Violence in the Family Essay Example for Free

Violence in the Family Essay The family has been stressed, time and again, as the basic unit of society. What happens therefore inside the family, particularly during the growing up years of an individual, shapes the individuals that make up the society. For a number of people, violence in the family is a daily fact of life. For others it is a remote possibility. Still, there are others who would rather have a violent family than having none at all. The future of the society hinges on the way that individuals are shaped inside the home. Hence, the issue of violence in the family has a big impact on the lives of people and on the society in general. The hypothesis of this essay is that frequent violence inside the family leads to a person becoming violent in his or her relationships in the broader society. By looking at a number of journal articles, this line of thinking will be explored more deeply and look at the relationship of the variables of violence in the family and violence in the broader society. There may be other aspects of the issue for consideration but the existence of violence in other relationships of a person who suffered from violence inside the home will be given priority over other concerns. Impact of Violence on Children One of the glaring impacts of violence in the family is the impedance of the normal trajectory of development in young boys and girls. In a study conducted by Barletto and McCoskey (2002), they looked at the impact of family violence on the development of misbehavior and attention problems among young boys and girls. Interestingly, they found out that attention and conduct problems were much more dominant in girls than in boys. Yet, the girls did not show delinquency even in the presence of violence in the family. On the other hand, violence inside the family has a much more direct impact on the delinquency of boys. At a young age, boys would display attention deficit problems and if left unchecked, such problems will lead to delinquency as they enter adolescence. With the findings of the authors, it means that family violence does affect the development of children and the way they relate with other people in their society. But what happens over the long run? How do the children deal with the effects of violence in their lives? In another study, conducted by Markowitz (2001), he explored the history of family violence in the lives of those who perpetuate the same. He found out that there is indeed a relationship between violent behavior in the family and one’s experiences of violence inside the family during the growing up years. This is true for persons who inflict violence against spouse and children inside the family. This is not an absolute rule, however. The researcher also found out that the effect of violence experienced while growing up is mediated or tempered by attitude. Violence inside the family is looked upon more favorably by men and by nonwhites. This may be due to cultural factors and the extent of violence experienced by boys as they are growing up compared to that experienced by women. This needs more research, however. Causes and Risk Factors of Violence in the Family In addition to the impact of family violence on children, another important aspect of the issue is the causes of family violence. How do people, particularly men, become violent inside the home? In this regard, Rodriguez, Lasch, Chandra and Lee (2001) explored a number of factors that serve as risk factors in the occurrence of violence inside the family. The researchers explored the status of employment, the use of alcohol and even the welfare benefits of the perpetrators of violence inside the home. What they found out is that employment, or the lack of it, is not an important cause of violence in the home because even employed persons also displayed the same level of propensity to violence. Those who are receiving welfare benefits, however, tend to have a higher propensity for violence. This could perhaps be attributed to an affronted ego or pride by having to receive welfare benefits. Alcohol use is another factor that increases the likelihood of violence in the family. If there were friends and other means of social support, however, this likelihood is significantly decreased. These findings do have important impact in understanding the causes of violence inside the home. While experiencing violence at an early age may be an important cause of perpetuating violence, the other factors should be considered. Violence in the family is further affected by what happens in the broader society. Sheidow, et. al (2001) explored the experiences of youth in urban settings in terms of violence experienced at home and in the community. The violence in the community is also at a high level in comparison with that inside the family. What the authors wanted to explore was the relation between the functioning of the family and the risk for exposure to violence in neighborhoods known for their violent environment. The authors discovered that the way that the family functions is indeed a contributing factor to the increased exposure to violence among adolescents in the neighborhood. This is particularly true for struggling families who are in the midst of inner city neighborhoods that exhibit social organization to a large extent. This gives credence to the earlier surmise that the experiences of individuals in the family contribute indeed to the perpetuation of violence in the individual. With the increasing dysfunction in the family, the individual will have to turn to peers and other groups or communities within the society so as to escape their experiences at home. However, since, they have experienced violence; they also know how to inflict violence. This is where they become perpetuators and not only receivers of violence. Repeating the Errors of Perpetuators Violence inside the family is a vicious cycle. It can be perpetuated by the next generation if left unchecked. Halford, Sanders Behrens (2004) looked at the behavior of couples with experiences of violence in their families. They caught on videotape the conversations and conflicts that the couples had and looked at how they resolved such conflicts. The male partners who reported observing violence in their families showed negative communication patterns compared with those who did not experience such. Females were not affected much by exposure to violence in the family. This also calls for a more in-depth research concerning the impact of violence in the family on boys and its long term effect on them. Conclusion Based on the foregoing discussion, it can be seen that violence in the family has long-term consequences and impact on the lives of people, particularly boys who may grow up to inflict violence to their families, too. As such, effective intervention measures should be arrived at so as to make sure that violence in the family does not become a big problem in the society. The family is still an important institution that helps shape the behavior and conduct of individuals. If the family is full of violence, then the individual reared in such a setting will also become violent over the long run. References Barletto, BK McCloskey, LA (2002). Attention and Conduct Problems in Children Exposed to Family Violence. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 72 (1), 83-91. Halford, WK, Sanders, MR, Behrens, BC (2004). Repeating the Errors of Our Parents? Family-of-Origin Spouse Violence and Observed Conflict Management in Engaged Couples. Family Process, 39 (2), 219-235. Markowitz, FE (2001). Attitudes and Family Violence: Linking Intergenerational and Cultural Theories. Journal of Family Violence, 16 (2), 205-218. Rodriguez, E, Lasch, KE, Chandra, P Lee, J (2001). Family violence, employment status, welfare benefits, and alcohol drinking in the United States: what is the relation? Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 55, 172-178. Sheidow, AJ, Gorman-Smith, D, Tolan, PH, Henry, DB (2001). Family and Community Characteristic: Risk Factors for Violence Exposure in Inner-City Youth. Journal of Community Psychology, 29 (3), 345-360.