Partner violence is an age-old issue that has been experienced across generations. However, the origin of this social issue cannot be traced. Partner violence takes place in various settings, such as religious, ethnic, cultural groups, and socioeconomic. In the current era, Partner violence is beyond fighting in the house or the street. Previously, this social vice was referred to as domestic violence but is currently recognized as partner violence. Partner violence describes psychological, physical or sexual harm by a former or current partner and it often starts with misunderstanding within the family especially between partners.
In many cases, women are the usual victim of abuse. However, men will experience torture from women in rare occasions with the probability of changing the norm of women as the obvious victims being too low. Partner violence has caused several discussions addressing both men and women. Mainly, people are discussing the challenges facing partner violence. On the other hand, the world is reviewing the current measurement device on the issue.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Current controversies on the issue
The topic has brought five different controversies. These are gender symmetry of perpetration, understanding bi-directionally violent couples, the utility of typologies, violent self-defense and motivations, and treatment effectiveness.
Using behavioral measures like conflict tactics scales is a great challenge. According to the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), women are showing consistent pattern when perpetrating acts of intimate partner violence. The rates are comparatively higher than in men. In this case, men engage in crime more frequently than women. In this case, people have been unable to recognize the efficiency of the current measuring tactics. The current tactic does not give accurate results on the issue. Currently, the conflict tactics scales provide different information about the proportion of the problem. For instance, 90% of people involved in partner violence as eye witness are children and they cannot give exact information. The samples used are not specific to give the right results that determine the actual number of victims. The surveys have been unreliable to estimate the probability of men falling as the victim. Therefore, the bias information has made men fall, victims of the crime, even when they are innocent (Bates, 2016). However, understanding of gender sample differences in rates of perpetration of IPV indicates that higher rates of women victimization have been experienced in countries where women profile is low.
The critical discussion is whether the role of gender is understood in partner violence. The primary cure for partner violence is assuming the role of each gender. Understanding can be brought by learning the cause of the issue in most cases, families significant on curing the symptoms rather the objects. When the symptoms are dealt with, the effect is repeatedly experienced as the roots are not uprooted. The most crucial step is to learn the two distinct types of partner violence. The first type includes formerly labeled collective couple violence. In other words, this type is referred to as situational couple violence. Between 21-60% of victim’s partner violence lose their permanent jobs due to issues steaming from partner abuse. Situational couple violence was postulated to re-occur and conceptualized to be perpetrated by both women and men. The second type is referred to as patriarchal terrorism or intimate terrorism ( Yerke & DeFeo, 2016 ). This kind of violence is expected to be systematic and is not related to temper or outburst. In most cases, the violence is out of willingness. Unlike other abuse, the victim does not have any connection with the misunderstanding. The driving force to the violence is out of a desire to cause chaos. Talking of terrorism explains that the particular cause is the willingness to bring chaos.
On average, roughly 20 people are violated by their partners within a minute. The statistics add up to approximately 10 million men and women in a year. 25% of women and 11% of men experience severe physical violence that impact fear, injury, and post-traumatic disorder.
Different views
Partner violence is mainly viewed as disrespect to the partner. However, the issue of admittedly abusing the rights of the partner has been seen as a lack of love and affection. Different quotes have been used to explain that the previous love has faded away. “A lovely flower is watered rather than plucking” is a quote used to show unending love and affection. Protection of loved ones is not tied to restriction and fights. Word of mouth is more important than physical harms. The jealous of a faithful partner is not about harming rather than staying faithful. In any case, violence should not confuse for love and affection. On the other hand, admitting does not justify violence. The only valid justification is apologizing and changing for the best.
Recent trend shows that women have also played a role in abusive treatment. Some of the abusive treatments have resulted from disrespect and ignorance from women. In every marriage, respect is the critical factor that causes eternal peace. However, many people believe their feelings should be a priority in a relationship ( Goodley & Runswick-Cole, 2016 ). Desire causes disrespect and unfaithfulness. The couple begins making a decision based on their well-being. In the end, the association is full of clear choices and activities — the attempt to satisfy one’s desire without considering the other party results to fights. In most cases, the men get more powerful and table unfair rules of the house.
Relation of the issue to my work in the field
The entire partner violence issue is representative of a regular issue I encounter in the field as a social worker. According to social work, the knowledge of moral principle is crucial and sensitive. Similar to partner violence, the job entails different stages and approaches. In either scenario, you can be a perpetrator or a victim of abuse. The relationship between the client and the professional in the ethics department can relate to partner violence ( Hamby, 2015 ). At first, in both cases, there is a positive and close relationship that involves admitting all personal experiences. In this case, either the client or the social worker can be abused or victimized.
In some cases, the client wants the process of realization and psychological medication to be faster than usual. On the other hand, the social worker can exhibit instances of countertransference especially if he or she has been a victim of partner violence in the past and has not dealt with the torture that comes with such an experience. Therefore, the issue of partner violence can be duplicated into my field. The client’s and my response of therapy as a social worker can play roles in addressing the consequences of partner violence for the victim.
Values and beliefs
Throughout my professional life, I have had various values that often guide my practice. I believe that I have continued to identify and adopt more beliefs and values that have varied impacts on my profession. These values include being person-centered, respect, excellence, and integrity. My vision is making a world where families, women, and communities live free of violence. Most importantly, I will use my values on the issue to listen and embrace diversity.
Being person-centered will help me embrace diversity and support people to achieve the goals of a respectful individual. In this case, I will help the nation access the knowledge that defines respect. The issue acts as an educating program to me that will exceed my evidence and professionalism-based services and programs. On the other hand, I will remain open and non-judgmental to my clients despite the issue. Lastly, I will stay accountable, ethical and transparent.
Case study
Partner violence is a common issue in the current world. In this case study, we will find Mr. Michael a gynecologist at St Luke's hospital. Michael is married to Laura, a CEO at Dayton Global Consulting Agency. Michael met Laura twenty years ago. At this time, Laura was working as a salesperson with a toothpaste company. Immediately after marriage, Michael decided to help Laura join a business school to at least secure a diploma. The path to education became sweet when Laura graduated from school. Michael was able to secure a job for Laura. At this point, Michael was proud of his young, aggressive wife. Two years later, Laura resigned to take care of her twins. After several months, Michael's Laura pursued a degree in business management. The title allowed her to secure an excellent job at Dayton Global Consulting Agency.
After six months, Laura was ranked as the most motivated employee in the company. The board of governance decided to invest in her. The investment included a full scholarship to pursue a Ph.D. in project management. This time, Michael did not contribute to her course fees. Laura passed with a first class. The husband was the happiest man in the entire world. Life became smoother when they joined hands to buy their new house.
However, life changed when Laura was named the CEO of the company after Mr. Daniel retired from the post. The new salary was three times higher than Michael's. Michael started feeling insecure and minor. Since the position was more demanding, Laura could take long before reporting back home. At some point, Laura began attending meetings in foreign countries. The situation made Michael question his superiority in the house. Later on, life changed for the worse.
Michael began taking alcohol to relieve stress. However, alcohol could not do him any good. Therefore, Michael started quarreling with his wife whenever she reported late after work. The intensity of the quarrel elevated to physical fights. Michael's action humiliated Laura day in day out. Laura respected Michael after he found her success. Therefore, seeking divorce was the worst idea. Laura decided to divert 65% of her salary to Michael's Bank account. The action cured the issue for a few months. Months later, Michael got unhappy with Laura's commitment to her work. He felt Laura did not give full attention to her marital responsibilities. The only left option was forcing a resignation from her post. However, resigning could not provide the expected results. In the end, Michael became more dangerous as he pushed his wife out of the house at late hours. Laura mainly slept in a hotel room in the more substantial part of the month. At this stage, Michael could not allow her to meet her only two kids.
Lastly, Michael became depressed. He could admit that he fights Laura and that nothing will stop his actions. On the other side, Laura got traumatized by the continuous torture from her husband. Frequently, the husband could visit Dayton agency and cause chaos. The actions made Laura's performance to drop. The company helped Laura with therapy to maintain her family. On the other hand, Michael's friends have requested him to visit the ethics office to seek guidance. Michael's wounds are still fresh, and that makes his family live an unstable life.
Currently, Michael's has set an appointment with my office to seek full therapy on the case. However, he insists that in the past few years, he had lost the meaning of love and affection. On the same note, he no longer has the strength to respect Laura at any point. The fight has taken the more significant part of his heart.
Steps to take when handling a person who admittedly abuse his or her partner
My work as a social worker is very crucial, and it can affect the abusive individual more harm. It is essential to understand the current ongoing discussions to evaluate the intensity and motive of the violence. The knowledge will help me relate any reaction from the client. In most cases, the behavior is present in all instances ( Hamby, 2015 ). Therefore, I will expect a similar situation during our relation. The scenario relates to my professional work on different grounds. At first, I am not expected to look superior in the discussion. In this case, the feeling of the client should be obeyed despite its strength or weaknesses. When relating to a client with the above characteristics, I will focus on several steps.
At first, I will begin reacting in healthy behavior. The normal routine will help to make everything regain its common fate. I will first ensure that Laura understands the importance of staying in a relationship and controlling aggression. Secondly, I will reveal the roots of abuse. In this case, I will not treat my client as a victim. I will make the client aware of belittling, aggressive, and violent behaviors ( Hamby, 2015 ). At the end of the step, I will be able to lighten her on the behavior. The third step will be proving the perpetrator, Michael guilty of his daily abusive activities against the will of the partner. In this stage, I will feed him with the fear of being caught and facing the consequences. The fourth step will allow him to make excuses regarding the issue. At this moment, the mind of the client will be going through a permanent change. At this point, I will introduce fantasy and planning. The step involves a personal evaluation of the current worse experience and future life. The step will help us to conclude the therapy by making a perfect set-up of the next life.
Conclusion
Partner violence is not unusual behavior. The worst and the best stage are when the abuser admits about his or her acts. At this point, the abuser is looking for an effective way to come out of the situation. The apologies from the abuser make a significant change in the life of a couple. Therefore, it is vital to cure the roots of the violence instead of the symptoms. However, there has been different controversies on the issue of partner violence. People have evaluated different cases in various dimensions that leave the increase rate in question. Many studies have been conducted that have left women the main victims of the act. When it is the right time to change, the abuser and the victim should be given the right to explain their story. In this case, either party is able to feel the position of the other.
References
Bates, E. A. (2016). Current controversies within intimate partner violence: Overlooking bidirectional violence. Journal of family violence , 31 (8), 937-940
Goodley, D., & Runswick-Cole, K. (2016). Becoming dishuman: Thinking about the human through dis/ability. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education , 37 (1), 1-15.
Hamby, S. (2015). On the use of race and ethnicity as variables in violence research.
Yerke, A. F., & DeFeo, J. (2016). Redefining intimate partner violence beyond the binary to include transgender people. Journal of family violence , 31 (8), 975-979.
