Domestic Violence in the American Society

In a country where democracy and freedom feature in everyday life, a sort of utopia is achievable. However, there have been increased cases relating to internal conflicts that grow into domestic violence cases in our neighborhoods. The spirit of individualism mainly guides Americans. However, statistics now show that this belief is responsible for most domestic cases. However, individualism is just a concept comprising of different reasons that lead to people turning violent. Among these components is the lack of parental involvement, misleading television shows and other motion pictures and also school bullying. Violence refers to the abusive use of force. Violence exists in the society because violence surrounds people. Hence, it is likely to occur in one's daily life. According to renowned researcher Arnold Goldstein, these factors are the main reason many Americans perform cruel and brutality acts towards other people. There are also undeniable consequences that result from domestic violence especially to women and children. This paper examines the ways in which domestic violence has turned into a humanitarian crisis by explaining areas in which the vice has become rampant that many people especially the youth need to be aware of.

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However, I have developed a reason to believe that domestic violence which happens in the presence of children is greatly responsible for the many violence cases today. This is because children who are victimized by domestic abuse, unlike their stable peers' families, are highly likely also to turn into violent individuals once they get older. Based on individual experiences, I have been able to observe that boys tend to express their anxiety more externally and aggressively toward other people which in most cases results in violence (Husso, Marita, et al., 348). As a result, the same gender has developed notions that suggest one can use violence to solve a problem. The likelihood of kids resorting to violence increases when they are immersed in a domestically violent environment.

The most common type of domestic violence happens in the home environment especially in the form of battering. This occurs when a husband beats his wife up especially while drunk or after having a stressful day (Dartnall, Elizabeth, and Rachel Jewkes, 5). This kind of battering can be extended even to the children depending on the kind of temper the husband exhibits. However, there is also the separate case of child abuse which occurs when parents neglect their children hence cause unnecessary physical or emotional harm to the child intentionally. The second main form of abuse occurs in the school environment. It is only right that I note that today, the likelihood of any disagreement among students being settled using a given weapon or a fistfight is on the rise. Those who attribute this kind of behavior to poor parental supervision may be missing out on the case of peer influence, which according to psychologists also contributes greatly towards many violence cases in school. Normally, the mindset that students develop once they get into the school is that bullying is a customary practice; hence, if other students are doing it, they can also do it.

Bias is another cause for many violence cases in a given area. This kind of violence is promoted by factors such as race, culture, or religion. This kind of violence related activity is evident even in the school environment although in most cases it happens in the open streets. Other cases in which this kind of violence has emanated from is in the athletic sector. Over time, black football and baseball athletes have received lots of criticism and discriminative statements from their teammates and fans in different measures. However, what many people do not realize is that due to the same reasons, these black athletes and especially those in the junior category suffer a lot of physical abuse from rival teams and teammates who do not wish to have them on their team. In many sporting clubs, those in charge have placed strict regulatory policies against athletes who have a knack for fighting black teammates. However, in situations where violence cases do not occur in public, the same officials have a tendency of covering up for those who committed abuse practices (Adubato, Beth, 119). This according to psychologists is obviously done for the sake of securing a club's status on a championship table as well as to avoid losing invaluable talent.

Due to exposure to violent individuals, be it their parents or teammates, athletes and especially those in the football category have developed the habit of taking out their anger on their spouses(Dartnall, Elizabeth, and Rachel Jewkes, 6). Recent domestic violence statistics show that intimate violence in the NFL accounts for twenty percent of non-fatal violent crimes against women. According to similar statistics, it is evident that these NFL athletes commit such violent acts due to their inability to handle their very extravagant lifestyles. Normally, when young footballs turn into professional footballers, they receive massive attention as well as wealth. This kind of burden brings along many instances of stress which the athletes take out in any form given they have adequate resources (Adubato, Beth, 99). The probability of these athletes committing adultery also goes higher. If a given athlete cannot explain his external partaking to his wife, in most cases, this results in violence, and it is easy enough to understand who gets hurt in the end.

In similar cases, athletes are provoked to act violently when they begin suspecting queer behavior in their wives. Since football athletes have their most fulfilling experiences in the field, they tend to extend the same kind of activity in the home environment. They instill fear in their opponents by playing in extreme and fearful ways. By physically abusing their spouses, therefore, they believe in doing so, they will quit doing certain things because they will develop some fear of their husbands.

The least common cause of violence is that exhibited in television. On average, children watch at least three to four hours of daily television. It is therefore not surprising to find children mimicking someone they watched on TV whose character was either violent or criminal-like. Since many of today's television programs are violent, children, as well as teenagers, have gradually accepted violence as a way through which they can solve problems by imitating moves and skills they watched on television. Excessive watching of this kind of programs, therefore, can only cause greater and even highly intended aggressiveness among teenagers. The main reason behind this is the level of high-tech equipment being used currently which makes violent programs seem very realistic. The impact television violence has on children today may not be that evident, but it is going to be in the future.

The problem of lack of awareness and physical situations such as pregnancy makes it even simpler for men to execute abusive practices. The kind of background a lady grows up in has also contributed significantly towards the kind of respect their spouses grant them. Women who come from humble backgrounds are found to suffer significantly from domestic abuse because most of them cannot defend themselves accordingly or maybe because they fill inferior to their spouses. The fact that their men provide for the family and provide the needed attention creates some form belief among women that they do not deserve to be exposed for their inappropriate behavior. Therefore, adult women would rather cope independently, seek support from their partners rather than go through the stress of thinking about their physical abuse. The increasing number of women who are being killed or committing suicide must be taken seriously if the rising rates of violence are to be dissolved. There are damaging cycles that remain in both the females and males as a result of multi-generational violence (Glaser, Danya, 869). The idea of psychological help can, however, aid in bringing about increased awareness on human rights as well as treatment methods to avoid future abuse. This way, men, and women can learn how to make use of both new and healthy coping skills that affect them due to the lack of improved education as well as social disparity.

Society has reduced the domestic violence problem to a simple socio-criminal problem. Victims of domestic violence should receive appropriate social support and awareness services while those who are abusive are punished (Buzawa, Eve S., Carl G. Buzawa, and Evan D. Stark, 1). Many humanitarians have raised concern about the absence of psychiatrists and psychologists from this landscape. The existing structure may be committed, but it does not adequately address the pharmacologic needs of victims. With the help of doctors, deeper studies can be conducted regarding the psychological dimensions that perpetuate the patterns that make up violent relationships. Realizing the entire scope of the domestic violence problem is just one among man steps. The challenge regarding the manner in which to treat violent perpetrators remains undefined. However, it is the mandate of the criminal justice system to punish violent behavior and so is that of psychiatrists and psychologists to put aside judgment statements and study such human behavior for the sake of domestic violence victims.

Domestic violence is a problematic issue in American society, which must be understood and researched appropriately to prevent further abuse. It is a humanitarian issue which is as much an individual effort as it is a government responsibility. The government can control its spread by toughening the laws that involve violence in society.

Works Cited

Adubato, Beth. Fanning the flames: televised, professional football games and domestic violence. Diss. Rutgers University-Graduate School-Newark, 2011.

Buzawa, Eve S., Carl G. Buzawa, and Evan D. Stark. Responding to domestic violence: The integration of criminal justice and human services. Sage Publications, 2015.

Dartnall, Elizabeth, and Rachel Jewkes. "Sexual violence against women: the scope of the problem." Best practice & research Clinical obstetrics & gynaecology 27.1 (2013): 3-13.

Glaser, Danya. "How to deal with emotional abuse and neglect further development of a conceptual framework (FRAMEA)." Child abuse & neglect35.10 (2011): 866-875.

Husso, Marita, et al. "Making sense of domestic violence intervention in professional health care." Health & social care in the community 20.4 (2012): 347-355.