FAD 4265 Reading Guide 3 Chapters 10 11 12 413 423 top paragraph only Chapter 10 Media Violence media violence cannot be directly blamed on the media but it is nonetheless socially significant as it desensitizes its observers to the consequences of violence o Television and movies by age 18 the average American child will have seen 16 000 stimulated murders and 200 000 acts of violence Research finds increased aggressive behavior depression sleep disturbances and attitudes fears or pessimistic views about the world and desensitization to violence to be correlated to media violence o Pornography the widespread dissemination of pornography is believed to encourage male dominance o Music some of the lyrics of popular music especially rap music celebrate violence contempt for women and legal authority o Video games the theme of many video games currently is violence they have also grown increasingly interactive and realistic o Literature and folklore Violence and the social organization of the family o Although the family is based on love among its members the way it is organized encourages conflict as power is unequally distributed between parents and children and between spouses o The amount of time spent in the family and the greater intensity of feelings interacting increases the probability for conflict o Family privacy enhances the likelihood of violence as well it insulates family members from the protection that society can provide if abuse is present and it often prevents the victims of abuse from seeking outside help Intimate Partner Violence rape physical assault and stalking perpetrated by current and former spouses cohabitating partners and dating partners o Approximately 33 million Americans have been victims of intimate partner violence at some point o 1 3 million women and 800 000 men are physically assaulted be an intimate partner more than 80 of the victims are women Violence against women o Only 27 of women reported physical assaults to the police as they did not think the police could do anything about it o 22 of women report being physically assaulted by a partner at some point over their lifetime o Native American and African American women report significantly higher rates of intimate partner violence victimization than do other racial groups Reasons why the extent of woman abuse in domestic settings is impossible to pin down accurately o Events of a violent nature generally take place in private with no witnesses other than family members o Battered women are often treated by medical professionals who fail to inquire deeply into the cause of their injuries o Victims commonly lie about the causes of their injuries because of shame fear of reprisal or to protect their partner o Many victims do not go out to public agencies for help because they have found these organizations to be unresponsive Intimate terrorism o the attempt to dominate one s partner and to exert general control over the relationship domination that is manifested in the use of a wide range of power and control tactics including violence Situational couple violence o intimate partner violence that is not embedded in such a general pattern of controlling behaviors but occurs when specific conflict situations escalate to violence Think of an example to distinguish between the two types of violence between o The main difference has to do with the control variable and not the nature or frequency of violent actions Power Control Wheel pattern of total control that incorporates the systematic use of tactics that are not physically violent but are nonetheless an exercise of power o Using coercion and threats Making and or carrying out threats to do something to hurt her Threatening to leave her to commit suicide or to report her to couples welfare Making her drop charges Making her do illegal things o Using intimidation Making her afraid by using looks actions gestures Smashing things destroying her property Abusing pets Displaying weapons o Using emotional abuse names Putting her down making her feel bad about herself calling her Making her think she is crazy playing mind games Humiliating her Making her feel guilty o Using isolation Controlling what she does who she sees and talks to what she reads where she goes Limiting her outside involvement and using jealousy to justify these actions o Minimizing denying and blaming Making light of the abuse and not taking her concerns seriously Saying the abuse didn t happen Shifting responsibility for abusive behavior saying she caused it o Using children Making her feel guilty about the children Using the children to rely messages Using visitation to harass her Threatening to take away the children o Using male privilege Treating her like a servant Making all the big decisions Acting like the master of the castle Being the one to define men s and women s roles o Using economic abuse Preventing her from getting or keeping a job Making her ask for money Giving her an allowance Taking her money Not letting her known about or have access to family income Why do women stay with their abusers Individual and relational factors of abusers o Fear leaving may increase the danger to her and her children o Hope and love they may be convinced that their husbands will somehow reform some also may believe that staying together is best for the children no matter what o Self blame self blame may reflect a context of emotional abuse traditional gender roles also set women up for blaming themselves when relationships become problematic o Economic dependency the lack of marketable skills and jobs with decent pay and benefits often trap women in abusive relationships o Alcohol abuse the most common trait associated with abusive treatment the problem with assuming a relationship between alcohol abuse and partner abuse is that the relationship is not causal but contributory o Occupation the relationship between men s occupations and domestic violence is essentially related to the concept of spillover males in the police force and the military are especially prone towards spousal abuse o Inadequacy of male partners battering can be generated by a number of problems a man faces in his marriage work or other situations such as financial difficulties sexual dysfunction and jealousy they may be underachievers compared to their wives less intelligent less successful in their jobs schools or lower in certain status characteristics o Emotional abuse emotional abuse is sometimes