thumb|alt=Cycle of abuse. Text around a circle reads: 1 Tensions Building. Tensions increase, breakdown of communication, victim becomes fearful and feels the need to place the abuser. 2 Incident Verbal, emotional and physical abuse. Anger, blaming, arguing. Threats. Intimidation. 3 Reconciliation. Abuser apologises, gives excuses, blames the victim, denies the abuse occurred, or says that it wasn't as bad as the victim claims. 4 Calm. Incident is "forgotten," no abuse is taking place. The "honeymoon" phase.|250x250px|The four phases of the cycle of abuse

The cycle of abuse is a social cycle theory developed in 1979 by Lenore E. Walker to explain patterns of behavior in an abusive relationship. The phrase is also used more generally to describe any set of conditions which perpetuate abusive and dysfunctional relationships, such as abusive child rearing practices which tend to get passed down. Walker used the term more narrowly, to describe the cycling patterns of calm, violence, and reconciliation within an abusive relationship. Critics suggest the theory was based on inadequate research criteria, and cannot therefore be generalized upon.

Overview

Lenore E. Walker interviewed 1,500 women who had been subject to domestic violence and found that there was a similar pattern of abuse, called the "cycle of abuse". Initially, Walker proposed that the cycle of abuse described the controlling, patriarchal behavior of men who felt entitled to abuse their wives to maintain control over them. She used the terms the battering cycle and battered woman syndrome. Terms like cycle of abuse have been used instead for different reasons: to maintain objectivity; because the cycle of abuse does not always lead to physical abuse; because symptoms of the syndrome have been observed in men and women, and are not confined to marriage and dating. Similarly, Dutton (1994) writes, "The prevalence of violence in homosexual relationships, which also appear to go through abuse cycles is hard to explain in terms of men dominating women."

The cycle of abuse concept is widely used in domestic violence programs, particularly in the United States. Critics have argued the theory is flawed as it does not apply as universally as Walker suggested, does not accurately or completely describe all abusive relationships, and may emphasize ideological presumptions rather than empirical data.

Phases

The cycle usually goes in the following order, and will repeat until the conflict is stopped, usually by the survivor entirely abandoning the relationship or some form of intervention. The cycle can occur hundreds of times in an abusive relationship, the total cycle taking anywhere from a few hours to a year or more to complete. However, the length of the cycle usually diminishes over time so that the "reconciliation" and "calm" stages may disappear, violence becomes more intense and the cycles become more frequent.

To prevent violence, the victim may try to reduce the tension by becoming compliant and nurturing. Alternatively, the victim may provoke the abuser to get the abuse over with, prepare for the violence or lessen the degree of injury. However, the abuser is never justified in engaging in violent or abusive behavior.

4: Calm

During this phase (which is often considered an element of the honeymoon/reconciliation phase), the relationship is relatively calm and peaceful. During this period the abuser may agree to engage in counselling, ask for forgiveness, and create a normal atmosphere. In intimate partner relationships, the perpetrator may buy presents or the couple may engage in passionate sex.

Donald Dutton and Susan Golant agree that Walker's cycle of abuse describes the cyclically abusive relationships they studied. Nonetheless, they also note that her initial research was based almost entirely on anecdotal data from a rather small set of women who were in violent relationships.

See also

References

Further reading

Books

  • Engel, Beverly Breaking the Cycle of Abuse: How to Move Beyond Your Past to Create an Abuse-Free Future (2005)
  • Biddix, Brenda FireEagle Inside the Pain: (a survivors guide to breaking the cycles of abuse and domestic violence) (2006)
  • Hameen, Latifah Suffering In Silence: Breaking the Cycle of Abuse (2006)
  • Hegstrom, Paul Angry Men and the Women Who Love Them: Breaking the Cycle of Physical and Emotional Abuse (2004)
  • Herbruck, Christine Comstock Breaking the cycle of child abuse (1979)
  • Marecek, Mary Breaking Free from Partner Abuse: Voices of Battered Women Caught in the Cycle of Domestic Violence (1999)
  • Mills, Linda G. Violent Partners: A Breakthrough Plan for Ending the Cycle of Abuse (2008)
  • Ney, Philip G. & Peters, Anna Ending the Cycle of Abuse: The Stories of Women Abused As Children & the Group Therapy Techniques That Helped Them Heal (1995)
  • Pugh, Roxanne Deliverance from the Vicious Cycle of Abuse (2007)
  • Quinn, Phil E. Spare the Rod: Breaking the Cycle of Child Abuse (Parenting/Social Concerns and Issues) (1988)
  • Smullens, SaraKay Setting Yourself Free :Breaking the Cycle of Emotional Abuse in Family, Friendships, Work and Love (2002)
  • Waldfogel, Jane The Future of Child Protection: How to Break the Cycle of Abuse and Neglect (2001)
  • Wiehe, Vernon R. What Parents Need to Know About Sibling Abuse: Breaking the Cycle of Violence (2002)

Academic journals

  • Coxe, R & Holmes, W A study of the cycle of abuse among child molesters. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, v10 n4 p111-18 2001
  • Dodge, K. A., Bates, J. E. and Pettit, G. S. (1990) Mechanisms in the cycle of violence. Science, 250: 1678–1681.
  • Egeland, B., Jacobvitz, D., & Sroufe, L. A. (1988). Breaking the cycle of abuse: Relationship predictors. Child Development, 59(4), 1080–1088.
  • Egeland, B & Erickson, M - Rising above the past: Strategies for helping new mothers break the cycle of abuse and neglect. Zero to Three 1990, 11(2):29-35.
  • Egeland, B. (1993) A history of abuse is a major risk factor for abusing the next generation. In: R. J. Gelles and D. R. Loseke (eds) Current controversies on family violence. Newbury Park, Calif.; London: Sage.
  • Furniss, Kathleen K. Ending the cycle of abuse: what behavioral health professionals need to know about domestic violence.: An article from: Behavioral Healthcare (2007)
  • Glasser, M & Campbell, D & Glasser, A & Leitch I & Farrelly S Cycle of child sexual abuse: links between being a victim and becoming a perpetrator The British Journal of Psychiatry (2001) 179: 482-494
  • Kirn, Timothy F. Sexual abuse cycle can be broken, experts assert.(Psychiatry): An article from: Internal Medicine News (2008)
  • Quayle, E Taylor, M - Child pornography and the Internet: Perpetuating a cycle of abuse Deviant Behavior, Volume 23, Issue 4 July 2002, pages 331 - 361
  • Stone, AE & Fialk, RJ Criminalizing the exposure of children to family violence: Breaking the cycle of abuse 20 Harv. Women's L.J. 205, Spring, 1997
  • Woods, J Breaking the cycle of abuse and abusing: Individual psychotherapy for juvenile sex Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, Vol. 2, No. 3, 379-392 (1997)

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Cycle of Abuse. In some areas of psychological research, violence is thought rarely to be only a one-time event. When abuse occurs in a relationship, it is said that the odds of re-occurrence increase dramatically.

Phase 1: In this phase, tension is mounting within a home or situation. This is when minor conflicts occur and threats of violence may escalate. The duration of this phase may last from a few hours to sometimes months.

Phase 2: In this phase, the actual hands on abuse often occurs. The abuser may slap, kick, choke, or even commit worse bodily harm to the victim. The use of sexual acts or the use of weapons may occur. It is in this phase that there are usually no witnesses and there is little the victim can do to stop the violence.

Phase 3: The is often called the apology phase or the "Honeymoon" phase. The abuser may apologize and show great signs of remorse and beg for forgiveness. Often, the abuser will present gifts and tokens so that the victim will excuse the abuse. The abuser may even promise to seek treatment for the behavior and promise it will never happen again.

Phase 4: Phase 1 starts all over again in a vicious cycle. Unfortunately, the abuse begins again and most often the abuser is more violent and terrorizing in his/her acts. The victim is often injured to the point of hospitalization or worse and often can not find an escape out of the situation.

This cycle is seen as 'never ending', unless 'the victim' finds a way to physically leave the situation.

Criticisms have been raised about the methodological limitations of the research from which this theory arises. While the theory 'fits' the anecdotal experience of many partners in abusive relationships, there are questions about its universal and determinist application as a prognostic tool. Coverage of this theory in the media and in popular self-help books is said to have distorted public perception of the complexity & diversity of relationship breakdown, and also contributed to the design of unsatisfactory interventions by the state in relationships.-->