NCJ Number
200766
Journal
Violence and Victims Volume: 18 Issue: 2 Dated: April 2003 Pages: 181-196
Date Published
April 2003
Length
16 pages
Annotation
Drawing on the work of Johnson (1995), this study examined whether there were two distinct subgroups that characterized domestic violence: “common couple violence” and “patriarchal terrorism.”
Abstract
Two main perspectives have emerged in the research literature concerning domestic violence. One perspective maintains that violence is perpetrated equally by men and women within relationships; meaning that men are also legitimate victims of female violence within the home. The other perspective claims that the violence used by women against men cannot be categorized as the same as the violence used by men against women. This perspective contends that women tend to use violence in self-defense and that the violence used by women is much less severe than the violence perpetrated on them by their male partners. In 1995, Johnson postulated that there are two main subgroups that emerge within the realms of domestic violence: “common couple violence” and “patriarchal terrorism.” Common couple violence is characterized as minor forms of physical aggression that generally manifest during an argument and rarely escalates to serious forms of violence. On the other hand, “patriarchal terrorism” is characterized as violence used against women by men in order to assert their control within the relationship. This type of violence can be quite severe. In order to test whether these subgroups actually exist, the authors administered questionnaires to 3 groups: women in a battered women’s refuge (n=44), college students (n=113), and male prisoners (n=108). Questionnaires focused on measures of physical aggression, controlling behaviors, fear of injuries, and injuries. A Discriminant Function Analysis (DFA) was used to analyze the data. Results indicated support for Johnson’s subgroups of domestic violence; significant differences between two groups emerged from the analysis. One group reports using and being the victim of low levels of physical aggression, which rarely resulted in injury. The other group reported high levels of physical aggression, fear of injury, controlling behaviors, and actual injuries. Limitations of the study included the use of a modified version of the Conflict Tactic Scales and the Controlling Behaviors Scale. Tables, notes, references