Family Violence

• NCJ Number: 97987
• Author(s): M D Pagelow
• Date Published: 1984
• Length: 588 pages
• Sale Source: Praeger Publishers
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Praeger Special Studies - Praeger Scientific.

Annotation

This text provides an overview of all aspects of family violence, drawing on many theoretical viewpoints and years of scientific research. Among the topics covered are causes of family violence, the issues involved in child abuse and neglect, the cycle of violence theory, and issues surrounding battered women, incest, and marital rape.

Abstract

An introduction examines the issue of family privacy and the unique problems of family violence research. It also discusses estimates of the extent of family violence. A review of family violence theories identifies the commonalities among various types of family violence -- power differentials, social isolation, and alcohol abuse. Several chapters focus on both physical and psychological neglect and abuse of children. They cover the movement to protect children, factors associated with maltreatment, and societal responses to abusers and victims. A critical review of the cycle of violence theory concludes that there is no scientifically sound empirical evidence that there is a casual relationship between being an abused child and becoming an adult child abuser. Chapters on wife beating consider the battered women's movement, husband beating, and the traditional rights of husbands and wives. A discussion of violence between dating and cohabiting couples poses questions about why increased intimacy is associated with increased violence. Treatment approaches for victims and abusers are examined. Seldom discussed topics are addressed in the text: violence by children, abuse of adolescents, and parent abuse. A chapter on incest not only treats detection, intervention, and attitudes toward offenders, but characterizes the growing movement demanding children's sexual liberation as a pro-incest lobby. Also explored are marital rape and the relationship of pornography to both incest and marital rape. The final summary reviews information on intervention and long-range prevention strategies. An annotated bibliography on parenting, extensive references, and an index are supplied.