Chapter 11 Family Stress and Crisis Violence among Intimates 04 23 2012 Types of Power Coercive Power we have it in the us For example the judicial system has the ability to punish us and put us in jail Coercive power helps us teach our children what discipline is Reward Power Expert Power when you have expertise in something Because you are an exercise science expert you have the power to write a scientific article Informational Power the power you have when you have different types of information but it doesn t necessarily make you an expert in that Referent Power unique because it doesn t have to do with the more powerful person per say it is when the less powerful person gives more power to the more powerful person Sometimes you give people power that don t deserve it some people in your family sometimes they don t have power Sometimes captives and slaves are brainwashed because they identify with the people who capture them and have empathy for them Legitimate Power power given to someone by a larger powerful entity More concrete example when you get a license to be a medical doctor in the state of Florida you take an exam and you now have power to practice medicine just because you have expert power does not mean you have legitimate power Martial Power The first study done wasn t until the 1960 s and it wasn t until then that people started to notice the power dynamic Blood and Wolfe Interviewed wives only Resource Hypothesis the spouse with more resources has more power in marriage What resources to spouses bring Resource hypothesis the person who has the most resources has the most power This hypothesis was the direction of their study In the 1950 s the man brought money food clothing shelter to the table Women brought child rearing nurture maintaining the house The man s resources were more valued at this point in time Most families 72 had relatively egalitarian decision making Study Results structure 25 husbands made decision 3 Wives made decisions Criticisms of Study What domains men and women have power over Women food shopping cleaning Husbands where they live jobs finances Having the power to make trivial decisions is not the same as having the power to make important ones Love Need and Power Wives may have power through husband s love for her Husbands when they do love their wives have soft spots for them However wives can lose some power because of the principle of least interest Congruent with Principle of Lease Interest Women may be more socialized to love and need men than the other way around Women are socialized to be nurturing and loving and caring and very interested in relationship so when men and women get in relationships the women is socialized to be the one that cares about the relationship Therefore the husbands have more power because the men are not socialized to need women Men may feel less power in the intimate sphere Power and Intimacy Intimacy is greatest when power is equal Seek to negotiate and compromise not to win o If one partner wins and the other loses the couple loses o If both partners win the couple wins Game Theory If you get too destructive within your relationship you will end up destroying the whole relationship Power and Politics with Intimacy How do spouses exert power in a marriage negatively o Leaving threatening o Withholding distancing o Pouting sulking o Infidelity o Partners take charge of separate domains May decrease intimacy Reinforces separateness Accumulation of power politics leads to loneliness and distance in marriage not closeness Alternatives to Power Politics Partners take charge of separate domains o May decrease intimacy o Reinforces separateness Subordinate spouse disengages from power struggles More powerful partner relinquish some power to save or enhance the marriage best way Family Violence Child abuse elder abuse husband spousal abuse Dating violence domestic violence sexual coercion Three Phase Cycles of Violence Tension resulting from some minor altercation builds over a period of time Situation escalates exploding into another violent episode Violent person becomes contrite treating his her spouse of partner lovingly honeymoon o Power and Control Wheel Using economic abuse Using coercion and threats Using intimidation Using emotional abuse Using isolation Using children Minimizing denying and blaming Using male privilege Why Men Women Do It Feeling of powerlessness Lack of resources Insecurity Why Victims Put Up With It Fear Cultural norms Love economic dependence and homes for reform Gendered socialization Childhood experiences Low Self Esteem Situational Couple Violence Usually involves pushing slapping and shoving More prevalent among younger couples Most mature out of it Couple is very likely to break up Also called arguments that get physical Intimate Partner Abuse The physical or emotional abuse of spouses partners or former spouses or intimate partners A pattern of behavior that seeks to establish power and control over another person through fear and intimidation Usually becomes Intimate Terrorism Physical Abuse Beating kicking pushing hitting with objects stabling strangling shooting etc Can result in serious injury Occurs in all social sectors but abused are most likely to be women young nonwhite and less educated with lower household incomes What is the difference between spanking and abusing Sometimes you don t know until it s too late But in the state of Florida if you hit a child and leave a mark that stays more than 24 hours you have abused them Children associate hitting with lack of love or disappointment Children and Violence Child abuse or neglect 1 800 96 ABUSE Harm or predictable harm to a child under the age of 18 caused by a parent guardian or other person responsible for a child s welfare Results from assault willful inattention and failure to provide the necessities of life Type of Child Maltreatment Neglect 59 failure to provide basic caretaking obligations Sexual abuse 20 Physical abuse 19 ongoing pattern of bodily injurious actions Emotional Abuse 7 psychological maltreatment Parents are the ones that are primarily causing the maltreatment A majority of children will not be hurt by strangers but rather by the people that they live with Most likely if a child is going to get hurt it will be by someone in their own family or a caregiver The Nature of Stress and Crisis Crisis A critical change of events that disrupts the functioning of a person s life Family Stress Tensions
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