How to Cope with Addiction: V-O Cycle

The cycle of abuse is a social cycle theoretical model established to understand the forms of behaviors in an offensive relationship. Lenore Walker is credited for developing the model, which also offers a framework for describing underlying conditions that perpetuate dysfunctional and abusive relationships. A significant number of families experience various forms of physical and emotional abuse. I have had the first-hand experience of abuse in the family involving children.

When I was aged between two and six years, my mother, Josephine, was physically and emotionally abusive. The impact of a series of abuse of more than four years was devastating. Luckily, it stopped when Duncan, a Department of Children and Families (DCF) worker, was assigned to investigate child neglect and abuse reports. Eventually, when I was eight, my mother married my DCF caseworker. The union between the two saw the birth of my younger sibling, Michael, when I was ten.

Michael came to this world in a calm and peaceful home. He never experienced any forms of abuse since he was the favorite child of the family. This was only for a moment, however. More recently, both Josephine and Duncan have exhibited behaviors of aggression towards Michael. My efforts in stopping them from abusing my younger brother have been futile since they disregard my concerns.

The first stage of abuse displayed by Josephine when in toddler days is known as the tension-building stage. It is in this stage that she developed tension where she displayed passive-aggressive behavior. Such a trend builds up to actual incidences of abuse evidenced in the second stage, the incident of abuse stage, a series of abuse that occurred for four years. The next stage, reconciliation, is about an abuser being remorseful for their actions. Josephine was apologetic for the abuse when she met Duncan leading to the fourth stage known as the calm stage. However, it seems as though the cycle is back at the tension-building stage.