Second Draft

Running Head: DOMESTIC VIOLENCE 1

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE 12

Domestic Violence

Name

Institutional Affiliation

Domestic Violence

Topic Chosen

Domestic violence has been a topic of debate and scrutiny in many countries over the years with the line of argument changing depending on the culture in question. Although, many strides have been made in preventing the occurrence and frequency of domestic violence, it still remain a problem in society. Due to its multifaceted nature, many people do not have a complete understanding of what domestic violence is and the intricacies involved they tend to neglect of ignore its presence in society. Unfortunately, ignoring it and neglecting or even doing the bare minimum is not an effective way of dealing with the issue. To begin with domestic violence can be defined as a pattern of constantly abusing a partner in four main forms which are emotionally, physically, psychologically and verbally in a domestic setting such as cohabitation, marriage or intimate relationship. The cycle is repeated in most cases with the victim being exposed to dire consequences and the perpetrator being worse with each abuse. The need to break fatal cycles is the fundamental reason why domestic violence is the narrowed topic for this paper. It was chosen because the discussions on this issue need to continue as a way of sensitizing people and getting permanent solutions to the problem. Understanding what domestic violence is, spreading the ways one can help a victim in an abusive relationship as well as assist the abuser and learning to prevent situations such as this is one way of getting the conversation going. Many people who may not be aware of the challenge gain insight which assists in the fight against domestic violence.

Primary Audience/ Reader

Since domestic violence is an issue that affects everybody is society both directly and indirectly it is important that all people are included in tackling the problem. However, for precision in this essay, the primary audience includes the victims, the family, and friends to both the abuser and victim and the abuser. On the other hand, the primary reader would be the general society since they issue discussed in the paper illustrate the elements within the complex topic simplifying it for the general audience who at times feel excluded or non-essential in this problem. Research has shown that in most cases the victims gets to a point in the abusive relationship where they begin to blame themselves for the repeated bouts of abuse in different forms. This self-blame has many other negative impacts attached to it such as a reduced self-esteem, self-hatred and a warped understanding of love and the mechanisms of a relationship.

Due to these consequences, it is important for victims to be helped out of abusive relationships to save them and also restore hope in them. One of the ways this objective can be achieved is through clear communication that none of the abuse is their fault. This paper serves as an avenue for this type of communication for all individuals in abusive relationships. Detailing the reasons why abusers constantly feel the need to abuse their partners will be explored giving an in-depth analysis of the reasons behind the abuse and the psychological state of the abuser. This is why victims are an important aspect of the primary audience. Conversely, family and friends play a role in abusive relationships around them. This role can either be passive or active whereby if it is active the friends and family are part and parcel of trying to stop or further exacerbating the situation mostly unknowingly.

Advice such as trying to change the abuser by staying in the relationship is one of the miscommunications done by friends and family (Laing, 2016). Because of this misinterpretation, the victim continues to hope the abuser changes, and the relationship goes back to normalcy. On the contrary, another aspect of an active role played by family and friends is when they try to stop the cycle of abuse. Unfortunately, the know-how of stopping and helping both the abuser and victim is unbeknownst to the parties thus being overwhelmed by frustration and helplessness. In fact, these groups quickly gets sucked into the cycle with some suffering stress, depression, anxiety and other emotions because they know someone in an abusive relationship or know the abuser personally. Passive parties only neglect the situations citing that it is none of their business and therefore fail to help in any way.

For these reasons, the family and friends are also part of the primary audience since they need to be equipped with the tools of helping their loved one caught in the cycle. They also need to know how to identify when a loved one is in an abusive relationship but tries to hide it. Lastly, the society in general needs to be included in the conversation as a way to raise awareness of the activity being illegal and destructive in a variety of ways. Due to changes in society and its perception on issues, it is paramount for people to be aware that they are an entity capable of either ending or helping the problem grow. For instance, previously same sex relationships were deemed illegal and immoral which means that victims in such relationships could not access help when faced with domestic violence. However, societal progression has enabled this type of relationships acceptable and legal which means that domestic violence is recognized as criminal even in same sex relationships. The three audiences are fundamental in the fight against domestic violence.

Thesis Statement

Since the discussion needs to have an angle for proper execution and achievement of the objectives this essay will be mostly focusing on the abuser and the victims in an abusive relationship and more so the reasons behind abuse and the ways of exiting an abusive relationship and getting help for both. Abusers are also victims in an indirect way in abusive relationships.

Topic Sentences

Domestic violence is a problem that when ignored will only plant its tentacles in society destroying millions of relationships, marriages, and families. The idea of being unaffected by domestic violence that happens around us is one way of letting the problem grow as will be examined and analyzed in this particular topic sentence. The ways in which it can be reduced will be explored as well as the ways in which it is encouraged either unknowingly or willingly.

Family and friends have a central role to play in helping both the abuser and the victim in domestic violence. For this particular topic sentence, the ways in which family and friends can be involved in positively affecting such relationships and in some instances salvaging them will be broached in great detail. Another aspect that will be discussed for this particular topic sentence is how family and friends can be involved in knowing what signs to look out for both the victim and abuser. For instance, leis concerning bruises and bruises in the victim can be a warning that they are being abused by their family. Anxiety and edginess in the victim are also another indication of the abuse in their relationship. On the other hand, a shift in behavior in the abuser such as a higher likelihood to temper is an important sign of their capability to cause abuse. Apart from a short temper, an increased need to be possessive of their partner and aggression can be another indication of possible affinity to cause abuse.

Current issues in domestic in tackling domestic abuse in society change the way the subject should be approached. In this case, the main idea will be discussing whether same-sex relationships suffer domestic violence. Many critics claim that same-sex relationships do not suffer this ill and when they do that its intensity cannot be compared to that of heterosexual relationships (Dutton, D. & Nicholls, T. 2005). The reasons behind these arguments will be discussed and the statistics of victims in same-sex relationships also given.

Lastly, abusers can also be regarded as victims in most instances since they also suffer a significant amount of impact on the cycle. According to the authors, men who were brought up in abusive relationships tend to have the same tendencies later on in life. They lash out on their partners as a result of their upbringing and being in a violent environment in their formative years. Similarly, women who grew up seeing their mothers or female relatives in abusive relationships tend to accept the abuse as normal in their adult years neglecting to report abuses (Laing, 2016). Another observation made is that men and even women who abuse illegal substance or are dependent on alcohol are more aggressive and easily irritable thus triggering domestic violence. Their state when sober and when high on drugs and alcohol is different such that partners are blindfolded to their true characters and facing difficulties in trying to understand the double sided character portrayed. These and other factors will be discussed for this portion and illuminate on how changing the perspective the society has on abusers can help in mitigating the effects of domestic violence to the point of ending it altogether.

Method of organization and development

The essay will have a coherent argument in which issues pertaining to domestic violence will be introduced and then further explained in the form of paragraphs. The essay will be sectioned into three main parts which are the introduction, the body, and the conclusion.

The introduction

In the introduction, the topic will be defined and different understanding of the term discussed. The introductory paragraph will also contain the thesis statement and the various aspects what will be touched on in the paper. Research questions and the primary objectives of the research will also be given.

Draft of the introduction

Domestic violence can be described as the pattern of verbally, physically, psychologically and emotionally abusing a partner in a domestic setting such as a marriage, cohabitation, relationship or an intimate relationship (Haugen, 2004). . The spouse or partner is repeatedly hurt by of violence or other forms of abuse leading to a vicious cycle with dire consequences. Regarding this topic, some of the research questions include; what is the perception of society on the abuser and is the abuser also a victim in certain circumstances? What are the impacts on the people around an abusive relationship? These questions are crucial in narrowing down the research on the topic. I chose those two questions because they expressed a different angle from what has been previously researched thus the need to study the topic from an alternate perspective. Prior to choosing a topic I decided to brainstorm and find a topic that was significant to me. I wanted to get a topic that was of importance to my life and one that would also impact the lives of those around me such as my classmates. My primary objective is to raise awareness on domestic violence and possibly effect change in society by reducing its prevalence and more so change the societal perspective on the abuser who most of the time is faulted and never seen as one who requires help. In my opinion helping the abuser is a way of getting to the root problem since by assisting the abuser then the violence stops.

The body

In the body, the first paragraph will entail the significant and relevance of the topic. It is important that the relevance of this topic is established to capture the attention of the reader. Therefore, the reasons why the subject is crucial will be discussed in the first paragraph of the body. An example of this particular paragraph is;

As a victim of domestic violence, this topic was not picked based on mere interest. I have experienced the repercussions of staying in an abusive relationship firsthand. One of the other major reasons I decided to research on domestic violence is to raise awareness of its dangers following the death of a close friend. I got a rude awakening following her death as a result of staying in an abusive relationship despite efforts by friends and family of helping her out. She had decided to end her life after being pushed to the edge since she was constantly physically and verbally abused by her partner. Being a victim of abuse and losing my friend made me more passionate about spreading knowledge on the ways of dealing with domestic violence, on how to identify the tale tell signs of an abuser and a victim and also on finding ways of reducing its occurrence in society. The fact that many people ignore the presence of this evil in their communities is another reason why the topic is of importance to me.

I am determined to learn all there is concerning domestic violence and then to use that knowledge to help both abusers and victims around me. The inability to understand the details of domestic violence and the myths and misconceptions around it hinder progress regarding curbing it. For instance, contrary to popular belief, domestic violence happens in both heterosexual and same-sex relationships. Another misconception is that the perpetrators are invariably men and women always on the receiving end. Although males are prone to being the abusers there are women who abuse their partners in heterosexual relationships. This myth and other elements are a barrier to the progress of stopping domestic violence, and thus a comprehensive research on the topic is a good step to take.

Apart from the significant the topical sentences will be discussed at length. The drafts are provided briefly.

Domestic violence is a problem that when ignored will only plant its tentacles in society destroying millions of relationships, marriages, and families.

It can take different forms such as physical, emotional, verbal and psychological abuse and in some instances sexual abuse. The force used also varies from one individual to another with some being subtle and other being coercive. It is important that any of the mentioned forms are taken seriously and reported to law enforcement agencies and officials since some of the consequences result in disfigurement and even death. Globally, the bigger population suffering domestic violence happens to be women (Rohrbaugh, 2006). However, this does not mean that men do not suffer this type of violence. On the contrary, it is assumed that the number of men abused in a domestic setting may be more than the reported number (Cameron, 2003). The reasons for this discrepancy are that the men have a lower motivation to report abuse due to societal perceptions that have redefined what manhood entails. Thus, reporting abuse is seen as a weakness when a victim is a man since according to the redefined standards of what it means to be a man, a man should be strong enough to prevent or handle such abuse. This is also because women are perceived to be weak and thus any male victims branded as cowards unable to control their female or even male partners.

Family and friends have a central role to play in helping both the abuser and the victim in domestic violence.

The family and friends have a responsibility in this matter. Their role is to offer help and also report any instances or suspicions of abusive relationships. Lives can be saved be only taking the initiative to be proactive as opposed to reactive in domestic violence cases. Family and friends should also be keen to identify any signs and indications of abusive relationships, abusive traits and victims disguising their bruises as a way of protecting their abusive partners.

Current issues in domestic in tackling domestic abuse in society change the way the subject should be approached.

Contrary to popular belief, domestic violence happens in both heterosexual and same-sex relationships (Cameron, 2003). Another misconception is that the perpetrators are invariably men and women always on the receiving end. Although males are prone to being the abusers there are women who abuse their partners in heterosexual relationships. This myth and other elements are a barrier to the progress of stopping domestic violence

Lastly, abusers can also be regarded as victims in most instances since they also suffer a significant amount of impact on the cycle.

According to the authors, men who were brought up in abusive relationships tend to have the same tendencies later on in life. They lash out on their partners as a result of their upbringing and being in a violent environment in their formative years. Similarly, women who grew up seeing their mothers or female relatives in abusive relationships tend to accept the abuse as normal in their adult years neglecting to report abuses (Coker, 2016). Another observation made is that men and even women who abuse illegal substance or are dependent on alcohol are more aggressive and easily irritable thus triggering domestic violence (Coker, 2016). Their state when sober and when high on drugs and alcohol is different such that partners are blindfolded to their actual characteristics and facing difficulties in trying to understand the double sided character portrayed.

Conclusion

The main ideas will be summarized in the conclusion and the evidence supporting the thesis statements also included. The thesis statement will be repeated as a way of retaining the focus and the importance of the chosen angle of argument. The conclusion will also reinstate the recommendations given in the paper in ending domestic violence or at least reducing it. Ideas regarding the role placed, and signs of a victim will also be repeated as a means of emphasis.