Why Do Women Need Abusive Relationships

Abusive relationships should never be acceptable, but many women believe they contributed or deserve the abuse. Being in an abusive relationship is something no one individual should go through. So why do women and men accept this way of life? Though there are many reasons for the abuser to abuse his or her partners, abuse should never be accepted as a way of life. A common attribution battered women make about themselves is that they somehow provoked the violence or that they should have been able to prevent it by changing their own behavior (Hyden, 1999; Towns & Adams, 2000) Page 366. This matter of thinking is truly believed by the abused individual. It is strange to think that you deserve a beating because maybe you did not close a cabinet or fold towels correctly, or as simple as looking at a direction you should not have been. An abused
Many women feel shame and guilt for not being able to leave the abuser, thereby exposing their children to MFIPV. As a result, many women are reluctant to disclose their problems to family and friends or to seek help (Lindgren & Rench, 2008) Page 366. It is my thought that if an abused individual had higher self-esteem of one’s self and confident that they will survive on their own also, much of the abuse could be avoided. Once a person has been abused they start to feel less likable to themselves, depressed, more fearful, possible anxiety, and of course they feel helpless. Many abused victims develop posttraumatic stress disorder shortly after they leave the abusive environment. One survey disclosed that 80% of female victims had sustained facial injuries,