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2.1: A. Types and Definitions

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    A. Types and Definitions of Domestic Violence

    “Domestic violence” may sound like a simple term, but it actually encompasses a horrifying list of abusive behaviors. Domestic violence can assume many different forms, and there are a multitude of varying definitions depending on which text or legal statute one is examining.

    While domestic violence has traditionally been defined as violence in the home by spouses, as society’s definitions of family change so have the legal definitions of domestic violence. Increasingly laws now include children, relatives, unmarried persons living together, persons with a child in common, and those in an “intimate relationship” (NCVC 1997).

    The following is a useful definition used by the Grand Forks Community Violence Intervention Center as well as others. The perpetrator's abusive acts are done to achieve compliance from or control over the victim for both now and in the future. Domestic violence not only includes physical violence but may include different means of achieving control over the victim, including:

    • Sexual Violence
    • Coercion and Threats
    • Intimidation
    • Emotional Abuse
    • Isolation
    • Minimizing Acts of Abuse, Denying, and Blaming
    • Using Children, Property or Pets
    • Economic Abuse

    (For an expanded definition, please see Attachment B ‑ "Domestic Violence – Definition”)

    Sometimes the terms “battering,” or “wife beating,” or “intimate violence” are encountered when dealing with domestic violence information. No matter what term is used, it is important to recognize that battering is a pattern of behavior used to gain power and control over another person through fear and intimidation. It often includes threats and use of violence. The violence can take many forms including:

    • Pushing or shoving
    • Hitting or slapping
    • Strangling or restraining by force
    • Pulling hair
    • Punching, kicking
    • Twisting arms, tripping
    • Using a weapon, i.e. gun, knife, blunt object, lit cigarette

    (NDCAWS; Women…)

    Not all battering is physical but all types of battering can harm a person's sense of self‑worth and emotional and psychological well‑being. Types of abuse include physical, psychological and sexual abuse, destruction of property and pets, isolation, and a variety of other.

    Non‑physical forms of abuse include using threats, destroying another’s self esteem, name‑calling, extreme jealousy, and damaging property in order to control the victim. Batterers use abusive tactics ranging from occasionally to daily, to try to gain power and control over their partners. To more fully understand how encompassing and broad these controlling behaviors are, use the Power and Control wheel (Domestic Abuse Intervention Project) in Attachment C to guide your discussion. 

    Have the students form groups and discuss what they feel are signs of a healthy relationship. As the groups share their results with the class, be sure to tactfully screen the shared suggestions for behaviors that might actually be deemed controlling. Compare the class suggestions with the behaviors noted on Attachment D – the Equality Wheel. Discuss any similarities and note any differences.


    This page titled 2.1: A. Types and Definitions is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Wendelin M. Hume.

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