Blaming the Victim: Domestic Violence and the Codependency Model (From International Victimology, P 285-290, 1996, Chris Sumner, Mark Israel, et al., eds. - See NCJ-169474)

• NCJ Number: 169503
• Author(s): G Dear
• Date Published: 1996
• Length: 6 pages
• Sale Source: Australian Institute of Criminology
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: Australia

Annotation

This paper discusses the premise that the codependency theory tends to shed blame on the victim for difficulty in coping with emotional pain and the implications of the codependency model for professional service providers.

Abstract

The central theme of the literature on codependency is that all members of any family in which one member has a drinking problem are psychologically disturbed and in need of treatment. The term has been further generalized to refer to the partners of anyone with any form of major behavior problem and to anyone who grew up in a family affected by any major disturbance. Treatment programs have been developed and many self-help books on codependency have been published. Such developments have all taken place in the absence of any research support for the model and the lack of an accepted formal definition for the proposed syndrome. The use of the codependency model in the area of domestic violence is of considerable concern. The theory fails to examine sociocultural processes and gender-related power issues and hence leads to an incomplete understanding of the dynamics of family violence. References