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RESEARCH & THEORY ON FAMILY
VIOLENCE Chapter 3
DR GINNA BABCOCK
Research Methods
• Research involves two-pronged process of data-gathering and analysis—a theory is meaningless until tested in the empirical world. Data are useless until analyzed and explained with theory
• Common goals: advancement of general knowledge, to predict, explain, and to solve problems (latter usually left to the practitioners)
• Quantitative Research (general to specific; deductive); closed-ended questions
• Qualitative Research (specific to general; inductive); open-ended questions
• Sample: part of the population used in data-gathering (different kinds—random, representative, stratified, etc)
Family Violence Theory
• Social scientists acknowledge social interactions are not random acts
• Patterns of behavior are learned through socialization and passed from generation to generation
• Most family abuse theories developed from inductive, qualitative studies at the micro level in an ecological model
The Classical School
• Individuals choose to engage in crime
• Cesare Beccaria = “father of classical criminology”
• People possess a free will and therefore have the ability to reason
• Laws must be written specifically to define criminal behavior as well as the punishment
• Dominant perspective for about 100 years
Rational Choice
• Criminal behavior is more than just a response to social pressures – is also a choice
• Determine the effectiveness of interventions in order to decide how best to reduce benefits of crime and increase the cost of criminal action
Deterrence Theory
• Punishment must be swift and certain in order to deter crime
• Deterrent effect of punishment can be specific or general in nature
• How effective deterrence is, and why it works or fails is not well understood
• Through deterrence, recidivism is reduced in some cases of family violence
The Positive School-- Biological Theories
• Most controversial and have limited application to family violence
• Under this model violent or criminal behavior is beyond the control of the individual and caused by the person’s biology, genetics, etc
The Positive School -- Sociological Theories
• Social Structure and Cultural Theories
• Culture of Violence Theory
• Social Disorganization Theory
• Strain Theory
• Gender-Role Theory
The Positive School -- Psychological Theories
• Social Learning Theories
• People not born with violent tendencies
• Deviance learned through environment and life experiences (e.g., peers, media)
• Behavior Modeling Theory
• Intergenerational Transmission Theory (socialization)
Social Control Theories
• Attachment Theory
• Relationship develops between infant and primary caregiver affects relationships later in life
• Children secure in their attachments are easily comforted and move freely from caregiver to stranger
Individual Pathology and Male Batterers
• Small number of domestic violence perpetrators exhibit behaviors similar to a person suffering with personality disorders
• Highly resistant to counseling and other forms of intervention, suggesting psychopathological sickness
The Conflict School
• Law is the means by which ruling class maintains control
• Lawmakers legitimize positions of superiority by dominating minorities and lower classes
• Poverty, minority status (including women) and unemployment important independent variables to conflict theorists
Patriarchal Theory
• Most widely used perspective on woman battering, also referred to as feminist approach
• Major tenets are:
• Gender relationships are a fundamental component of social life
• Power of men by virtue of their privileged status is the means by which women are controlled
• Ending the subordination of women by means of changing the social structure remains the major goal.
• Equal access and protection through law
Gender Inequality
• Female criminality has been ignored
• Female offenders seen as inferior and their crimes insignificant
• Chivalry hypothesis: women likely to be protected by the criminal justice system and given more lenient treatment
• In communities where mandatory arrest policies on domestic violence have been rigorously applied, number of female offenders has risen dramatically
• Experts argue that female offenders are self-defending against male aggression
Multidimensional Theory
• Researchers are turning to this theory to understand the complexities of family violence
• “Ecological model” identified by U S Department of Health and Human Services as the best framework to address causes, consequences, and treatment formulations for abused children