RESEARCH & THEORY ON FAMILY

VIOLENCEChapter 3

DR GINNA BABCOCK

Research Methods

• Research involves two-pronged process of data-gathering and analysis—a theory is meaningless until tested in the empirical world. Data are useless until analyzed and explained with theory

• Common goals: advancement of general knowledge, to predict, explain, and to solve problems (latter usually left to the practitioners)

• Quantitative Research (general to specific; deductive); closed-ended questions• Qualitative Research (specific to general; inductive); open-ended questions• Sample: part of the population used in data-gathering (different kinds—random,

representative, stratified, etc)

Family Violence Theory

• Social scientists acknowledge social interactions are not random acts

• Patterns of behavior are learned through socialization and passed from generation to generation

• Most family abuse theories developed from inductive, qualitative studies at the micro level in an ecological model

The Classical School

• Individuals choose to engage in crime • Cesare Beccaria = “father of classical

criminology” • People possess a free will and therefore have

the ability to reason • Laws must be written specifically to define

criminal behavior as well as the punishment • Dominant perspective for about 100 years

Rational Choice

• Criminal behavior is more than just a response to social pressures – is also a choice

• Determine the effectiveness of interventions in order to decide how best to reduce benefits of crime and increase the cost of criminal action

Deterrence Theory

• Punishment must be swift and certain in order to deter crime

• Deterrent effect of punishment can be specific or general in nature

• How effective deterrence is, and why it works or fails is not well understood

• Through deterrence, recidivism is reduced in some cases of family violence

The Positive School-- Biological Theories

• Most controversial and have limited application to family violence

• Under this model violent or criminal behavior is beyond the control of the individual and caused by the person’s biology, genetics, etc

The Positive School -- Sociological Theories

• Social Structure and Cultural Theories• Culture of Violence Theory• Social Disorganization Theory• Strain Theory• Gender-Role Theory

The Positive School -- Psychological Theories

• Social Learning Theories• People not born with violent tendencies • Deviance learned through environment and life experiences (e.g., peers, media)

• Behavior Modeling Theory• Intergenerational Transmission Theory (socialization)

Social Control Theories

• Attachment Theory• Relationship develops between infant

and primary caregiver affects relationships later in life

• Children secure in their attachments are easily comforted and move freely from caregiver to stranger

Individual Pathology and Male Batterers

• Small number of domestic violence perpetrators exhibit behaviors similar to a person suffering with personality disorders

• Highly resistant to counseling and other forms of intervention, suggesting psychopathological sickness

The Conflict School

• Law is the means by which ruling class maintains control

• Lawmakers legitimize positions of superiority by dominating minorities and lower classes

• Poverty, minority status (including women) and unemployment important independent variables to conflict theorists

Patriarchal Theory

• Most widely used perspective on woman battering, also referred to as feminist approach

• Major tenets are:• Gender relationships are a fundamental

component of social life • Power of men by virtue of their privileged

status is the means by which women are controlled

• Ending the subordination of women by means of changing the social structure remains the major goal.

• Equal access and protection through law

Gender Inequality

• Female criminality has been ignored • Female offenders seen as inferior and their crimes insignificant • Chivalry hypothesis: women likely to be protected by the criminal justice system and

given more lenient treatment • In communities where mandatory arrest policies on domestic violence have been

rigorously applied, number of female offenders has risen dramatically • Experts argue that female offenders are self-defending against male aggression

Multidimensional Theory

• Researchers are turning to this theory to understand the complexities of family violence

• “Ecological model” identified by U S Department of Health and Human Services as the best framework to address causes, consequences, and treatment formulations for abused children