More often then not, both the victim and the abuser say their violent quarrels simply got out of hand.
We live in a male dominated society with a history that not only encouraged men to treat their wives/daughters as property, but laws have at those times also enforced it. Countless laws and cultural morals have helped in the oppression of women.
Domestic violence is behavior that is learned through observation and reinforcement, it is not caused by genetics or illness. People are not born abusers and there is no disease or illness that turns a non-violent person into an abuser. An example of direct observation would be a child witnessing the abuse of their mother by his/her father or by watching images of violence against women on the television. It is reinforced by the child not seeing the abuser being arrested, prosecuted, or being held responsible for their actions. Domestic violence is reinforced in both open and hidden ways in society: family, social, legal, religious, educational, mental health, medical, entertainment and the media. Some institutes advocate using violence as legitimate ways of controlling family members. An example of this would be with religious beliefs that state that a women should submit to the will of her husband. Other examples are laws that do not consider violence against intimates a crimes, medical and mental health systems that blame the victims for "provoking" the violence. These are reinforced by once again not holding the abuser responsible for their actions. .
Many people abuse drugs without ever battering their partners. Alcohol and other drugs such as marijuana, depressants, anti-depressants, or anti-anxiety drugs do not cause people to become violent. Although alcohol and drugs may be used as the excuse for the battering but it certainly does not cause it. .
Domestic violence may start when one partner feels the need to control and dominate the other.
