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Battered Womens Syndrome: A Survey Of Contemporary Battered Womens Syndrome: A Survey Of Contemporary Theories Battered Womens Syndrome: A Survey of Contemporary Theories Domestic Violence November 16, 1996 In 1991, Governor William Weld modified parole regulations and permitted women to seek commutation if they could present evidence indicating they suffered from battered womens syndrome. A short while later, the Governor, citing spousal abuse as I. The Classical Theory of Battered Womens Syndrome and its Origins The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), known in the mental health field as the clinicians bible, does not recognize battered womens syndrome as a distinct mental disorder. In fact, Dr.
Lenore Walker, the architect of the classical battered womens syndrome theory, notes the syndrome is not an illness, but a theory that draws upon the principles of learned helplessness to explain why some women are The theory of learned helplessness sought to account for the passive behavior subjects exhibited when placed in an uncontrollable environment. In the late 60 s and early 70 s, Martin Seligman, a famous researcher in the field of psychology, code In the late 1970 s, Dr. Walker drew upon Seligman's research and incorporated it into her own theory, the battered womens syndrome, in an attempt to explain why battered women remain with their abusers. According to Dr.
Walker, battered womens The tension building phase ends and the active battering phase begins when the verbal abuse and minor battering evolve into an acute battering incident. A release of the tensions built during phase one characterizes the active battering phase, wh After the active battering phase comes to a close, the cycle of violence enters the calm loving respite phase or honeymoon phase. During this phase, the batterer apologizes for his abusive behavior and promises that it will never happen again. According to Dr. Walker, Seligman's theory of learned helplessness explains why women stay with their abusers and occurs in a victim after the cycle of violence repeats numerous times.
As noted earlier, dogs who were placed in an environment wher As the classical theory of battered womens syndrome is based upon the psychological principles of conditioning, experts believe that behavior modification strategies are best suited for treating women suffering from the syndrome. A simple, yet e In sum, the classical battered womens syndrome is a theory that has its origins in the research of Martin Seligman. Women in a domestic abuse situation experience a cycle of violence with their abuser. The cycle is composed of three phases: the II. An Alternate Battered Womens Syndrome Theory: Battered Women as Survivors. Over the years, empirical data has emerged that casts doubt on Dr.
Walkers explanation of why women stay with their batterers or, in extreme cases, why they kill their abusers. Two researchers, Edward W. Gondolf and Ellen R. Fisher, make referen The first element of the survivor theory surmises that a pattern of abuse prompts battered women to employ innovative coping strategies and to seek help, such as flattering the batterer and turning to their families for assistance.
When these so The second element of Gondolf and Fishers theory posits that a lack of options, know-how and finances, not learned helplessness, instills a feeling of anxiety in the victim that prevents her from escaping the abuser. When a battered woman seeks The third element expands on the first and describes how the victim actively seeks help from a variety of formal and informal help sources. For instance, an example of an informal help source would be a close friend and a formal help source would The fourth element of the survivor theory hypothesizes that the failure of the aforementioned help sources to intervene in a comprehensive and decisive manner permits the cycle of abuse to continue unchecked. Interestingly, Gondolf and Fisher bla Because the survivor theory of learned helplessness attributes the battered womans plight to ineffective help sources and societal indifference, a logical solution would entail increased funding for programs in place and educating the public abou To recap, Edward W. Gondolf and Ellen R.
Fisher developed the survivor theory of battered womens syndrome to explain why statistics indicate that battered women increase their help seeking behavior as the violence escalates. The theory is compos III. Battered Womens Syndrome Equals Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Although the DSM-IV does not recognize battered womens syndrome as a distinct mental illness or disorder, some experts maintain that battered womens syndrome is just another name for post traumatic stress disorder, which the DSM-IV recognizes. In 1980, the American Psychiatric Association added the post traumatic stress disorder classification to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders III, a manual used by mental health professionals to diagnose mental illness. Altho Since 1980, the American Psychiatric Association has revised the criteria for diagnosing post traumatic stress disorder several times.
Currently, the diagnostic criteria for post traumatic stress disorder include a history of exposure to a trauma As noted earlier, in order for a diagnosis of post traumatic stress disorder to apply, the individual must have been exposed to a traumatic event involving actual or threatened death or injury, or a threat to the physical integrity of the person o In addition to meeting the traumatic event diagnostic criteria, an individual must have symptoms from the intrusive recollection, avoid ant / numbing and hyper arousal categories for a post traumatic stress disorder diagnosis to apply. The intrusive The avoid ant / numbing cluster consists of the emotional strategies individuals with post traumatic stress disorder use to reduce the likelihood that they will either expose themselves to traumatic stimuli, or if exposed, will minimize their psychol The hyper arousal category symptoms closely resemble those seen in panic and generalized anxiety disorders. Although symptoms such as insomnia and irritability are generic anxiety symptoms, hyper vigilance and startle are unique to post traumatic A careful reading of post traumatic stress disorder symptoms and diagnostic criteria indicates that Dr. Walkers classical theory of battered womens syndrome is contained within. For instance, both theories require that the victim be exposed to There are several methods a professional can utilize to treat individuals suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. The most successful treatments are those that they administer immediately after the traumatic event.
Experts commonly call t The second type of treatment is administered after post traumatic stress disorder has developed and is less effective than critical incident stress debriefing. This type of treatment may consist of psychodynamic psychotherapy, behavioral therapy, To summarize, many experts regard battered womens syndrome as a subcategory of post traumatic stress disorder. The diagnostic criteria for post traumatic stress disorder include a history of exposure to a traumatic event and symptoms from each o IV. Conclusion Although there are many different theories of battered womens syndrome, most are all variations or hybrids of the three main theories outlined above.
A sound understanding of Dr. Walkers classical battered womens syndrome theory, Gondolf and F
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