anymore. For instance, the bible says that, Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight (New International Version Proverbs 3: 5-6).

From the above discussion, the main argument is that spirituality is an important aspect that determines the rate at which victims of traumatic events such as domestic violence recover. A study by Culliford (2010) confirms that the existing national studies have overwhelmingly demonstrated that non-participation in religious activities greatly increase the risk of suicide by over 400%.

Further, a significant number of studies that address the link between suicide and religion confirm the existence of lower rates of suicide among individuals engage more in faith-based activities in relation to people who do not participate actively in religious activities. Of these studies on religious beliefs and practices, Christianity has been specifically linked to reduced rates of depression.

Exclusively, receiving a religiously oriented cognitive behavioral therapy is linked to reduced symptoms of post-treatment depression and lower rates of recidivism to depression. Spirituality is greatly linked to resilience in many studies that have focused on spirituality and resilience. Their conclusions are not far from the truth.

For an individual to recover from a tough moment, the first step that he or she needs to adopt involves the building of resilience. Such a person has to develop flexibility such that he or she is willing to accommodate any inconvenience positively. Once such accommodation is established, the individual can now face the situation by developing mechanisms of learning to adapt it until it is over. Before the storm as Dees (2011) calls it, life is usually good with little stress and high levels of contentment.

For persons who are in intimate partnerships such as marriage, this stage connotes the period when the two people are happy. They look forward to a happy, secure, and fulfilling life ahead. However, life is not always perfect and/or without sorrow. Eventually, storms arise. Weathering the storm in a domestic situation may mean many things, including financial difficulties, ill health, and violence. After a long period of weathering the storm, the aftermath leads to learning and adapting to have a fulfilling life after the difficult times.

Learning and adapting requires one to bounce back based on the resilience level that such an individual has. According to Dees (2011), any Christianity expects these stages of life as part of the season for everything that is found in book of Ecclesiastes in the Holy Bible. In this case, Dees (2011) asserts that resilience in people who follow the teachings of Jesus is high because they get great inspiration from the fact that there are no surprises in life and that experiencing traumatic events signifies the arrival of such events in the calendar of ones life.

Further, being spiritual provides one with the ability to recognize that no tribulation is beyond any person as evidenced in the Bible, No temptation has seized you except what is common to man (New International Version 1Corinthians 10: 13a). Lastly, the bible assures believers that when tempted, God will provide a way out. Consequently, it is in the minds of those who believe that such traumatic events are only temporary.

A brighter future awaits them. A good example from the Bible is the story of Job who despite being a strong believer and a worshipper of God, experienced great tribulations where he lost all his wealth and children (Oser, Scarlett, & Bucher, 2006). His wife taunted him to abuse God and die. However, Job knew that the challenges he was facing were only a passing cloud and that the Lord had the power to return an individual to his previous glory or even higher. Job showed a lot of resilience.

Afterwards, he overcame his tribulations. In the same light, Jesus who was tempted by Satan, rejected by his people, and finally crucified provides a great inspiration to Christians who are passing through difficulties. In the New International Version, Jesus tells his disciples that they will face tribulations (John 16: 33). However, since he conquered them (challenges), they (followers) need to be assured that they too will prevail over any difficult situation.

In each stage of resilience cycle, spirituality is important. It can guide individuals to have a fulfilling life as Dees (2011) puts it. For instance, in the first stage of the cycle, spirituality offers one an opportunity to know that the joys of the current period are desirable, expected, but not permanent. To people who might be experiencing domestic violence, understanding this stage allows them to have the courage of not letting violence take them down when it arises.

Although violence is not acceptable and justifiable in whatever way and that it is contrary to the teaching of the bible that calls for love and genuine concern between spouses, when it happens, having spirituality allows victims to easily overcome its consequences and where possible find ways of addressing it with a sober mind. 65% of all violence cases at home are not reported (Stoll et al., 2012).

However, having faith and spirituality gives victims the courage to seek help, as they are not ashamed and in fact condemn such acts. When the violence leads to the breaking up of the family, spirituality allows individuals to recover, learn from the events that have occurred in their lives, and/or lead a normal and fulfilling life.

How does one then become resilient if it is such a key factor in determining the ability to overcome life challenges and traumatic events such as domestic events? According to Fleming and Ledogar (2008), there are several steps towards this path. In this path, spirituality is an important aspect, which guides people to a quick recovery from traumatic events. The first step is building positive beliefs in life. For instance, for victims of domestic violence, it is important to ensure that self-esteem is not taken away by the violence that they experience.

According to Dees (2011), spirituality ensures that people understand that they have a purpose in this world, which cannot be taken away by traumatic events. It is therefore important to have positive self-beliefs as part of building resilience after experiencing such events in life. Secondly, the most important step to resilience is finding ones purpose in life after experiencing traumatic events.

For instance, the period that follows domestic violence may require people to be engaged in some hobbies that they have never tried before or any other activity that may advance their purpose in life. Having a purpose allows one to set goals that he/she likes to achieve, regardless of the challenges of life. Another important step towards resilience and recovery after domestic violence is the development of a strong social network.

According to Dees (2011), such social networks may include close family members, support groups of domestic violence victims, spiritual mentors, and friends. Such support networks are important in helping one to recover from traumatic events and/or lead a normal life. Lastly, embracing change is an important step. For victims of domestic violence, these changes may include moving away from home and/or changing jobs and other activities that will take the victim away from the abusers.

Conclusion

In conclusion, there is a high link between spirituality and resilience. As evidenced in the paper, high levels of spirituality connote higher resilience and ability to recovery quickly from traumatic events. Domestic violence presents one of the major traumatic experiences that many people undergo.

When not well addressed, it may lead to serious and lifelong repercussions on the victims and their families. However, the teachings of the Bible as discussed by Dees (2011) present important lessons on how believing can help people to recover quickly from such events and thereafter lead a normal life. In other words, every individual has the capacity to bounce back, regardless of what life presents to him or her.

Reference List

Aldridge, J. (2013). Identifying the barriers to womens agency in domecto violence: The tentions between womens personal experiences and systematic respoonses. Social Inclusion, 1(1), 3-12.

Bradford, B. (2012). Resilience. Market Rasen, Lincolnshire: Total-E Bound.

Culliford, L. (2010). The psychology of spirituality an introduction. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Dees, R. (2011). Resilient warriors. San Diego: Creative Team Publishing.

Fleming, J., & Ledogar, J. (2008). Resilience and Indigenous Spirituality: A Literature Review. Pimatisiwin, 6(2), 47-64.

Glasson, B. (2009). A spirituality of survival enabling a response to trauma and abuse. London: Continuum.

Oser, F., Scarlett, G., & Bucher, A. (2006). Religious and spiritual development throughout the life span. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Rymar, R. (2009). Nurturing well-being through religious commitment: Challenges for mainstream Christian churches. International Journal of Childrens Spirituality , 14(1), 249-260.

Smith, L., Webber, R., & DeFrain, J. (2013). Spiritual Well-Being and Its Relationship to Resilience in Young People: A Mixed Methoods Case Study. New York, NY: Sage.

Stoll, L., Michaelson, J., & Seaford, C. (2012). Wellbeing evidence for policy: A review. London: New Economics Foundation.

Wilson, M. (2009). Domestic violence. Detroit: Greenhaven Press.

Introduction

Domestic abuse or violence involves the expression of certain patterns of behavior that are abusive towards another party in a marriage relationship or any familial affair. Domestic violence is acerbated in a number of ways, including assault, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, economic deprivation, domineering, and intimidation, among other forms of personal oppressions (Mogford, 2011). However, it is not constrained to actions that entail physical and emotional abuse. It also implies criminal coercion, unlawful imprisonment, and kidnapping. Upon considering these ways of acerbating domestic violence, the question that one needs to ask is whether a reasonable and moral person may undertake such actions.

Domestic violence is meant to acquire total control of a person. To achieve this goal, abusers deploy tactics of instilling fear, shame, guilt, and intimidation to capture their targets physically and emotionally (Mogford, 2011). In this sense, they impede the ability of their targets to reason rationally and exercise self-control as some of the important areas of focus in psychology. One of the fundamental characteristics of domestic violence is that it does not discriminate various people in society. It occurs among heterosexual partners, homosexual partners, and/or among people of varying ages, varying economic status, and even across all ethnic backgrounds (Awang & Hariharan, 2011).

In the majority of the situations, while women are found the major victims of domestic violence, men are also abused, especially emotionally and/or verbally while not negating physical abuse in some instances (Awang & Hariharan, 2011). Nevertheless, whatever the source of domestic violence, the behavior is very unacceptable within a society. Unfortunately, domestic violence is still prevalent among various societies (Awang & Hariharan, 2011). This paper seeks to examine the principles of critical thought in relation to domestic violence. It considers the importance of ethics, moral reasoning, a research-based process to search truth, and the advantages of information technology in gathering data. These issues relate to the concerns of studies in critical thinking while addressing certain societal problems.

Literature Review

Domestic violence encompasses a behavior, becomes normalized once it is repeated (Mogford, 2011). Psychology constitutes an important tool, which can help in the analysis and subsequent understanding of the behavior. It involves the scientific study of behavior or mind. It is a multifaceted field of study that involves the study of health, cognitive processes, social behavior, and human development, among other disciplines (Reicher & Haslam, 2006).

The process of evaluation of the cause of the behaviors is done using observation, analysis, and measurement techniques (Reicher & Haslam, 2006). This strategy implies that research-based approaches in the search for truth and/or deployment of information and technology in availing data may help understand domestic violence as a psychological problem in society. Prediction, generation, and explanation are also deployed to interpret any observations. This claim suggests that psychology can be deployed to provide an explanation for almost all phenomena in society. However, clear understanding requires critical thinking about potential causes and impacts of human behaviors such as engaging in domestic violence. After the identification of the causes and implications of a given problem, it becomes possible to assess the possible solutions or strategies that can change certain human behaviors (Reicher & Haslam, 2006).

Critical thinking, as a tool for evaluating human behavior, refers to studies on both unclear and clear thinking (Tutorial CO1, 2010). However, now, it is important to note that it has limited impacts on psychology, as it does not constitute any theory of thinking. As such, it cannot be deployed in studies of the human mind with reference to how different reasoning approaches may help increase or reduce the prevalence of domestic violence. Solomon (2002) uses the term critical thinking to refer to an intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action (p.45). Thus, it is only useful in problem-solving.

Critical thinkers have the capacity to deduce the repercussions of their actions, as they are guided into acting by well reasoned and logically connected ideas (Tutorial CO1, 2010). However, although awareness of such repercussions is important, a significant question arises on whether the chosen course of action upholds the principles of morality. Moral reasoning determines the rightness or wrongness of an action. One of the important ways of determining these elements entails the evaluation of an act for its ethicalness. Several theories explain the manner in which people react when they encounter certain unethical situations. These theories fall into normative and descriptive approaches (Yassin, 2012).

From the perspectives of normative approaches, ethical matters essentially define various values and principles, which guide decisions and behaviors. Indeed, according to the utilitarian theory, citizens need to look beyond their self-centric interests to enhance total good for all people who may be affected by their actions (Ketz, 2006). In this context, ethical action is the one, which does not result in harm on any party subjected to its consequences. Domestic violence undermines these principles of ethical behavior, which act as precedents of moral reasoning. This assertion perhaps makes more sense upon considering evidence on the negative effects of domestic violence derived from research-based processes that are aimed at searching the truth on its implications.

Research on the effects of domestic violence on the ability of women to work such as the one conducted by Audra and Shannon (2006) shows that abused women have lesser probabilities of choosing to work than women who have never experienced domestic violence. This claim implies that battering influences the capacity of women to look for means of bettering their economic status. This case has the impact of making them even more dependent on the perpetrators of domestic violence. In this context, economic independence is a subtle mechanism of reducing the risk of exposure to domestic violence among women. Women who suffer divorce due to domestic violence assume an unemployment rate of 20 percent or even less in comparison with those who are not abused in their marriages (Audra & Shannon, 2006). From these findings, it sounds subtle to infer that working women have lesser probabilities of experiencing domestic violence.

The increased economic status of women based on their employment position is a key determinant of their exposure to domestic violence. This claim is amplified by Audra and Shannons (2006) findings, out of the sample of women that were abused in the past, 9.4% of women who are currently not working are abused whereas only 8.9% (3.48% out of 39.2% married women abused in the past) of women who are currently working are abused (p.1120). These findings indicate that unemployment among women may result in a cycle of exposure to domestic violence. If more women are exposed to domestic violence, they are more likely to refrain from looking for employment. Consequently, they have a higher probability of being abused. Therefore, domestic violence is unethical. It undermines the principles of moral reasoning since it ends up denying its victims the utmost good. Employment raises the living standards of people by increasing their economic power. This situation suggests that if it can deny general good to some people, from a utilitarian ethical school of thought, it is immoral and unethical.

From the perspective that any action constitutes an immoral or unethical act if it denies general good to other people, research evidence that domestic violence affects children negatively (Kitzmann, Gaylord, Holt, & Kenny, 2003). The researchers conducted a meta-analysis study involving 118 studies on psychosocial implications of exposing children to domestic violence. The correlation figures indicated a relationship between psychological problems in children and exposure to domestic violence. Another group of researches (comparative studies) indicated that witnessing violence produced more severe psychological problems in comparisons with non-witnessing (Kitzmann et al., 2003).

Kitzmann et al. (2003) findings raise an interrogative concerning the most unethical and most immoral domestic violence. Since any ethical act, which the most reasonable person can do, must not have negative consequences, a research-based process to searching the truth introduces challenges of moral reasoning as it introduces relativity. Put differently, Kitzmann et al. (2003) tend to imply that if domestic violence is acerbated without children witnessing it, it has lesser negative psychological consequences. Thus, it is less harmful and better than in situations where children witness it. In a subjective test based on whether the action is right or wrong, critical thinkers will contend that it is not right as it has negative implications on children while Kitzmann et al. (2003) will perhaps respond that its degree of wrongness depends on the context of its execution.

Another meta-analytical research by Wolfe, Crooks, Lee, Smith, and Jaffe (2003) concluded that domestic violence is harmful to children. The authors asserted that it compromises childrens developmental outcomes such as cognitive, behavioral, social, and health functioning. Nevertheless, similar to Kitzmann et al. (2003), Wolfe et al. (2003) confirm that the effects of domestic violence on children vary relatively depending on the context. They claim that experiences through actual child violence increase behavioral and emotional damages than just exposure. Relativity here introduces a challenge that is similar to the one discussed before in terms of determining the ethicalness of domestic violence.

Research-based methodologies deployed by both Kitzmann et al. (2003) and Wolfe et al. (2003) evidence that without considering the relativity of the effects of domestic violence on children depending on the context of its execution, it generally denies children their overall good in the society. This good entails the right to grow in a socially conducive environment to foster their behavioral, cognitive, social, and emotional development in equal thresholds with reference to children who grow in a friendly environment without any witnessing or non-witnessing experience of domestic violence.

Impacts of Academic knowledge on Social Elements and Institutions of Local and Global Communities

Avoiding engagement in an activity that degrades ones moral reasoning is perhaps best accomplished when backed by information on its implications. Critical reasoning may be important in the evaluation of the repercussions of normalization of some behaviors in social institutions that are within the local and global communities such as normalization of battering in marriage. However, awareness of its effects on a second or a third party may help convince an individual that certain acts are not appropriate. One of the ways of acquiring information and awareness of the impacts of domestic violence encompasses the development of academic knowledge on domestic violence. Nevertheless, it is crucial to examine what compels people to act in a particular way. This necessity arises from the claim that possession of information on the impacts of an action may not act as a sufficient drive for not engaging in it (Aronson, Wilson & Akert, 2003). In this extent, the discipline of social psychology becomes important while studying domestic violence.

Engaging in domestic violence may be fostered by the development of an opposing attitude, which is an important element of social psychology between two people. This claim suggests that academic knowledge of social psychology may help reveal behaviors such as domestic violence as adopted by people in different social settings.

Attitude influences factors that help in the attachment of meaning to particular social problems or any other condition that affects people such as domestic violence, mental illness, and interpersonal conflicts. For instance, peoples understanding of how others perceive as constituting mental illness reinforces their understanding of such illness. People then develop an attitude to attribute the behaviors of such people to the condition whenever they encounter others who portray similar behaviors. In this process, intrinsic persuasion is important. Persuasion refers to an active method of influence that attempts to guide people towards the adoption of an attitude, idea, or behavior by rational or emotive means (Reicher & Haslam, 2006, p.27). Persuasion creates appeal while helping shape peoples understanding of various issues, including human nature, change, the need to refrain from domestic violence, and health.

Social cognition shapes human nature. It refers to the manner in which people think, perceive, or even recall information relating to others. As such, awareness of the impact of domestic violence may help manage the behavior. Aronson, Wilson, and Akert (2003) support this assertion by claiming that people think about others from different contexts. Attribution is one of the most important elements of social cognition that help reveal human behavior that characterize their nature. External or internal factors form the loci of human behavior.

Internal factors assign various causes of human behavior to character, different abilities, personality, and disposition. External factors relate human behavior to situational elements such as the condition or context of communication. Behaviors that define the nature of people are also attributed to controllable vs. uncontrollable and/or stable vs. unstable factors. However, while attributing human nature to different traits or characters of people, various errors may occur, such as fundamental attribution inaccuracy and self-serving error.

Self-concept is yet another important element of social psychology that helps explain peoples nature, their understanding on key issues that influence their lives such as illness and health, or even their capacity to embrace societal change. Self-concept constitutes self-schemas, which encompass the beliefs possessed by individuals, which are instrumental in aiding people process information in a self-reliant manner (Solomon, 2002). Self is a crucial aspect of social psychology since it helps direct the attention of people to the conversation or even activate memory so that people can attach meaning to their environment. In this sense, self affects peoples behaviors, cognitions, and emotional intelligence as essential elements that define the human nature that in this context, involves moral reasoning on the appropriateness of acts such as domestic violence.

Academic knowledge influences social elements and institutions of both local and global communities through the provision for explanations of causes, prevalence rates, and effects of the problems that they are facing. For instance, in the case of domestic violence, Krishnan, Rocca, Hubbard, Subbiah, Edmeades, and Padian (2011) assert that poverty and battering are essentially interwoven. This claim implies that any endeavor to run away from an abusive relationship may expose a victim to some economic challenges, which are often too hard to accept as the status quo. Precisely, any attempt to vacate from one place to another in the quest to escape domestic violence will imply losing housing, jobs, accessibility to ones income, and childcare while also not negating quality health care. Evans (2005) expands this claim by stating, there continues to be a higher prevalence of domestic violence in Australia, and more severe physical injury sustained because of domestic violence among population groups living with poverty (p. 36). In this perspective, where one partner is not economically endowed, the chances are that for her or him to continue with a normal economic life, he or she needs to endure domestic violence.

Endurance only translates into the normalization of domestic violence as an acquired behavior. The severity of poverty in resulting in the exaggeration of domestic violence is exemplified by legislation and other state policies. Policies and the legislation on domestic violence only provide mechanisms of isolation of the victim from the perpetrator. They do not create provisions for guaranteeing long-term financial security to the victim (Runge, 2010). Anti-poverty schemes primarily focus on hiking accessibility to economic resources without paying attention to them and/or inculcating measures to ensure that an abusive partner does not harm the victims job. In this context, explanations of the causes of problems that influence social institutions and global communities help in setting the background for designing and implementing strategies for dealing with the challenges both in the short-term and in the long-term.

How Principles of Active Citizenship can influence Contemporary Issues during the Next Five to Ten Years

Active citizenship encompasses an important aspect that glues society together. Although there lacks scholarly contention on the most appropriate model for active citizenship, European Economic and Social Committee (2012) reveals that it refers to people who take part in all public and societal affairs. Such interactions occur at international and local levels. The committee also notes that the term is normally deployed in describing people who are involved in community problems while driving change or even offering resistance to an undesired change in the extent that it disadvantages a society. However, active participation in public affairs does not imply it always has positive effects. This claim suggests that active citizens are not necessarily good citizens.

Since active citizenship involves participation in public affairs and issues that affect the society, its principles can be instrumental in influencing contemporary issues within a society over the next five to ten years. Domestic violence constitutes one of such issues. Good citizenship may help resolve these problems through fostering more engagement of people in the resolution of challenges and factors, which result in an escalation of cases of domestic violence in local and global societies. For example, poverty exposes battered women to minimal options. Women who have low incomes have a big probability of being subjected to discrimination, which has the overall result of reducing their financial security and safety (Awang & Hariharan, 2011).

From the above position, it sounds plausible to confirm that women who live in low-income neighborhoods are likely to have low economic opportunities and accessibility to employment. Hence, they are more likely to experience battering without escaping it. Directly congruent with this argument, Williams (1998) further asserts that women with low incomes may be compelled to look for emergency housing, live in homelessness, or get used to violence. Thus, poverty is critical in making victims of domestic violence continue persevering maltreatment that is acerbated by their partners. Through active citizenship, the government may be compelled to enact policies for protecting such venerable members of society.

Over the next five to ten years, active citizenship can help in influencing contemporary issues in the society through community and voluntary organizations that seek to address societal problems whilst encouraging communities to fight common challenges that affect their success. Through the principles, people can pursue common courses (European Economic and Social Committee, 2012). This strategy will make organizations that are structured from the perspectives of active citizenship play active roles in enhancing community involvement in the resolution of their problems in the next five to ten years. However, the principle of active citizenship can help in influencing contemporary issues if all societal organizations that operate at community levels have equal abilities to address issues that form their common courses proactively.

Well-off social organizations tend to have better bargaining powers. European Economic and Social Committee (2012) supports this line of argument by highlighting the likelihood of a threat for well-organized organizations to advance social exclusion in the deployment of active citizenship principles in fostering social inclusion. The most venerable members of the society are also likely to belong to poorly organized organizations. This situation implies that the capacity of the principles of active citizenship to influence contemporary issues of communities in the next five to ten years depends on several factors. The major factor is the ability of social organizations that utilize them to establish platforms that provide a room for even marginalized persons to voice their challenges and/or confront any inappropriate social problems such as domestic violence.

Conclusion

Domestic violence comprises a behavior that erodes the utmost common good for all members of society. The evil practice violates the principles of utilitarian theory. The conjecture views ethical matters as comprising actions, which deliver the utmost good to all people. For women, this good involves higher accessibility to employment opportunities and mental health. For children, it entails good social, physical, behavioral, cognitive, and emotional development. Possessing academic knowledge concerning these factors, which aggravate the intensity of the seriousness of the problems, is important in framing policies and strategies for mitigating domestic violence. To ensure the society embraces such strategies, its participation in public and societal affairs becomes important. It has to deploy principles of active citizenship. However, it is important for organizations that seek to end domestic violence through public participation to involve even marginalized people together with those who are in low socio-economic classes in the process of fostering unity, inclusion, and service to all people.

Reference List

Aronson, E., Wilson, D., & Akert, R. (2003). Social Psychology. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Audra, B., & Shannon, S. (2006). Domestic Violence, Employment, and Divorce. International Economic Review, 47(4), 1113-1149.

Awang, H., & Hariharan, S. (2011). Determinants of Domestic Violence: Evidence from Malaysia. Journal of Family Violence, 26(6), 459-464.

European Economic and Social Committee. (2012). Active Citizenship for Better European Society. Web.

Evans, S. (2005). Beyond gender: Class, poverty and domestic violence. Australian Social Work, 58(1), 36-43.

Ketz, E. (2006). Accounting Ethics: Theories of Accounting Ethics and their Dissemination. New York, NY: Taylor & Francis.

Kitzmann, K., Gaylord, N., Holt, A., & Kenny, E. (2003). Child witnesses to domestic violence: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 71(2), 339-352.

Krishnan, S., Rocca, C., Hubbard, A., Subbiah, K., Edmeades, J., & Padian, N. (2010). Do changes in spousal employment status lead to domestic violence? Insights from a prospective study in Bangalore, India. Social Science & Medicine, 70(1), 136-143.

Mogford, E. (2011). When Status Hurts: Dimensions of Womens Status and Domestic Abuse in Rural Northern India. Violence against Women, 17(7), 835-857.

Reicher, S., & Haslam, A (2006). Rethinking the psychology of tyranny: The BBC prison study. British Journal of Social Psychology, 45(1), 140.

Runge, R. (2010). The Legal Response to the Employment Needs of Domestic Violence Victims: An Update. Human Rights, 37(3), 13-23.

Solomon, A. (2002). Two Systems of Reasoning in Heuristics and Biases: The Psychology of Intuitive Judgment. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Tutorial CO1. (2010). What is Critical Thinking. Web.

Williams, J. (1998). Domestic Violence and Poverty: The Narratives of Homeless Women. A Journal of Women Studies, 19(2), 143-165.

Wolfe, D., Crooks, C., Lee, V., Smith, A., & Jaffe, P. (2003). The Effects of Childrens Exposure to Domestic Violence: A Meta-Analysis and Critique. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 6(3), 171-187.

Yassin, A. (2012). Do Ethics Matter in Corporate Business Management From View Point of Islam? Kuwait Chapter of Arabian Journal of Business and Management Review, 2(2), 1-9.

Domestic violence had great implications on the physical and mental health of the victim. There are many attempts that have been put in place to deal with domestic violence. Domestic violence is mainly characterized by aggression towards women even though there are few cases where men are assaulted by the females. There have been some substantial gains that have been achieved through activism. However, the problem has remained prevalent. According to Hanmer and Itzin (2013), a change that will end domestic violence requires a framework that will holistically address the social issues that lead to domestic violence. In the existing studies about domestic violence, feminist contributions have been the definition of domestic violence as a fundamental tool used by men to socially control the women. Also, domestic violence is associated with structure and hierarchy that exist within the family. In the patriarchal; society, men have benefited with the ascribed cultural status; hence, they have abused the privileges by domineering the women through violence. Therefore, there is the need for in-depth examination of the societal set up in order to have a better understanding of why domestic violence has remained prevalent and the measures that can be used to address the problem.

Fundamental Issues of Domestic Violence

Even though researches have pointed to many causes of domestic violence that are mainly social issues, Hanmer and Itzin (2013) noted that the causes have one commonality, i.e., the problem has been normalized in the society. Most of the domestic abusers grew up in families and societies where they experienced violence (Howard & Oram, 2013). As a result, they were accustomed to the fact that emotional and physical violence can be used to solve disputes and cope with their fears.

The long standing gender stereotypes that exist in the society have contributed to the perpetrating the violence. The process has thus become generational as there is no one in the society who has stood against the problem. This has contributed to the normalization of the problem. The other factor that has resulted in the problem being considered as normal is the culture of violence that characterizes the modern society. In the different attainment viewed from TV, there are many violent scenes that make brutality against women to appear normal, for example the sexual violence. The objectification and dominance of women becomes usual.

The problem with domestic violence is that sometimes the victims tend not to disclose their sufferings. This is because the people who are abused depend on the abusers financially. As a result, they feel subjugated, and hence, the common feeling of inability in case they were separated from the abuser, while the oppressor is accustomed to the fact that authorities are not informed. The result is that the domestic violence is left to continue. As the problem continues within the family, a trend is set in which the children witness the violence. Their ability to trust others is undermined and they cannot control emotions due to the image of violence forded in their brains (Howard & Oram, 2013). Therefore, when they are adults, they are likely to continue to practice violence as a way of exerting authorities in their families.

There are many theories that have been used to explain domestic violence, for instance, a general systems theory approach to domestic violence views the problem as a system rather than the cause of an individual make up. Therefore, it is within the systems of the society that violence has been perpetuated. For example, stereotypes which exist within the society that places men as superior to woman create images that reaffirm the practice (Krizsán & Paantjens, 2016). The gender learned roles are also passed through a societal setting that defines what each gender is supposed to do in the family (Hanmer and Itzin, 2013). These roles are culturally ascribed and designed in manner to ensure that men exert power and control over the women. The result is that men use physical abuse to gain dominance in the relationships. Therefore, Hanmer and Itzin (2013) noted that the society has contributed in the processes that normalize the gender violence. Also, the society has neglected its role of redefining values and norms that discourage any kind of violence at the family level. Society has not established alternative

The factors that are associated with domestic violence are engrained within the society and very few relate to the individual. Therefore, the issue of domestic violence can only be solved through measures that address the root causes at societal level. It is the mandate of the society to redefine values and norms of the society and ensure that they are based on equality. This will create a platform on member of society feels lesser being as they will all have equal opportunities. Therefore, therefore, there will be no need for violence to superiority. It is the mandate of society to change the situational and the individual factors that are responsible for domestic violence.

As it has been stated, domestic violence remains one of the most insidious problems in modern society. Worse still, in some communities maintaining social hierarchy, using physical and emotional violence is still regarded as a tradition that should be treated with respect (Grose & Grabe, 2014, p.972). The purpose of the present research is to reveal the primary cause of domestic violence and define which methods would be effective for decreasing the number of cases of domestic violence in the society. The complexity of the problem that the research is supposed to solve lies in several reasons that contribute to its contagion.

The present research is to define origin of domestic violence, and the measures that can be taken in order to lessen the influence of the discovered reason.

Solution

Due to the enormous number of the victims of domestic violence, it is absolutely impossible to postpone solving this problem. In order to reveal the primary cause of domestic violence, I conducted thorough analysis of the theories on its roots. As it follows from the analysis, the primary cause of the domestic violence is likely to be connected to specific gender roles that are supposed to define the appropriate behaviour (Sinno, Schuette, & Killen, 2014, p.133). As almost all the cultures proclaim the superiority of men over women, husbands are believed to have an ultimate right to take all the important decisions concerning the family. Such a situation causes overindulgence in men, and they start gaining authority over women using their physical fortitude. Instead of feeling guilty, many abusers claim that they just live in accordance to the rules of their culture or religion (Taylor, 2013, p.420).

Taking the discovered reason into account, I developed a new way to decrease the domestic violence rates in our society. I suggest that nobody can be blamed for being a victim, and this is why it is the abuser who has to reconsider his behavior and look at himself from the outside. Thus, I believe that developing a new method of correctional rehabilitation would be the best solution for the problem. To be more precise, I am convinced that only traumatic experience simulation can make abusers understand the cruelty of their behavior. The method that I suppose to be effective for domestic violence prevention, involves creating a situation where abuser and his victim reverse the roles.

The experiments should be conducted with help of the specialist who will ensure that everything is going according to the plan. The couples have to act out episodes of their life that are the most traumatic for the victim. The abuser is supposed to see himself in his victim, and he has no permission to resist the violence. The method should be applied only after conducting a test that shows that participants have no mental disorders. After the experiment, the couple has to live separate from each other for a week. Then, abuser is supposed to have a conversation with the psychologist. I consider the method of traumatic experience simulation to be the most effective as it is it aimed at making the abuser sober. It will be cheaper to develop and implement this method than the other ones, and it will not require any expensive equipment.

Major steps of implementing the method include conducting a series of experiments to prove its effectiveness, developing the guideline helping to use the method, and creating a training program for the psychologists who would like to use it in their work.

Benefits

Strengths of the simulation method include repetitive practice, ability to provide feedback, and the ability to present different life scenarios that possess valuable lessons (Lateef, 2010). One of the benefits of traumatic experience simulation is the attitude change that it will create in the individuals who will participate. The situations and experiences used will be fictitious. However, they will be representations of the real-life experiences that victims of domestic violence undergo. The method will replace and amplify real experiences with guided ones in order to present specific scenarios that will cover different aspects of domestic violence (Lateef, 2010).

For instance, aspects of domestic violence such as the physical, mental, and psychological pain will be covered in different simulation exercises (Ross, 2014). The simulation tool will be developed in such a way that abusers will be able to move, do, think, and experience the lives of victims of domestic violence. For instance, the abusers will be introduced to the key concepts related to domestic violence including trauma, depression, anxiety, and mental instability (Ross, 2014). In that regard, they will be presented with situations and experiences that will bring them one-on-one with the pain and trauma that their victims undergo. One of the goals of the proposed solution is to develop empathy in the abusers by helping them understand the level of suffering they inflict on their victims.

This will be achieved by allowing the abusers to go through simulation scenarios and experience all the pain, trauma, and stress of domestic violence. This simulation will give the abusers an opportunity to be in the shoes of their victims and, as a result, judge their actions from a different perspective. The simulation will also equip participants with knowledge, skills, and attitudes that will empower them to change their behavior and responses toward their partners. It will supply knowledge regarding the negative effects of violence on the victim, family, and society in general. The simulation will provide an opportunity for participants to learn and re-learn until they acquire positive attitudes that will allow them to see domestic violence from both ethical and legal perspectives (Lateef, 2010). The proposed method will be effective in ending domestic violence because abusers will experience different scenarios for as many times as it will be necessary for them to learn and change.

The method of traumatic experience simulation is supposed to show good results, but in order to start its implementation, there is need to conduct more experiments. I suppose that my solution is going to bring innumerable benefits to the society as it involves active work with the perpetrators and their attitudes towards domestic violence. Companies interested in this method can invest in its development because once completed, the simulation tool will provide great value for the money that they invest. It is supposed to be relatively cheap but their investments are likely to pay off in the long-term. The things that I need to start are the assistance of prominent researchers to conduct additional experiments, a laboratory or house supplied with the necessary video facilities, and unlimited access to the latest psychodiagnosis programs.

Conclusion

Domestic violence has far-reaching implications on the physical, mental, and psychological wellbeing of victims. Therefore, eradicating it from society is of utmost importance. As mentioned earlier, addressing the issue requires an in-depth evaluation of the role played by social factors such as gender, gender roles, and hierarchy in society. The most efficacious solution to end domestic violence is to expose the perpetrators to the mental and physical pain that their victims encounter. Thus, traumatic experience simulation is a method that should be implemented in order to contribute in domestic violence awareness and significantly decrease the number of its victims through active and fruitful work with abusers.

Traumatic experience simulation will be an effective method because of its strengths that include repetitive practice, ability to provide feedback, and the ability to present different life scenarios that possess valuable lessons. The main goal of the method is to change the attitudes of the abusers toward their partners as well as develop a new understanding of domestic violence with regard to its negative effects on victims, families, and the society. Domestic violence should not become more common, and it is the duty of every person in the society to make the efforts in order to prevent its spread. Its effects on families and the society are severe and, therefore, eradicating it is necessary. I strongly believe that this method will show positive results once it is tested thoroughly.

References

Hanmer, J., & Itzin, C. (2013). Home truths about domestic violence: Feminist influences on policy and practicea reader. New York, NY: Routledge.

Howard, L. M., & Oram, S. (2013). Domestic violence and perinatal mental disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS Med, 10(5), 1-5.

Krizsán, A., & Paantjens, M. (2016). Domestic violence: Whos problem? The Greek Review of Social Research, 117(117), 63-92.

Grose, R. G., & Grabe, S. (2014). The explanatory role of relationship power and control in domestic violence against women in Nicaragua: A feminist psychology analysis. Violence against women, 20(8), 972-993.

Lateef, F. (2010). Simulation-based learning: Just like the real thing. Journal of Emergencies,

Trauma, and Shock, 3(4), 348-352.

Ross, L. E. (2014). Continuing the war against domestic violence (2nd ed.). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.

Sinno, S., Schuette, C., & Killen, M. (2014). Developmental social cognition about gender roles in the family and societal context. Gender and development, 9(2), 133-154.

Taylor, C. (2013). Infamous men, dangerous individuals, and violence against women. A Companion to Foucault, 1(1), 419-435.

When it comes to the discussions regarding society and gender roles, many argue that we still live according to a patriarchal hierarchy. This important aspect of our society is inextricably linked to the problem of domestic violence. It is important to mention that women can hurt men when it comes to the expectations and portrayal of men in modern society. The impulses of violence can be generated by a variety of ideas revolving around an unmanly character or weak personal image. Female domestic violence also exists, but it is not as prevalent as male is. Regardless of the aggressors gender, domestic violence is always a very distressing event that may lead to numerous negative consequences (Meffert, McCulloch, Neylan, Gandhi, & Lund, 2015). Anger, insults, and invaders abusive behavior should be perceived as provocative and inaccurate manifestations of the inner voice. Nonetheless, despite the destructive power of several internal factors and indicators, several external aspects of human life can be regarded as major premises of domestic violence. These factors can also be characterized as a direct environmental influence and should be taken into consideration by every social and healthcare organization.

Domestic violence is commonly the consequence of negative childhood experience, which may include witnessing abuse between family members or being abused personally. We have to address the factors that cause family members to engage in domestic violence and develop and implement programs that will help the community to mitigate the devastating consequences of these events (Usta, Antoun, Ambuel,& Khawaja, 2012). Moreover, the invaders will learn more about the aftermath of their actions and help their children to grow into tolerant and educated individuals. The society has to address the issue of the lack of empathy and self-reflection to help violent individuals to learn how to love their family members and children (if there are any). One of the most important aspects of this problem is that the majority of people do not possess the necessary level of psychological understanding concerning violence and coping strategies (Yamawaki, Ochoa-Shipp, Pulsipher, Harlos, & Swindler, 2012). Consequently, I believe that apart from the fact that domestic violence is one of the most common social problems, one cannot underestimate the role of healthcare institutions in resolving this matter, as this problem has a direct impact on public health. This paper discovers this aspect not only from a social perspective but also from the angle of healthcare since this social issue causes the development of different illnesses including depression.

Environmental Factors that Influence the Occurrence of Domestic Violence

Before addressing the issue of domestic violence from the healthcare point of view, we should pay special attention to the external factors that impact people the most. Therefore, it is crucial to analyze the implications of the modern society and evaluate the probable impact of each of the identified environmental factors on the occurrence of domestic violence (Yamawaki et al., 2012). It is important to note that environmental factors are usually combined other social, family, and community factors in the course of their manifestation as causes of domestic violence. The presence of certain physical environmental factors does not necessarily translate to domestic violence. Within the framework of the current research, I point out the four key environmental aspects, which include poverty, social isolation, community violence, and the promotion of violence in the media.

Poverty and Unemployment

The problem with poverty and unemployment consists in the fact that these two interconnected aspects do not unswervingly lead to domestic violence. On the contrary, they only increase the likelihood of maltreatment and violent behavior in the future. Social and healthcare workers have to be aware of the fact that the combination of poverty and risk factors associated with it may ultimately end in the manifestation of forceful behaviors (Yamawaki et al., 2012). Moreover, this may lead to substance abuse and increase the severity of the problem. Several psychological theories are associated with the issues of poverty and unemployment. One of these theories proposes that low levels of income lead to increased family stress and consequently, higher levels of domestic violence. Another theory of manifestation proposes that family providers who earn low income might not be able to influence their other family members due to the overriding factor of an unsafe environment.

Social Isolation and Social Support

Another environmental factor is a lack of social support. It is a well-known fact that the majority of individuals who manifest violent behaviors are exposed to the issue of social isolation (Yamawaki et al., 2012). What is even worse, the state of isolation may influence other family members (especially children) and impose certain moods on those individuals. On a bigger scale, domestic violence is triggered by seeming loneliness and lack of support. Also, social isolation might contribute to instances of domestic violence because spouses who have deficiencies in social and emotional support often experience reduced pressure to adapt to traditional and socially acceptable familial settings.

Violence in Communities

The risk of the manifestation of violent behaviors increases significantly when family members are exposed to different instances of violence in their communities. This may include dangerous neighborhoods, delinquent acquaintances, and association with the aspects of poverty and unemployment (Yamawaki et al., 2012). The problem with violence in communities consists in the fact that this environmental factor is directly connected to the theories of victimization and social learning that can be found in criminology studies. Therefore, individuals who encounter repeated instances of violence might interpret it as an acceptable form of response. The risk of violence in communities is also closely associated with poverty levels.

Societal Attitudes and Promotion of Violence

Despite the impact of other factors, the promotion of violence via mass media and social networks remains one of the most prevalent sources of violent behavior. Nowadays, almost everyone learns about domestic violence on the Internet, and the context may often be misleading and confusing. Healthcare employees and associated social workers have to realize the momentous impact of modern technologies on the societal attitudes toward domestic violence (Yamawaki et al., 2012). The development of efficient intervention programs that can be distributed online should be the cornerstone of further research on the subject. Another possible trigger for domestic violence within the realm of modern society is societal attitudes in its promotion of violence as a cultural norm. The digital media has been identified as an agent of normalizing violent behavior. Consequently, some research studies have indicated that there is a possible connection between violent tendencies and individuals who watch a great deal of violence on television (Wallace & Roberson, 2016).

Proposed Intervention

Most of the environmental factors that contribute to domestic violence are closely related to two common factors; community outlook and violence. Therefore, communities and the availability of social amenities are key considerations when laying out interventions against domestic violence. On the other hand, community engagement involves both the victims of domestic violence and those who are close to them.

As it stands, there are very few, if any, mechanisms for preventive action against domestic violence. The official approach to both governmental, law enforcement, and medical institutions usually takes a retroactive approach to family violence, dealing with its effects and trying to mitigate the damage dealt with the victims (Usta, Antoun, Ambuel, & Khawaja, 2012), while simultaneously punishing the offenders. While this is a form of justice, it does not have any positive net value  in every case, a family is destroyed, a victim is suffering, and an offender is incarcerated. The intervention proposed for this problem will take an indirect approach that would aim at improving the situation in the community where domestic violence is prevalent and preventing it from happening in the first place. Such an approach will, thus, minimize the number of aggressors and victims, help to form healthy and strong families and ensure prosperity and peace not just for the adults, but also for the children.

Inhibiting the spreading of violence within a certain community is a top priority for various interveners. Some of these interventions are geared towards creating a high level of public awareness with the view of raising the public response towards this problem. This type of approach takes an indirect response by turning domestic violence into a communal issue, as opposed to it being an individuals problem (Shorey, Tirone, & Stuart, 2014). Furthermore, a community-based approach eliminates the possibility of destroying familial and social structures in the course of an intervention.

The idea proposed in this paper is the creation of a Community Centre for Children and Parents, under the patronage of the local medical care facilities. This center will have a multitude of purposes, ranging from offering children from low-income families to grow and learn new skills in a safe and friendly environment to consulting young couples about domestic violence, anger and stress management, and offering families to connect by engaging in communal actions together.

Benefits of the Proposed Intervention

The creation of a community center geared towards offering affordable hobbies and recreation for children and working with adults will improve both the level of knowledge about domestic violence, increase the level of empathy among family members, and improve the situation in the community as a whole by taking homeless kids off the street (Usta et al., 2012). As a result, the number of criminal activity in the area is expected to go down (Meffert, McCulloch, Neylan, Gandhi, & Lund, 2015). On an elevated level, the proposal for a community center seeks to challenge the underlying social and community factors in the process of addressing domestic violence. Therefore, the proposed intervention has to have the capacity to address victims need for stability, justice, overall wellbeing, and good health. A community center also recognizes the need for considering domestic violence together with other accompanying factors including poverty, child abuse, and community violence. Within the structure of a community center, stakeholders aim to take note of the factors that strengthen community bonds and the ones that undermine these important connections.

This strategy promises numerous benefits to the community. Since human life is considered to have infinite value, according to the holistic contemporary medical philosophies, saving lives and preventing domestic violence has infinite value in itself. Other than that, however, numerous long-term benefits would eventually be felt in the community. There is a distinct correlation between the levels of violence in families, and in communities at large. The reduction of domestic violence will automatically cause a decrease in criminal activity within a community. Families will become stronger. Children will be cared for and supervised, the number of spontaneous and irresponsible sexual activity will decrease (Pallitto et al., 2013). All three will contribute to the social and economic stability within the community (Meffert et al., 2015). A community center is set to act as a pillar of the community regarding all other aspects of social organization.

Of course, such a project will require numerous materials and resources to be implemented. Depending on the size of the community, such a center can take either an office or an entire building. The format of the Community Centre for Children and Parents would likely be that of a non-profit organization that is funded either by the government, through donations from members and businesses, or by both. Government support will not be limited to money alone, but also with simplifying the formalities, paperwork, providing spaces, and medical personnel. A community center is also set to act as an engagement site and this affects its location. In some instances, community centers also require certain amounts of collaboration from other respective organizations and entities.

Naturally, the resources required for creating and maintaining the Community Center for Children and Parents could be split into four groups:

• Spaces
• Materials
• Personnel
• Advertising

The latter is extremely important, as the community will not be able to utilize the newfound facility if they do not know about it. The initial funding required for opening one such Community Center will cost somewhere between 1 to 2 million dollars, which will be spent on setting up the place, buying equipment, attracting specialists, and advertising. After some time, the non-profit organization will be able to maintain itself to a certain degree through attracting donations and sponsors among the local charity and business communities. Collaboration with charity organizations and other non-profit entities is also possible within the context of this community center.

Conclusion

Domestic violence is widely common in our society, to the point that people view it as something that cannot be avoided and should be simply taken as due. That is wrong  many people around the country and the world suffer within their households, unable to protect themselves, and in some cases unable to restrain their violent impulses towards others. Lives are lost, homes are destroyed, and children are left without parents, and put into orphanages. They are robbed of their childhoods, and often turn to crime once they come of age, and even before. Just because such tragedies are commonplace, it does not mean we should get used to them and ignore them. Punishing perpetrators is not enough  the jails are full of various criminals, yet the USA remains one of the most criminal countries in the world. Prevention is the answer, and the Community Center for Parents and Children can be a solution. Instead of directly interfering and splitting families apart, it will encourage community action, getting people together, and promoting love, friendship, and understanding. Where such exist, there is no need for violence.

References

Meffert, S., McCulloch, C., Neylan, T., Gandhi, M., & Lund, C. (2015). Increase of perceived frequency of neighborhood domestic violence is associated with increase of womens depression symptoms in a nationally representative longitudinal study in South Africa.Social Science & Medicine, 1982(131), 86-97.

Usta, J., Antoun, J., Ambuel, B., & Khawaja, M. (2012). Involving the health care system in domestic violence: What women want.Annals of Family Medicine,10(3), 213220.

Yamawaki, N., Ochoa-Shipp, M., Pulsipher, C., Harlos, A., & Swindler, S. (2012). The effects of domestic violence myths, victims relationship with her abuser, and the decision to return to her abuser. Journal of Interpersonal Violence,27(16), 3195-3212. doi:10.1023/A:1023564404773

Meffert, S., McCulloch, C., Neylan, T., Gandhi, M., & Lund, C. (2015). Increase of perceived frequency of neighborhood domestic violence is associated with increase of womens depression symptoms in a nationally representative longitudinal study in South Africa. Social Science & Medicine, 1982(131), 86-97.

Pallitto, C. C., García-Moreno, C., Jansen, H. A., Heise, L., Ellsberg, M., & Watts, C. (2013). Intimate partner violence, abortion, and unintended pregnancy: Results from the WHO multi-country study on womens health and domestic violence. International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, 120(1), 3-9.

Shorey, R. C., Tirone, V., & Stuart, G. L. (2014). Coordinated community response components for victims of intimate partner violence: A review of the literature. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 19(4), 363-371.

Usta, J., Antoun, J., Ambuel, B., & Khawaja, M. (2012). Involving the health care system in domestic violence: What women want. Annals of Family Medicine, 10(3), 213220.

Wallace, P. H., & Roberson, C. (2016). Family violence: Legal, medical, and social perspectives. London, UK: Routledge.

Plan and Solution

The problem of domestic violence has been in existence in contemporary society for a while, affecting victims significantly and causing them massive psychological and physical traumas. The unwillingness to report instances of domestic abuse leads to a steep rise in the intensity of violence and the negative experiences that victims suffer. According to recent statistical data, about 10,000,000 people suffer from abusive relationships every year (Jewkes et al., 2017). The introduction of an approach that will encourage the participation of every member of the U.S. society should be regarded as a viable solution to the problem since it will help make the actions of offenders visible.

Rationale

The specified solution will require taking several steps to create the platform on which the management of the issue will become a possibility. For example, the introduction of changes on a legal level should be deemed as a necessity. Particularly, repercussions for not reporting an instance of domestic violence may serve as the basis for encouraging people to change the status quo. Afterward, a societal change must be encouraged. The identified step is going to be admittedly more difficult to take since it will imply altering peoples mindsets. Nevertheless, public redress can be achieved by using social media, in general, and social networks, in particular, as a tool for sharing information and prompting discussions. Finally, the victims of abuse must also be involved in the process. They need to be encouraged to share their experiences and receive community support. Thus, the process of healing will start.

Solution: Description and Deliverables

Since the rise in domestic violence, which can be observed at present, might be attributed to the lack of exposure and the absence of awareness among the members of American society, it is strongly recommended to shed some light on the issue. The promotion of education regarding the subject matter is critical to the well-being of the victims of violence. The significance of social support for the successful recovery of the victims of domestic violence can hardly be overrated. According to a recent study, the significance of disclosure is extraordinarily high for a victim, with social support and the emotional investment of family members and close friends is one of the essential components of the healing process (Sylaska & Edwards, 2014). Therefore, by creating the setting in which a victim can receive the required support and encouragement, one will be able to prompt faster identification of the instances of domestic violence.

The focus on building the environment in which a victim can feel safe and supported by the community and family members is critical to the identification and management of domestic violence cases. According to previous researches on the subject matter, it is the lack of security and the fear of being ostracized to an even greater degree than makes victims of domestic violence silence their situation (Chatzifotiou, Fotou, & Moisides, 2016). Even though numerous support groups for the people suffering from domestic abuse have been created, most victims are reluctant to shed light on their situation for the specified reasons (Crawford, 2017). Thus, offering the vulnerable population security is essential.

It is expected that the proposed solution will lead to a significant increase in the number of disclosed cases of domestic abuse. Although the specified outcome will not cause an immediate drop in the number of family violence cases, it will provide victims with a sense of security that will encourage them to seek help. As a result, legal; repercussions for abuse and the following drop in the number of family violence cases can be expected.

Benefits and Cost-Benefit Analysis

Using social support to address the needs of people that have suffered domestic abuse is crucial to the improvement of their physical and mental condition. However, determining the potential of the proposed strategy and considering the expenses that it may require is also imperative to the successful implementation of the objectives. In case the costs outweigh positive outcomes, the further deployment of the strategy will be unviable and will only lead to the mismanagement of the available resources.

As the chart provided above shows, there are multiple benefits to the considered when implementing the strategy in question. The ubiquitous nature of social networks and the following steep rise in the levels of awareness can be seen as the primary positive aspects of the offered tool for building awareness (Sylaska & Edwards, 2014). Since social networks help build a connection among no only friends but also community members, as well as take the conversation about domestic violence to a global level, victims of the identified phenomenon can gain the emotional support of a significant number of people. Therefore, the proposed tool can be seen as very powerful.

In addition, the expenses that the use of social networks implies are very few due to the nature of the identified tools. The active promotion of the program against domestic violence will require certain financial resources to make people notice the victims plight. However, the further change in the dynamics of the relationships between the target population and society will justify the expenses.

Materials or Resources

As stressed above, it will be crucial to ensure that the program receives enough financial support. Even though the initial requirements for the active promotion of victims well-being will cost comparatively little, the further use of expert healthcare services and the provision of the required assistance will demand extensive funding (Chatzifotiou et al., 2016). Therefore, it will be desirable to obtain a grant for providing the survivors of domestic abuse with the assistance of healthcare experts.

Furthermore, the help of a team of IT professionals will be needed to create a group for supporting the target demographic and advocate for their rights in the environment of the modern media. For instance, tools for attracting peoples attention to the problem will have to be designed. The specified step is critical to building the levels of awareness within the community and providing its members with guidelines for assisting the vulnerable population.

In addition, detailed information about the means of identifying domestic violence, reporting it, and seeking help will have to be provided. The said data will have to target both community members and the vulnerable population. As a result, people suffering from family abuse will be able to seek help independently and acquire the knowledge and skills that will help them recognize the necessity to disclose their situation. Particularly, the offered program will encourage domestic abuse victims to seek help as opposed to suffering abuse silently.

Conclusion

The problem of family abuse remains topical in modern American society despite numerous endeavors at improving the situation. The observed phenomenon can be partially attributed to the propensity among victims to silence their situation. The reasons for the specified phenomenon may vary, yet the fear of societal contempt combined with the possibility of intensified abuse can be listed among the key ones. Therefore, introducing a system of social support for the people that have been suffering from family violence is critical to the management of the problem.

Attracting peoples attention to the issue of family abuse, however, will require certain financial resources. For instance, it will be crucial to introduce a media campaign that will draw people to the subject matter and help them connect emotionally to the victims of family abuse. As a result, the latter will be able to receive the support that they need to disclose their situation and accept the help of healthcare experts. Furthermore, the services of psychologists, therapists, and other healthcare professionals will have to be funded to ensure the high quality of the proposed assistance. Finally, the information and guidelines that will be posted on social media and serve as the primary resources for both victims and community members must be designed by healthcare practitioners in a very careful and detailed manner. The specified task will also need appropriate financial support.

Therefore, the campaign will require the support of benefactors. Attracting patrons that will fund the program and help the victims of domestic abuse to receive the necessary assistance can become a possibility once the campaign gains enough attention in social media. As a result, the problem of silencing domestic violence may finally be resolved.

References

Chatzifotiou, S., Fotou, E., & Moisides, I. (2016). Best practices in liaising between the police and social services in confronting incidents of domestic violence. Social Cohesion and Development, 9(2), 133-142.

Crawford, N. (2017). The journey of probation domestic abuse interventions. Irish Probation Journal, 14, 164-175.

Jewkes, R., Fulu, E., Naved, R. T., Chirwa, E., Dunkle, K., Haardörfer, R., & Garcia-Moreno, C. (2017). Womens and mens reports of past-year prevalence of intimate partner violence and rape and womens risk factors for intimate partner violence: A multicountry cross-sectional study in Asia and the Pacific. PLoS medicine, 14(9), 1-20. Web.

Sylaska, K. M., & Edwards, K. M. (2014). Disclosure of intimate partner violence to informal social support network members: A review of the literature. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 15(1), 3-21. Web.

Introduction

Few topics are as much debated as domestic violence directed at children. Despite the evident harm, such behavior persists and continues to affect society. Research shows that it is a global phenomenon not specific to any particular culture (Wali et al., 2020). Even though the reasons for the prevalence of domestic violence are not agreed on, the fact that familial abuse is detrimental to childrens well-being raises no doubts among scientists. However, the effects of domestic violence are not fully understood by the public. Despite the overall perception that children suffer long-term consequences, most people do not realize how damaging domestic violence can be. Exploration of behavioral, physical, emotional, social, and cognitive implications of domestic violence will provide insight into the effects abuse has on children in each of these dimensions.

Emotional Effects

Emotions play an important role in ensuring psychological and physical well-being. Each person has emotional needs that have to be fulfilled on a consistent basis. Similar to how eating prevents malnourishment and drinking prevents dehydration, emotional needs also have to be satisfied in order to prevent neuroses and psychological breakdowns. Emotional self-regulation is an essential life skill which people acquire throughout their lives. The starting point for the acquisition of this skill is the environment in which a child grows.

Before children learn to regulate emotions themselves, they rely on their caregivers. It is especially important in the first years of life when the frontal lobe is rapidly growing (Mueller & Tronick, 2019). A family with healthy relationships provides for the emotional needs of children. Whenever a child feels threatened, their parents ensure their need to feel secure. If a child wants connection, their parents satisfy them via a loving attitude. When a child desires to be left alone, the family allows them to meet their need for autonomy. Once a child wants to feel empowered, parents allow them to satisfy their need for esteem. Children who grow up in such environments learn to react adequately to stressors and emotional disturbances in later life.

However, when familial relationships are toxic and violent, the domestic environment no longer contributes to childrens healthy emotional development. Instead of feeling secure, they experience anxiety, turning into paranoia. The lack of connection intensifies childrens sense of being lonely and abandoned. When families constantly violate the personal space of children, their deprivation of autonomy results in codependence. The inability to meet their esteem needs leads to the emergence of the feeling of unworthiness. Children growing up in such conditions fail to adequately regulate their emotional state and transfer their family-related toxicity to other spheres of life.

Emotional reactions are essential in determining the subsequent behavioral response. Unable to properly fulfill their emotional needs, children overcompensate and delve deeper into their emotional negativity. For instance, children may apprehend disclosing the truth about the domestic setting to the outside world because of the fear of consequences (Lloyd, 2018). Witnessing parental conflicts creates feelings of uneasiness and anxiety. Even when children are not the direct target of violence or do not witness it physically, they still respond emotionally. The inability to prevent parental conflicts creates feelings of guilt, shame, and fear, which may ultimately result in learned helplessness (Rahayu & Hendriani, 2019). This emotional state will invariably affect how children react to external stimuli, causing them to feel powerless and desperate.

Arguably, the most infamous emotional consequence of domestic violence is the development of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) syndrome. It emerges as an unconscious response of the childs brain to the anxiety produced by domestic abuse. Most commonly, it is expressed via three forms: reliving the event, avoidance of situations that recall the event, and hypervigilance (Paul, 2019, p. 2). PTSD is a long-term mental health issue, which obfuscates emotional regulation. Combined with other mental disorders, it signifies how much a childs psyche is damaged in dysfunctional families.

Behavioral Effects

The manner of childrens responses is directly related to the emotions they experience. Children who grow in healthy domestic environments adjust to the accepted norms of behavior quickly and with minimal effort. If the family nurtures a sense of security, the child will be open to new relationships and ideas. Children who experience loving relationships with their caregivers have healthy friendships and avoid toxic communication. When parents respect childrens need for autonomy, they do not become dependent on other people. Finally, a child with healthy self-esteem will positively and adequately assess their strengths and weaknesses. However, in order for such behavioral responses to originate, a healthy domestic environment is essential.

When children do not learn to regulate their emotions properly, their behaviors deviate from social norms. Children who lack a sense of security because of exposure to domestic violence have difficulty trusting and opening themselves to people. When home conflicts prevent children from feeling connection, they overcompensate by attempting to communicate with people to whom they may not appeal or who use them to affirm their own insecurities. The lack of autonomy forces children to have aggressive reactions to any criticism or guidance. Finally, insufficient esteem makes children overly criticize themselves or pursue unhealthy activities that would make them feel empowered. These outcomes are only several possible variations that children living in violent domestic settings may experience.

There are multiple other behaviors, which do not stem from the failure to meet a certain need. For example, it is not uncommon for children who live with abusive caregivers to have eating problems and sleep disturbances (Riedl et al., 2019). Both of these activities may seem as purely physiological needs that exist regardless of the familial context. However, both eating and sleeping fulfill human psychological needs as well. Food consumption is a complex process that is connected with many hormones that are responsible for mood. Eating sugar-rich food may become a way for children to escape the painful reality and numb their anxiety. The same purpose can also become accomplished with sleeping. Naturally, sleeping and eating disorders can also manifest in the lack of desire to eat or inability to sleep, which further accentuates how vulnerable children are to aggressive domestic settings.

Finally, the most important behavior that children who experience domestic violence are likely to engage in is not informing the outside world about familial conditions. Partially, it is caused by the fear of consequences of disclosure from abusers. Another explanation is the strength of cultural taboo that scorns reporting as inappropriate behavior. In any case, children may stay silent for extended periods of time. Costello and Greenwald (2022) argue that it might take years for victims of domestic violence to disclose, while most do not do it. When children feel powerless to actively prevent anxiety and conflict, they respond with passive-aggressive behavior. The implication is that this behavioral pattern transfers to other spheres of later life, negatively impacting their future relationships, including work, family, and social environment.

Social Effects

Social norms are shaped by the most common and acceptable behaviors. The more people adopt a certain behavioral pattern, the more likely it is to become a norm. Moral values guide people to act in a noble and forgiving manner. If children learn the importance of moral principles, decency, and respectful conflict resolution, society will be peaceful and lawful. As the first stage of personal socialization, families play an essential role in cultivating behaviors that dictate how children will interact with society and other people.

However, when children are exposed to domestic violence as primary targets or bystanders, they learn a different lesson. Instead of viewing conflicts and violence as unacceptable measures, they start seeing them as appropriate behaviors. When children interact with society, they have the same behavioral expectations they learned in families. If society is generally respectful and conflict-averse, the behavior of victims of domestic violence will become deviant. If society is already composed of people who frequently encounter abuse and view violence as a norm, children from abusive families will further reinforce the toxic social values. After all, social norms are formed by the most common and not the most moral behaviors.

Children who experience domestic violence are at higher risk of perpetuating the cycle of abuse. Early years are important in the development of the personality because children rely on their caregivers to provide models of behavior. Social learning theory posits that people are unconsciously driven to recreate behavioral models set by their parents (Riedl et al., 2019). Even though children themselves may not like the idea of violence, they may still unknowingly perceive it as a stress-coping mechanism. As a result, this behavioral pattern is repeated in future relationships, thus constituting a self-perpetuating cycle of familial abuse. The subsequent social impact is the childs contribution to crime statistics.

However, the use of violence as a coping mechanism is not a universal response. Many children choose to withdraw and minimize social interactions. The resulting isolation may prevent them from being subjected to violence, but it also increases the sense of loneliness. The fear of being vulnerable prevents children from making connections or reciprocating positive feelings when other people attempt to open up to them. Social isolation pushes such children to engage in excessive and harmful behaviors, such as binge-playing video games, alcohol drinking, and even substance abuse (Eckhardt et al., 2022). These behaviors serve to fulfill psychological needs, which are not met due to isolation.

Finally, the most concerning social consequence of violence is childrens inability to find a working coping mechanism. When neither aggression nor withdrawal are seen as the potential solutions, children may become desperate. The fear of consequences and public disclosure prevents many from seeking professional help. Unable to find a working solution, children may develop suicidal ideations, which may result in suicide. Instead of finding a safe environment at home, children face violence and abuse. Domestic violence is dangerous precisely because it renders the supposedly safe environment as threatening.

Cognitive Effects

Cognitive effects take the most effort to ascertain because they are both underresearched and are not as evident. It might be challenging for a teacher to spot the signs of domestic violence in the school progress of a pupil. Yet, domestic violence definitely impacts a childs understanding and learning mechanisms. One study was made specifically to explore the association between childhood violence and educational outcomes (Fry et al., 2018). Victims of violence were more likely to have low grades, engage in truancy and drop out of school. Although such behaviors do not always signify learning disorders, there are instances when abuse damages childrens ability to reason.

Human reasoning is directly related to the functioning of the brain. As Mueller and Tronick (2019) argue, research shows that exposure to adversity over the first 5 years of life can have lasting effects on brain development (p. 3). The reason for this observation lies in the importance of context for brain development. As much as successful brain development requires a secure relationship between the caregiver and the child, its absence is detrimental to normal brain development.

Cognitive functions revolve around two primary abilities  to reason and to memorize. When parental neglect is coupled with domestic violence, both abilities diminish. Mueller and Tronick reference research in which the IQ of more than a thousand twins was studied. Its most important finding was that the severity and number of violent episodes exposed to at home were associated with a greater decrease in IQ (Mueller & Tronick, 2019, p. 5). In essence, exposure to domestic violence makes the child susceptible to learning disorders.

An especially intruding observation of victims of domestic violence is that different types of abuse have various cognitive consequences. A systematic study by Su et al. (2019) has found that physical abuse was only associated with visual episodic memory but not verbal or working memory (p. 288). Meanwhile, sexual abuse affected non-verbal reasoning and proceeding speed, and emotional abuse lead to lower literacy/verbal comprehension and executive function. Even neglect, which is not a form of violence itself, has been shown to negatively impact reasoning. As a result, domestic violence is an extremely detrimental phenomenon that causes cognitive development issues.

The subsequent implication is that children who experience abuse at home will have more difficulty studying and learning than those who have healthy families. The inability to concentrate and memorize information will slow down the childs school progress. In the long-term perspective, children may not be able to receive education altogether. As a result, many children are deprived of future prospects precisely due to exposure to domestic violence and corresponding brain damage.

Physical Effects

The most evident expression of domestic violence is physical abuse directed at children. Domestic violence can take the form of direct physical actions against children. The variety of physical violence can encompass beating, burning, subjecting to discomforting feelings, sexual actions, and other activities that cause physical harm. The effects of such abuse are relatively easy to ascertain since it usually leaves an evident trace on the body. The subsequent treatment of such symptoms is also relatively evident.

However, there are also physical effects, which stem from non-physical abuse. The reason for this connection lies in excess of stress. Stress response is an inherently physical process, which is determined by the functioning of the nervous and endocrine systems. Conflicts and unsafe situations, in general, cause high levels of cortisol. As stress response is also learned in childhood, a secure relationship buffers the infants hormonal stress response and therefore, protects the developing brain from harmful effects of stress hormones (Mueller & Tronick, 2019, p. 3). Domestic violence amplifies the production of stress hormones and makes children overly agitated and highly sensitive.

Another effect of exposure to violence is weaker health resistance to illnesses. Studies indicate that children who were victimized at home also had a higher rate of gastrointestinal, respiratory, and skin diseases, as well as musculoskeletal disorders (Riedl et al., 2019). It should be noted that the onset of illnesses themselves is not caused by violence specifically. However, it does exacerbate the symptoms and protract the time necessary for treatment. A possible explanation is that children who live in a violent domestic setting experience chronic stress. As much as their mental well-being is challenged, their physical ability to recuperate is negatively affected as well.

Conclusion

Altogether, it should be evident that domestic violence is a complex phenomenon, which has emotional, behavioral, social, cognitive, and physical consequences for children. The domestic environment plays a vital role in the physiological and psychological development of children. As much as healthy familial relationships nurture physical and mental health, abuse prevents children from developing appropriately. Violence causes a disproportionate production of stress hormones in children. Unable to regulate arousal on their own, children respond with overcompensating strategies that lead to social deviations. Meanwhile, hormonal dysfunction causes physical changes, which impact childrens cognitive development and make them susceptible to illnesses. Overall, the harm caused by domestic violence is so great that it impacts both children individually and society as a whole.

References

Costello, K., & Greenwald, B. D. (2022). Update on domestic violence and traumatic brain injury: a narrative review. Brain Sciences, 12(1), 1-17. Web.

Eckhardt, C. I., Oesterle, D. W., & Maloney, M. A. (2022). The instigating effects of isolation on substance-related intimate partner violence: A review. Current Opinion in Psychology, 44, 18-23. Web.

Fry, D., Fang, X., Elliott, S., Casey, T., Zheng, X., Li, J., & McCluskey, G. (2018). The relationships between violence in childhood and educational outcomes: A global systematic review and meta-analysis. Child Abuse & Neglect, 75, 6-28. Web.

Lloyd, M. (2018). Domestic violence and education: Examining the impact of domestic violence on young children, children, and young people and the potential role of schools. Frontiers in Psychology, 9(2094), 1-11. Web.

Mueller, I., & Tronick, E. (2019). Early life exposure to violence: Developmental consequences on brain and behavior. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 13(156), 1-7. Web.

Paul, O. (2019). Perceptions of family relationships and post-traumatic stress symptoms of children exposed to domestic violence. Journal of Family Violence, 34(4), 331-343. Web.

Rahayu, D., & Hendriani, W. (2019). Post traumatic growth among domestic violence survivors: A systematic review. Journal of Educational, Health and Community Psychology, 8(2), 138-158.

Riedl, D., Beck, T., Exenberger, S., Daniels, J., Dejaco, D., Unterberger, I., & Lampe, A. (2019). Violence from childhood to adulthood: The influence of child victimization and domestic violence on physical health in later life. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 116, 68-74. Web.

Su, Y., DArcy, C., Yuan, S., & Meng, X. (2019). How does childhood maltreatment influence ensuing cognitive functioning among people with the exposure of childhood maltreatment? A systematic review of prospective cohort studies. Journal of Affective Disorders, 252, 278-293. Web.

Wali, R., Khalil, A., Alattas, R., Foudah, R., Meftah, I., & Sarhan, S. (2020). Prevalence and risk factors of domestic violence in women attending the National Guard Primary Health Care Centers in the Western Region, Saudi Arabia, 2018. BMC Public Health, 20(1), 1-9. Web.

Introduction

Arguably, William Shakespeares works are a critical way of thinking about the different contemporary subjects existing today. In Shakespeares tragedy Othello, various issues affecting society during the 16th century are discussed. Writers, historians, sociologists, linguists, and the public, in general, use Shakespeares works as a vital reference point and reflection on the current state of the community. Shakespeares piece acts as a mirror, whereby sociologists and historians analyze the actual steps that subsequent generations have made over the centuries since Shakespeare published his works, including Othello. Discussions and readings of Othello reflect on domestic violence controversy in society. Analyzing the play imparts knowledge and understanding regarding different issues that affect peoples interaction since it builds a conversation revolving around domestic violence. Therefore, the Othello tragedy reflects the current domestic violence incidences in society, hence the need to formulate authentic ways to overcome them and to advocate for effective interaction among people despite the background differences.

Problems That Continue To Manifest since the 1600s

Domestic violence problems which were topical during the 1600s when William Shakespeare wrote the Othello tragedy continue to manifest in society. In the play, Othello decides to kill his wife over false infidelity (Shakespeare 37). Othello listens and acts according to Iagos lies and subsequently kills his wife, Desdemona. When Iago informs Othello that his wife Desdemona is cheating, he indirectly avenges Othello for not promoting him but instead considering promoting Cassio, who is less experienced. Iagos mission is accomplished when Othello kills his wife, Desdemona, instead of killing Cassio as Iago wanted. In Shakespeares tragedy, Iago aimed to provoke Othello regarding Cassios affair with Desdemona, making him angry and killing Cassio. Understandably, cases of domestic violence and lovers killing one another were rampant during Shakespeares time. Recklessness is the main reason behind Desdemona and Emilias deaths, considering that their husbands have insufficient evidence for murdering them. Thus, ordeals surrounding domestic violence in the 1600s during Shakespeares time, as presented by Othello and Desdemona, continue to manifest in the current society.

Causes of Domestic Violence

The incident of domestic violence and murder of women in the 16th century was caused by infidelity. Vanita opines that during the Jacobean and Elizabethan eras, plays were endorsing the killing of women that were accused of infidelity (341). As a result, people were taking advantage of this scenario, hence forming their false allegations with the aim of achieving certain goals. In the book Othello, Iago deliberately formulates his assumptions that Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio (Shakespeare 57). Arguably, Iagos aim is to ensure that Cassio dies so that he could assume his position as a lieutenant (Vanita 344). Consequently, Iagos plan backfires when Desdemona dies in the process, leaving Cassio alive. Therefore, the audience develops a comprehension that women were unprotected in society during the 16th century.

Importance of Shakespeares Work

The study of Shakespeares work regarding domestic violence allows society to embrace gender equality. Domestic violence ordeals are enhanced by the perceptions that men have towards women. According to Shepherd, family violence is a complex issue that is caused by the existing community attitudes towards women and the aspect of gender inequality (1). Sometimes women are seen as lesser beings, hence not equal to their male counterparts. As a result, some men despise them to the extent of seeing their lives as meaningless. It is this disrespect that causes men to kill women. For instance, in Othellos tragedy, both Othello and Iago kill their wives without having a second thought (Shakespeare 52). Shepherd further states that no one should be murdered for having an affair (1). If one is tired of their spouse, they should embrace critical thinking in solving family feuds. In cases when the issue is hard to handle, the partner should decide to end a relationship. Thus, domestic violence exists in society due to the ill perception that men are more prominent than women.

Othello Controversy

The controversy surrounding domestic violence in Shakespeares work Othello is that lovers who kill see their life as meaningless after learning the truth and consequently slaughter themselves. In Othello, Shakespeare presents the main character as a regretful man who kills himself after realizing that Desdemona had never cheated with Cassio as Iago said (Shakespeare 57). Othellos acts represent most lovers in the present society, who part ways with their partners over false allegations and lack to engage critical thinking. Distinctively, there is a need for mutual understanding and identifying the truth in what someone else says instead of reacting immediately. It is horrible when one kills their lover because of infidelity issues and realizes later that she or he has never engaged in such practice. Instead of murdering a partner, families should embrace meaningful communication to solve different marital problems. Holistically, Shakespeare presents the idea that lovers mistakenly slay their partners in domestic violence without conducting authentic investigations into the issue, regretting it for the rest of their lives, hence deciding to kill themselves too.

Advantage of Shakespeares Work

Domestic feuds cases are evident in Shakespeares tragedy Othello as shown by Iago and his wife, Emilia. The latter is furious over what Iago has done, causing her friend Desdemonas death, since Emilia knows that Iago lured Othello into killing his wife. In the tragedy, Iago slays Emilia instantly after she tries to explain to Othello that her husband has been lying to make him murder Desdemona (Shakespeare 44). The disagreement between Iago and Emilia makes him kill her to hide the truth. In this story, Emilia carried the handkerchief that Iago takes to Cassios room to prove that Desdemona is having a secret love affair with Cassio. As such, Emilias sudden death is an example of the tendency for domestic violence in the Shakespearean era. Notably, in the Shakespearean epoch, incidences of men killing their partners were common, as can be seen in Othello and Iagos decisions to murder their lovers. They are explicit representations of men in the sixteenth century and the ruthless way they treated their wives. Therefore, there is a need for consensus and mutual understanding among couples to avoid violence and suicide-related crises.

Disadvantages of Shakespeares Play

Discussing Shakespeares play is not a recipe for ending domestic abuse in society. Analyzing domestic violence-related episodes as Shakespeare presents them cannot help end the family feuds. As demonstrated in Othellos tragedy, Shakespeare highlights the different domestic fierceness situations but never proposes the actual way of combating them. Shakespeare discusses how women, represented by Emilia and Desdemona, are abused by their husbands and later face cruel deaths. In this way, only reading Shakespeares works impacts the reader less positively. The author should have thought of the different solutions to social problems instead of simply highlighting the issues. Therefore, studying Shakespeares family feuds topic is unhelpful to the audience since it imparts no skills nor knowledge regarding combating the increasing cases of domestic feuds in society.

Moreover, reading Shakespeares works concerning domestic violence is disadvantageous as it normalizes family conflicts because they have been in existence for centuries. When Othello kills his wife, he confesses to Emilia of performing the act while walking around as if nothing happened (Shakespeare 52). Here, Shakespeare makes the audience comprehend that domestic feuds have been in existence since the previous centuries. Comparatively, Shakespeare presents family conflicts to make the audience think that related cases were more in the past than today. Shakespeares work makes readers develop a wrong impression of domestic violence, whereby one can kill the other and continue living freely same as any other innocent person unless they decide to commit suicide. Shakespeare makes the audience see family disagreements and fights as regular issues that do not require any substantial action to control them. Therefore, studying Shakespeares works on domestic violence makes the audience comprehend family feuds as something common, hence depriving the kind of weight that the topic should have and the formulation of subsequent combating strategies.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is important to note that Shakespeares tragedy Othello makes individuals understand the present domestic violence issues, hence encouraging society to overcome the challenge. Understandably, Shakespeare mentions the family challenges in the community and urges for societal tranquility. Moreover, studying Shakespeare affects how people relate in society and suggests fruitful conversations regarding domestic violence, therefore encouraging diverse perspectives on combating the ordeal. Shakespeare makes the audience understand that family conflicts have deep roots in current society, challenging people to seek appropriate means and strategies to prevent them. Arguably, society should strive towards achieving peace, respect, and happiness among families. Above all, there is a need for mutual responsibility and the application of critical thinking skills among spouses in solving different family issues to reduce domestic violence incidences.

Works Cited

Shakespeare, William. Othello. 11th ed., Classic Books Company, 2001.

Shepherd, Matthew. To a Modern Audience, Othello is Simply Another Story of Domestic Violence. The Conversation, 2016. Web.

Vanita, Ruth. Proper Men and Fallen Women: The Unprotectedness of Wives in Othello. Global Humanities and Religions Faculty Publications, vol. 34, no. 2, 1994, pp. 341356

The rationale for Topic Selection

Despite numerous endeavors to address the instances of domestic violence, the current situation with abusive relationships remains drastic. According to global statistical data, in 2017, approximately 35% of women have experienced abuse at some point in their lives (World Health Organization, 2017). Since the problem is still unresolved, it needs to be addressed, which is the primary reason for the selection thereof for the project. Cases of domestic violence and abuse must be explored to identify key patterns and develop prevention and management strategies (Armstead et al., 2017). Even though the project has been in development for a while, it retains its appeal since it helps delve deeper into the analysis of interpersonal relationships within the context of modern society. After an overview of the subject matter, defining obstacles on the way to implementing located solutions seems a sensible step to take.

Research Skills Description

Apart from shedding a lot of light on the nature of abusive relationships, the project helped me develop new research skills. For example, I realized that it was necessary to utilize all available tools for data management and especially innovative ones. Moreover, by developing the research, I acquired the ability to prioritize tasks and goals. Also, it finally occurred to me during the search for available information that fostering academic independence, curiosity, and integrity is what I need to strive to achieve as a successful researcher. Finally, the necessity to focus on the ethical retrieval and use of research data were acknowledged at the specified stage of research. Thus, the need to grow as a learner and professional was the key conclusion made in the process.

Effects of Peers Feedback

My peers feedback played an important part in shaping my development as a researcher, as well as creating a coherent argument in my paper. Naturally, since most of my peers are only starting to build their competence as scholars, a substantial amount of their feedback was subjective. However, viewing the work from their perspective allowed understanding how the essay had to be structured for the argument to become coherent, what wording had to be chosen to convey key messages, and that sufficient support had to be provided for each statement. Therefore, extensive changes were made to how the argument was represented.

Understanding Other Viewpoints

The use of a peer review technique also helped view explored issues from different perspectives. The feedback from peers served as the lens through which the work was analyzed. As a result, the significance of recognizing the validity of an opposing viewpoint was acknowledged. For instance, possible causes of domestic violence were discussed, thus, allowing me to produce more ideas about the subject matter and the means of handling it.

New Writing Strategies

The reviews of classmates served as a platform for building a coherent approach toward structuring the writing process and prioritizing my objectives. For example, their remarks about my lack of a consistent argument encouraged me to develop an outline before beginning to work on a project. Besides, the notes of my peers indicated that I could use more evidence to support my claims. Thus, I learned a lot about writing convincing and compelling academic papers. Furthermore, their commentaries showed me how a particular subject could be researched, as well as how located data could be incorporated into the study to make its argument logical and well-structured.

References

Armstead, T. L., Rambo, K., Kearns, M., Jones, K. M., Dills, J., & Brown, P. (2017). CDCs DELTA FOCUS Program: Identifying promising primary prevention strategies for intimate partner violence. Journal of Womens Health, 26(1), 9-12. Web.

World Health Organization. (2017). Violence against women. Web.