Essay: Domestic violence – myths and societal perceptions as to blame

The purpose of this paper is to define domestic violence and the various myths surrounding it, and the effects of societal perceptions on the attribution of blame in abusive relationships.  Domestic violence, also commonly known as intimate partner violence, can be defined as aggression that is committed within a significant interpersonal relationship.  This aggression may be physical, psychological, and/or sexual in nature.  Contrary to popular belief, both men and women are perpetrators of domestic violence, although more studies have been conducted with women as victims than have been done with male victims.  Basted on a study done in 2011, the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey established that approximately 35% of women and more than 28% of men reported that they had experienced some form of domestic violence in their lifetime (Policastro & Payne, 2013).  While these figures alone are concerning, it is suspected that these reported cases are only a small fraction of the actual number of victims.  The United States Department of Justice has estimated that this number may be doubled due to underreporting (Halket et al., 2013).  While domestic violence is an extremely severe and dangerous occurrence, society has often undermined its severity by adhering to domestic violence myths that result in victim blaming.
Domestic violence myths are one of the major factors that result in the perception of the blameworthy victim in domestic violence situations.  Domestic violence myths are misperceptions and false beliefs revolving around domestic violence, abusers, and victims.  The adherence of these beliefs can play a crucial role in the societal response to domestic violence, as well as the victim’s response to their own victimization.  Common domestic violence myths include the belief that domestic violence is strictly physical, that victims could easily leave their abuser if they really wanted to, and that victims of domestic violence are ultimately to blame for their abuse (Policastro & Payne, 2013).  Literature on the subject shows that 1/3 of people perceive victims to be responsible for their own victimization, and 2/3 believe that female victims are capable of leaving their abusers if they really wanted to.  Policastro and Payne conducted a study to determine the level of domestic violence myth acceptance, as well as the misunderstanding of domestic violence in general using a sample of 370 students at a large southern university.  The results of the study concluded that 51% of the sample believed that women decide on their own to stay in an abusive relationship, and 51% found it hard to understand why victims remain in these relationships (Policastro & Payne, 2013).  These results indicate a moderate support for domestic violence myths.
Society’s adherence to domestic violence myths is a serious problem due to the ultimate outcome of these beliefs.  If society shares these misconceptions about domestic violence, this creates a justification of the act, and the perception of the blameworthy victim.  As a result of these beliefs, the victim will feel responsible for their own victimization, and are less likely to report the violence, leave their abuser, or seek help if they feel they are to blame.  Another result of the adherence to these myths is that society will be less likely to help victims of domestic violence.  In a time when victims are so vulnerable, the focus needs to be on helping these victims, not making their situation that much more difficult.
In the United States, the tendency to blame the victim of domestic violence occurs at both the societal and individual level.   At the societal level, this victim blaming is reflected in our judicial system in two ways.  First, domestic violence cases are relegated to family court, where the victim is the complainant. Recently, however, several states have changed so that the state government takes the responsibility of protecting domestic violence victims by becoming the complainant itself.  Second, federal law does not ensure that domestic violence laws are enforced unilaterally, resulting in misinformed attitudes by certain aspects of the judicial system such as judges and police officers (Bryant et al., 2003). At the individual level is essentially individuals’ tendencies to blame the victims of domestic violence.  In order to test the attribution of blame in the United States, Bryant et al. examined university students using the Domestic Violence Blame Scale (DVBS).
In this study, the DVBS was used to assess the amount of blame attributed to victims of domestic violence, as well as societal factors that support domestic violence.  The results of this test concluded that male subjects were more likely to blame victims for provoking their abuser.  It also concluded that students with a history of family violence were significantly more likely to attribute blame to society for promoting views that increased the prevalence of domestic violence.  Further, it concluded that juniors and seniors at the university were more likely than freshmen and sophomores to assign blame to the media for promoting views that increased the prevalence of domestic violence (Bryant et al., 2003).
The most dangerous outcome of the attribution of blame to victims of domestic violence is that if victims believe that they are to blame for their abuse, they are likely to remain in the abusive relationship.