Interrelationship of Family and Extrafamily Violence in a Representative Sample

• NCJ Number: 130739
• Author(s): E Kandel
• Date Published: 1991
• Length: 30 pages
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Nearly 2300 unincarcerated males in a nationally representative sample answered questions regarding their violent behavior toward their wives and toward individuals not in their family.

Abstract

According to the results, the vast majority of violent males chose to assault either family or non-family members, but not both; only 10 percent of respondents behaved violently toward family and non-family members. The data were examined in terms of two theoretical perspectives. The psychiatric model predicts that violent individuals choose their victims across situations, while the social learning model predicts that individuals will behave violently only under circumstances in which violence has been taught and reinforced. This research indicated that pan-violence was less common than suggested in previous research. Furthermore, it seemed that a much higher proportion of non-family assaulters were violent across both spheres, suggesting that violent behavior may be a product of the interaction between social restraint teachings and personal propensities toward violence. 3 tables, 1 figure, and 39 references (Author abstract modified)