1. Relationship Power and Violence

2. What is power?
“Power" is the ability (real or perceived) to bring about significant change in someone’s life that they would normally not do.

3. Six Bases of Power
Coercive power - based on dominant partner’s ability to punish partner with psychological, emotional or physical abuse or withholding affection or favors
i.e. Silent treatment
Reward power - based on ability to give material or nonmaterial gifts and favors.
Examples?
Expert power - stems from dominant partners superior judgment, knowledge or ability.
Informational power - based on the persuasive content of what the dominant partner tells another individual.
Referent power - power or ability of individuals to persuade and influence others. It's based on the charisma and interpersonal skills of the power holder. The person under power desires to identify with these personal qualities, and gains satisfaction from being an accepted follower
Legitimate power - based on individual’s ability to claim authority.
Examples? Traditional families?

4. The Resource Hypothesis
Spouse with more resources has more power in the marriage.
Recent studies suggested that the marriages today are more likely to be egalitarian (Blood and Wolfe)
72% egalitarian
25%husbands
3% wives
BUT:
Critics:
Focuses on background characteristics and doesn’t consider how partners interact.
Explains marital power only when there is no overriding egalitarian or patriarchal norm.

5. How Resources and Legitimate Power Affect Conjugal Power

6. Relative love and need theory
“Principle of the least invested”
Person with less commitment has more power

7. Who has the power in a relationship?
Overt : Clearly influences what is done
Covert: Not-so-clearly influences
what is done
Power behind the throne
Quote from “My Big Fat Greek wedding”
“The man is the head, but the woman is the neck. And she can turn the head any way she wants”

8. Other power positions in relationships
Sometimes, “those who are most helpless” hold the most power:
Any examples?

9. Power… The addicted The chronically ill The depressed
“We can’t let them get upset…”
Failures to thrive: You take over their responsibilities

10. Violence in families
Violence is highly related to the asymmetry in relationship power
Different data available
1 out of 6 couples in USA an individual commits at least one violent act against partner
IPV (intimate partner violence)– violence committed by spouses, ex-spouses, or current or former boy/girl friends and same sex partners

11. % of Persons Physically Assaulted by an Intimate Partner in Lifetime
Type of Assault
Women (n=8,000)
Men (n=8,000)
Total physical assault by intimate partner
22.1
7.4
Threw something
8.1
4.4
Pushed, grabbed, shoved
18.1
5.4
Pulled hair
9.1
2.3
Slapped, hit
16.0
5.5
Kicked, bit
2.6

12. % of Persons Physically Assaulted by an Intimate Partner in Lifetime
Type of Assault
Women (n=8,000)
Men (n=8,000)
Choked, tried to drown
6.1
0.5
Hit with object
5.0
3.2
Beat up
8.5
0.6
Threatened with gun
3.5
0.4
Threatened with knife
2.8
1.6
Used gun
0.7
0.1
Used knife
0.9
0.8

13. More stats on IPV
39-54% of dating violence victims remain in physically abusive relationships
51% of college men admit perpetrating one or more sexual assault incidents during college
12% of completed rapes, 35% of attempted rapes, and 22% of threatened rapes occur on a date
44% of women murdered by their intimate partner had visited an emergency department within 2 years of the homicide. Of these women, 93% had at least one injury visit
Between 4% and 8% of pregnant women are abused at least once during the pregnancy

14. Common myths about Family Violence
Myth # 1: Partner violence is the most frequent kind of domestic violence and is increasing.
Can you guess which type is the highest?
Myth #2: Men are more violent than women
Myth #3: Family violence only happens in lower-class families
More privacy in middle-class families, can conceal it better
What other reasons?
Myth # 4: Myth # 5: Violence exists more in heterosexual relationships
Violence occurs between same sex partners at the same or greater rate as in heterosexual relationships

15. 2 types of IPV Common relationship violence vs. patriarchal terrorism
Any controlling, abusive, aggressive behavior in a romantic dating relationship
Can include verbal, emotional, and physical, or sexual abuse or a combination of these
Situational
Men and women do it as often

16. Patriarchal terrorism
Almost always men towards women
Cyclical
Based on power and control

17. Patriarchal terrorism: Cycle of Violence

18. Cycle of violence Tension from a minor issue builds over time.
The situation escalates, eventually exploding into a violent episode.
Husband becomes genuinely contrite, treating his life lovingly.

21. WHY DOES IT HAPPEN? The person feels impotent.
The usual power tactics may not be working, or they never learned any.
Social learning from the family of origin
Media
Alcohol

24. Conceptual Model of Abused Women’s Stay/leave Decision-making Process