DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND EMOTIONAL ABUSE 2

Domestic Violence and Emotional Abuse

Domestic violence can be defined as any physical, mental, psychological, or economic
acts of violence done to a particular individual by a close companion. The close companion can
either be a relative or someone you easily relate romantically or in a marital context. In my
research, all three respondents defined domestic violence using different words but with similar
meaning. The first respondent was a female aged 29 years, the second was also female aged 45,
and the third was a male aged 34. The respondents were selected randomly to avoid bias in this
research.
The first respondent described domestic violence as battering mostly in a marital context.
She admitted to having heard about several cases in which a husband physically assaulted his
wife mostly after an argument. The second respondent defined it as an act that tortures one’s
psychology and mostly involves people that are romantically involved either during courtship or
in marriage. She further stated that it is mostly caused by provocation by the victim. She
opinionated that most women are victims of domestic violence because they are the physically
weaker gender. The third respondent was a bit extensive in his explanation because he thought
that domestic violence incorporates child abuse and violent acts which also include verbal abuse,
coercion to do certain things against one’s will, shouting and threatening among family
members. The need for attention, lack of finances and lack of problem-solving skills are some of
the major causes of domestic violence.
All three respondents linked emotional abuse to psychological abuse. They defined
emotional abuse as the use of any form of conduct to traumatize someone, cause anxiety, mental
disorders, or depression. The respondents gave several examples of emotional abuse. Constant

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criticism from others could cause self-esteem problems which could lead to depression. The use
of sarcasm is rendered a norm among friends and family members. However, it could also be a
form of emotional abuse when wrongly used to hurt another person’s feelings. The male
respondent gave several examples relating to child abuse. He believed that children are more
susceptible to emotional abuse. They do not take humiliation lightly when they are subjected to
jokes that offend them, and they get emotionally disturbed. Reproaching a child could also make
them feel uneasy, especially among their peers. He gave an example of a school teacher who
often compares the answers of a child who does averagely good to one that performs poorly. The
poorly doing kid would feel intimidated by the teacher’s criticism and might end up branding
himself as a failure.
The first respondent thought that physical abuse is worse than mental abuse. She gave an
example of a person who is stabbed severely and the pain they have to go through. She argued
that scars caused by physical bodily harm are a constant reminder of the pain. However, the
second and third respondents thought otherwise. They thought that emotional abuse is harder to
heal than physical abuse. It could have long term effects even on the affected persons’ health,
such as chronic body aches and anxiety. It could also affect their social life because depressed
persons often withdraw from people and feel better alone.
All these respondents seemed to be conversant with the questions they needed to react to.
The responses were in line with the topic though there were not all as detailed as I would have
wished. However, the male respondent was thorough when answering the questions because he
even used examples. Two of the respondents linked domestic violence to a marital context. I
must agree that the majority of the cases we hear about domestic violence involve people in
marriage. However, the fact that it could also happen among other family members cannot be

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ignored. In today’s world, siblings are seen fighting over inheritance, property, and other family
issues.
I tend to think that the respondents were collectively thorough when giving their
definition of domestic violence. However, individually, the female respondents would have
elaborated better by not stereotyping domestic violence as an act in marriage. Also, it is not an
act that victimizes only women. The mention of women as a weaker gender is demoralizing to
women. It also portrays men as the only perpetrators of domestic violence. Blaming provocation,
as stated by the male respondents, only seems like a scapegoat. It only tries to justify these
spiteful acts of violence. The respondents’ opinions on mental abuse were well elaborated.
However, I tend to think that physical abuse is equally destructive as mental abuse. It is because
physical abuse could lead to mental health problems while mental abuse could also cause
physical harm.
Overall, domestic violence is a problem that ought to be addressed with uttermost
enthusiasm. Its causes should be analyzed and dealt with. We should be careful not to inflict pain
onto others, whether physical or mental. Those that fall victim to either physical or mental abuse
should try to be salvaged before they wallow into depression or other effects.