Lecture 5

Question 1

Why consider alternative perspectives (IPV)?

Answer 1

impacts everyone who is exposed to it in some way, regardless of their age, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, background, or other factors

different populations can have different experiences with IPV that can make them more vulnerable or can result in the IPV and its impact manifesting in different ways

Question 2

How is understanding the differences of people’s experiences of IPV important?

Answer 2

By understanding these differences, we can tailor interventions and supports to account for any unique risk factors or other considerations that would be overlooked using a standard, “one-size-fits-all” approach. Of course, we do not always have the understanding or the resources to provide tailored and
effective treatments for everyone.

Question 3

Is current practice too narrow?

Question 5

Women as perpetrators

Answer 5

• follows feminist theory - female-perpetrated violence as self-defence or trivial in comparison to male-perpetrated violence
• some disagree - women report being more frequently aggressive towards their partners
  compared to men, that violence is often mutual in relationships, and that female-perpetrated IPV seems to occur at similar rates to male perpetration.

Question 6

What did Stets and Straus (1989) find?

Answer 6

found mutual violence to be equal in severity, with women striking first more often.

Question 7

Evidence from the 80s and 90s regarding women as perpetrators

Answer 7

suggest lesbian relationships are significantly more violent than
gay male relationships, and even more violent than heterosexual relationships.

Question 8

Psychological vs. Physical Abuse in women as perpetrators

Answer 8

Non-physical forms of abuse (e.g., psychological, financial, controlling) tend to be seen as less serious and are less likely to be perceived as requiring intervention. Physical abuse is considered more serious the worse it becomes, and the more severe the impact.

Question 9

Disagreements with psychological and physical abuse

Answer 9

the impact of these forms of abuse can have severe consequences for victims in
terms of both physical and mental health outcomes, even in cases of “mild” physical abuse.

Question 10

What did Swan et al., (2008) find

Answer 10

found women and men perpetrate psychological and physical violence equally, but
men suffer fewer injuries and negative effects. This could be a reason why female-perpetrated IPV is able to avoid detection or be considered less serious when it is detected

Question 11

Langhinrichensen=Rohling et al (2012) Findings

Answer 11

60% of IPV in a sample of ~3,000 men and women was bidirectional (both partners were victims). Of the remaining unilateral violence (one victim), ~17% was perpetrated by men against women and ~23% by women against men.

Question 12

Reports of bidirectionality vary in findings and validity,

Answer 12

• evidence for mutual violence occurring across
  heterosexual relationships.
• The exception is sexual violence, which is mostly unidirectional with men
  perpetrating against women. Even if these findings are not fully representative or generalizable, they do
  indicate manifestations of violence that are not accounted for in the current mainstream IPV models.

Question 13

Relationships that involve bidirectional violence tends to

Answer 13

result in worse outcomes and involve more severe violence

Question 14

What is the affect when focusing on bi-directionality?

Answer 14

would have implications for intervention.

Rather than a focus on educating men about patriarchy, power, and control, interventions could center around conflict management, attachment styles, and aggression for both partners.

Question 15

If not patriarchy, then what?

Answer 15

Female perpetration of violence has been linked to similar predictors of male violence, suggesting a general model of aggression.

Question 16

Perhaps gender is less important than a generally aggressive interpersonal lifestyle?

Answer 16

• parental rejection
• BPD
• Trauma
• anger
• emotional dysregulation

Question 17

Common form of perpetration for women

Answer 17

psychological abuse

Question 18

Medeiros & Straus (2006) found that for both male and female IPV perpetrators, the following were associated with a greater likelihood of assaulting a partner (slapping, throwing things):

Answer 18

found that for both male and female IPV perpetrators, the following were
associated with a greater likelihood of assaulting a partner (slapping, throwing things):

• anger
• Antisocial & Boderline personality traits
• relationship conflict
• communication problems
• dominance
• negative attributions about the partner
• substance abuse

Question 19

Medeiros & Straus (2006) found that for both male and female IPV perpetrators, the following were associated
with a greater likelihood of severely assaulting a partner:

Answer 19

• Sexual abuse victimization history (far stronger association for men).
• Relationship conflict (stronger association for men).
• Violence approval (stronger association for men).
• Dominance, anger, APD, communication problems, criminal history, jealousy, negative attributions about
  partner, history of neglect, and stressful conditions.
• Substance Abuse and PTSD seemed to be a risk for men but not women.
• “Adverse childhood experiences” (ACE) and childhood trauma is a pathway to violence for women too.

Question 20

Men as victims and feminist model

Answer 20

The feminist model of IPV is supported by crime statistics that show far more men being charged and convicted of IPV offences compared to women. Critics point out this fails to account for the stigma involved with male victims reporting IPV and the barriers to reporting for men.

Question 21

True or False: Male-on-female violence is the most likely form of violence to be condemned by third parties compared to any other, leading some to believe male victimization “matters less” to the average person

Answer 21

True

Question 22

Coercive control and male victims

Answer 22

often seen as a gendered form of violence supported by patriarchy, has been reported
to be perpetrated equally as often by men and women.

Question 23

True or False: Women were found to be more physically aggressive and controlling than men.

Answer 23

True

Question 24

Despite reports of equal rates of perpetration against men and women,

Answer 24

male victims of IPV invite more
negative attitudes compared to female victims (Arnocky & Vaillancourt, 2014).

Men are more likely to minimize and brush off violence, and less likely to disclose IPV or seek help.

Men are also less likely to
experience severe violence, which might make their victimization seem less important.

Question 25

True or False: IPV against men is viewed as more acceptable and even funny when the perpetrator is female.

Answer 25

True

Male victims are more likely to be blamed for the violence (Hine & Arrindell, 2015).

They argue that thegendered approach to IPV has resulted in a “cycle of silence” around male victimization.

Men are not considered victims, are ignored, and therefore people react inappropriately to male victimization.

Question 26

Professionals and gender biases

Answer 26

psychologists and judges have been found to hold gender biases when considering IPV cases (Muller, Desmarais, & Hamel., 2009).

Question 27

Disclosure & Help-Seeking I

Question 28

Impact of Male Victims

Answer 28

• Damage to masculine self-concept/identity.
• Loss of relationships due to being seen as the perpetrator. Inability to trust or form new relationships.
• Mental health.
• Loss of career.
• Trauma – Feelings of abandonment, betrayal, that the world and those in it are dangerous. No protection from the outside, no “secure base” in which to process trauma.

Question 29

Trauma and male victims

Answer 29

manifest uniquely through the lens of being abused by a female partner and then being
treated as guilty by authorities, friends, family, and other third parties.

May also not be believed, which is
not unique to male victims but erodes faith in the authorities and justice system.