Essay/Term paper: Partner abuse

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Domestic Abuse

Partner Abuse

Table of Contents

Introduction
1
Literary review
1
Sampling
4
Data Collection
4
Data Analysis
4
Conclusion
6
Work Cited
7


Hypothesis: Do students believe that partner abuse is a problem on
college campus.


Domestic violence spans the range of violent encounters and includes
physical assaults, sexual assaults, verbal assaults, intimidation, threats,
extreme emotional or psychological neglect and even death. The hypothesis of
this paper is do students believe that partner abuse is a problem on college
campus. To find out this I will include a literary review, which will include
theories of why it might occur and prof from other sources. Most important a
survey given out to Curry college students and its results will be included. I
choose this topic to educate students on the violence in dating relationships.

Literary review

Partner violence is typically defined as an act carried out with the
intention of causing physical or mental pain to another person. Partner abuse is
not only important as a phenomenon in itself but also because it precedes
marital violence and thus may provide a link in transmission of violence. Here
are some theories that may provide some reasons how partner abuse occurs and the
prof that it is a problem on college campuses.

On theory of dating violence is the social learning theory. This theory
examines the effects of either experiencing abuse as child or witnessing abusive
between one's parents. Reachers of dating violence have found that there is a
history of abuse is related to later involvement in an abusive relationship for
both males and females. Also, found that having been abused as a child
predicted later involvement in abuse for women but not for men.

Abusive men were more likely to have witnessed violence between their
parents than were women in an abusive marriage. Similarly, found that although
more abused wives, they still were less likely to have witnessed marital
violence than had non husbands. Therefore, although a history of either
witnessing or experiencing abuse seems of either witnessing or experience abuse
seems prevalent between men and women in abusive relationships, the exact nature
of that influence on men and women remains unclear. (Alexander, Pamela C Journal
of marriage and the family p 657-667)

The Feminist theory has also been used to explaining the presence of
violence between males and females. Feminist theory views violence as a
manifestation of the patriarchal structure in our culture, which is reflected in
the patterns of behaviors and attitudes of individuals. Discoveries that
abusive man frequently espouses more traditional views about women than do non
abusive men. Conversely more recent research has found no difference between
men's attitudes toward women and violent behavior toward their partners.
Evidence regarding women's attitudes is similarly mixed. There is no found
difference between abused wives and those in discordant or satisfied marriages
in their attitudes toward women. Also, no found relationship between adherence
and feminist ideology. Also, the experience of sexual aggression in a dating
relationship. Other researches have concluded that the discrepance between some
couple's attitudes toward women sex roles may be a more significant predictor of
violence than the actual values of either the man or the women. In summary
support for a feminist conceptualization of the integration transmission of
violence requires of an association between violence and patriarchal values both
within an abusive couple and between generations. Also, Males reported being
more verbally abusive to their partners than did females as well as receiving
substantially more verbally abuse from their partners than they themselves
extended. On the other hand, females did not report as much verbal abuse in
their dating relationships. However, both males and females reported that their
own level of verbal aggression was similar to that of their parents. Also,
males reported themselves for being more physically violent than did females and
for being more abused themselves by their parents. Also the length of the
dating relationship was found to be significantly related to the amount of
verbal abuse extended and received. It was not found to predict physical
violence in the relationship. (Alexander, Pamela C Journal of marriage and the
family 657-667)

The following paragraphs will include the prof from other surveys and
studies that were published. An article Maclean's magazine reported a study
that was conducted in a Canadian college. 3,142 students were question. The
finding where that 22 per cent of the women surveyed said that they have been
physically abused. 29 per cent said that they had been sexually abused, by
boyfriends or male accountancies in the previous 12 months. 81 per cent of the
female respondents said they have been abused in some way or another. (Deacon,
James Maclean's p54)

In the Journal of Interpersonal Violence a survey was given out to 465
college students. The survey regarded of their frequency of inflicting and
sustaining aggression in their dating relation ships. Their findings suggested
that males are less likely than females to take responsibility for violence.

Also, males were found to be more likely to place the blame on their
partner. It was also found that males were found more likely to use alcohol or
drugs during violent episodes. (LeJeune, Chad Journal of interpersonal violence
p181-94)

Also, in another edition of the Journal of Interpersonal Violence had
posted an article on the psychological abuse in college students. 1,625 college
students' males and females were surveyed. The results showed that males in a
relationship reported higher levels of psychological abuse and fewer positive
behaviors than did males. (Caulfield, Marie B Journal of interpersonal violence
p350-64)

Sampling
This survey was handed out to twenty random curry college students. Out
of the twenty of the students nine were male and eleven were female. Also, it
was given out to all class standing in college from freshman to seniors. Two of
the twenty where freshman, eight were sophomores, three were juniors, and seven
were seniors.

Data Collection

To collect the data of the survey I gave it out at the Levin library
which is located at Curry college. It was given out during day and evening
times.

Data Analysis

All figures and data will be included in the preceding pages after the
conclusion. This is the data concluded from the twenty surveyed students.
Question one asks is it okay to throw or smash objects during arguments with a
partner. As you can see in figure 1 that the majority of the students surveyed
felt that it is not okay to throw or smash objects during arguments with a
partner.

Question two states is it okay to shove or grab a partner when angary.
As you can see in figure 2 the majority of the students surveyed disagreed or
strongly disagree that it is okay to shove or grab a partner when angary.

In question three it was asked is it okay to intimidate your partner
with shouting or threats. As shown in figure 3 the majority of the students
surveyed disagree to strongly disagree that it okay to intimidate your partner
with shouting or threats.

Question four ask the students if alcohol contributes to an abusive
situation. Figure 4 shows that the majority of the students surveyed strongly
either agree or agree that alcohol does contributes to an abusive situation.

Question five asks the student if they feel drugs contribute to abusive
situations. Show in figure 5 the students stated that the majority of the
students surveyed strongly either agree or agree that drugs contribute to
abusive situations.

Question six states that abusive people probably come from abusive
families. Figure six shows that the students had a split decision. Forty
percent of the students surveyed agree that abusive people probably come from
abusive families. Another 40% were undecided.

Question seven asks the students if they have ever seen incidently of
physical or verbal abuse on campuses. Figure 7 shows that 75% of the students
surveyed had seen incident of physical or verbal abuse on campuses.

Question nine asks the students if they think that abusive relationships
are a problem at Curry. Figure nine shows that 60% of the students surveyed
feel that abusive relationships are a problem at Curry.

Question ten asked the students if they have ever attempted to prevent
an abusive situation on campus. Figure ten shows 70% of the students surveyed
did not attempt to prevent an abusive situation on campus.

Conclusion

The literature review states two theories that may explain the causes of
partner abuse. The first theory discussed was the social learning theory.
Which examines the effects of either experiencing abuse as child or witnessing
abusive between one's parents. The second was the feminist theory which view's
violence as a manifestation of the patriarchal structure in our culture, which
is reflected in the patterns of behaviors and attitudes of individuals. From
the data of the survey it was found that the majority of the students surveyed
felt it was not acceptable to shove, grab, smash or throwing objects, or to
intimidate a partner during arguments. The survey students also felt that
alcohol and drugs do contribute to abusive situations.

The two most important findings that support my hypothesis. The first
was that 75% of the surveyed stated that yes they have seen an incident of abuse
either physical or verbal on campus. The second was that 60% of the student
surveyed felt it was a problem on Curry colleges campuses. It has been shown in
this paper that domestic abuse in the form of partner abuse is a problem on
college campuses. I feel that this topic should be researched more widely and
should be dealt with.

Work Cited

Alexander, Pamela C. Journal of marriage and the family What is transmitted in
the interggenerational transition of violence. 53, August 1991:
p657-667

Caulfield, Marie B Journal of interpersonal violence The Assessment of dating
aggression: Empirical evaluation of the conflict tactics scale v7 n3 sep.
1992: p350-64

Deacon, James Maclean's Sexes what is "abuse'? v106 February /22/ 93 p54

LeJeune, Chad Journal of interpersonal violence Taking Responsibility: sex
differences in reporting dating violence v.9 n.2 p181-94 1995