Circle of Violence

Domestic Violence is a critical issue negatively impacting relationships in the world today. The cycle of violence is a social theory developed in the 1970s by Lenore Walker to explain patterns of behavior in an abusive relationship. Domestic violence commonly referred to as domestic abuse happens when a partner attempts to dominate the other partner by various forms of abusive behavior. Domestic violence is an epidemic in our society with dramatic, negative effects on individuals, families and communities. Domestic violence is a crime that knows no economic, racial, ethnic, religious, age or gender limits
Domestic violence follows a cycle of violence where majority of the victims are women. The first cycle is known as the tension-building phase. At this stage, heated arguments usually stem from problems regarding jobs, finances and other stressors that tend to fuel the tension. The battering then starts and escalates in frequency and severity over time. It may originate as yelling then progresses to mild physical violence using objects. Controlling the abuse is usually done by measures of avoidance or giving in by the victim. The reconciliation phase is characterized by affection, apology, or, alternatively, ignoring the incident. This phase marks an apparent end of violence, with assurances that it will never happen again, or that the abuser will do his or her best to change. During this stage, the abuser feels overwhelming feelings of remorse and sadness, or at least pretends to. The abuser may use self-harm or threats of suicide to gain sympathy and/or prevent the victim from leaving the relationship. Abusers are frequently so convincing, and victims are so eager for the relationship to improve, the victims are often worn down and confused by longstanding abuse, stay in the relationship. During the calm phase, the relationship is relatively calm and peaceable. However, interpersonal difficulties will inevitably arise, leading again to the tension-building