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Lenore E. Walker, an American psychologist,
developed a social cycle theory in 1979 that includes the cycle of abuse. An
entire cycle could happen in just a period of 24 hours, a week or a month.
Walker interviewed people subject to domestic violence and found out that there
is a similar pattern among victims. Here is the proposed cycle of abuse.
- Tension Building
The tension between couples usually builds
up due to different domestic issues such as financial matter, parental
responsibilities, time for each other, etc. During this stage, the abuser
(whether it is the man or the woman) tends to be more irritated and vulnerable
than the other. The victim feels the need to concede the abuser’s emotion to
minimize the tension. The communication starts to break down and the tension
continues.
- Incident
When the tension reaches its boiling point,
violence will take place. Violence results to different forms of abuse such as
physical, emotional and sexual abuse. In this stage, the abuser dominates
his/her partner with the use of violence. The abuser may also make threats of
future violence against the victim.
- Reconciliation
This is also known as ‘honeymoon’ stage
wherein the abuser suddenly changes his/her behavior. He/she tends to feel remorse and
guilt. The abuser apologizes to the victim and asks for his/her forgiveness
while the victim feels disrespected and humiliated. This serves to be the last
stage for most cases like repetitive violence.
- Calm
When the victim decided to forgive the
abuser, then this stage will take place. It seems like violence didn’t happen
at all. The relationship between two parties will be at peace. The sad thing is
that, when another problem or argument comes in, the cycle will start all over
again from tension.
The cycle of abuse proposed by Walker
doesn’t apply to everyone’s abusive relationship. However, this is widely used
in domestic violence programs particularly in the United States. The cycle may
happen a hundred times in a relationship. One total cycle may take longer than
expected. Each stage may vary in a certain amount of time and may also be
skipped for some reasons.
Every person deserves a second chance. If
you have been charged with domestic violence, contact a prominent domestic violence attorney like Ross Goodman. He can help you convince the
court to dismiss the case or at least lessen the penalties.
Call Goodman Law Group, P. C. at (702)
383-5088 for a free consultation.