NCJ Number
218012
Journal
Aggression and Violent Behavior: A Review Journal Volume: 12 Issue: 3 Dated: May-June 2007 Pages: 348-363
Date Published
May 2007
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This article attempts to provide the basis for shifting the research attention in the study of intimate partner violence (IPV) from the individual perspective of violent behavior toward an interpersonal one (i.e., the interactions in which violent behaviors emerge).
Abstract
A social problem is a product of a definition made by certain people who identify and label existing situations as socially harmful. In many cases, the construction of social problems expresses the gaps between the existing reality and the desirable one. Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a typical example of such a process. Current controversies surrounding IPV express the absence of an acceptable framework to address it. This article provides two levels of solution to overcome obstacles in the field of IPV. First by presenting an integrative and structural model of violence based on an individual unit of observation (violent behavior), and second by offering a theoretical and operational basis for shifting research attention toward an interpersonal unit of observation (interactions in which violent behaviors emerge). The first part of the article examines critically the prevalent approaches and theoretical frameworks in the field. Based on these findings, the second part of the article proposes an integrative model that describes and maps the basic constituents of IPV from an individual and behavioral perspective. The model includes four levels of references: (1) a focus on the violent behavior; (2) a focus on the situation in which violence occurs; (3) a focus on the relationship between the parties; and (4) a focus on the socio-cultural context of the relationship. Figure, references