NCJ Number
113384
Date Published
1988
Length
30 pages
Annotation
This review of sociological perspectives of family violence considers three microlevel perspectives: resource, exchange/control, and symbolic interaction; and five macrolevel perspectives: subculture of violence, conflict, patriarchal, ecological, and general systems.
Abstract
Resource theory holds that the spouse with the greater number of resources (skills, finances, status, etc.) tends to have power over the other partner. Exchange/social control theory is based in the assumption that human behavior is designed either to earn rewards or escape punishment. The core of the symbolic interaction perspective is that the self is an ever emerging social product derived from participation in a process of social interactions. The subculture-of-violence thesis, as propounded by Wolfgang and Ferracuti, is that coexisting within the main culture are subcultural orientations toward violence, especially among certain ethnic groups and certain lower income groups. The conflict perspective holds that conflict is one of the elements in social interaction within dyads and groups characterized by positions of dominance and submission. The patriarchal perspective reasons that the basic cause of pervasive spousal violence is a traditional familial dynamic of domination by males. The ecological perspective reasons that human behavior can best be explained by environmental stimuli beyond the immediate situation of the individual. The general systems theory features a multidisciplinary overview of all scientific efforts and a unified set of concepts that can be used to generate hypotheses applicable in many fields. 92 references.