Bshs 407 - Causes and Consequences of Family Violence

Causes and Consequences of Family Violence

Angel Salinas

BSHS 407

December 07, 2015

Deborah Ayers

Causes and Consequences of Family Violence

When we say family violence, it is the act of committing violence towards a family member, someone that you are living with together and causing them injury or any pain. Violence can be in the form of physical torture or mental torture. Denying someone their right to be happy, keeping them inside the house or denying their freedom can be considered as a family violence. If you are a parent and you are keeping your kids at home for no reason even if they want to play outside, you can be causing mental violence. According to media, there is always a family violence occurring every day, every hour and every second. You can see violence being reported around the world and there have been stories of family violence that attracted the media like the story of Casey Anthony. The story of Casey, the one that happened in my hometown was written once by Wallace (2015).

When there are reports of family violence, counselors often visit the home to check on the reports. When doing so, counselors need to be vigilant, observant and be aware of how the parents or the child response to their questions. If there is a need, the counselor must be ready to remove the kid or the wife from the home to avoid further infliction of violence. The counselor must be able to determine as well if the kid is safe if they let him stay within the family or if the experience is traumatic enough. It is the job of the counselor to also identify possible marks of violence like bruises on the kid or the mother. Remember, repeated reports of violence within a single subject are a red flag. It is also important to make sure that the kid is living in a good condition where food, shelter and water are accessible and abundant or at least present.

What causes family violence? Psychologists have been trying to understand the behavior of people committing family violence and they even tried to paint such person’s personality and mental status. Their model show how mental problems and illness can cause and lead to family violence especially among fathers. One theory, the Psychopathology theory cited mental illness as the main cause of dysfunctions that leads to aggression and family violence. Another theory, the substance abuse theory explains on the other hand that substance abuse like drugs and alcohol leads to family violence as well. The third theory, the social-Psychological model reveals that family violence can be caused as well by stress, generational violence, and sibling rivalries among others. These are among the theories that psychologists are using to understand family violence and why it occurs.