People hit family members because they can Essay

People hit family members because they can - Essay Example Consider a couple named Chet and Margorie that had been married for ten years. Oftentimes Chet is a very domineering husband and many times has hit and abused his wife because he believed she did not do an adequate job of cleaning the house. While it’s easy to consider that Chet is just a violent person, one must also consider what would occur if Chet had a janitor that did not properly clean his office. In these regards, it seems clear that Chet would not attack the janitor. While Chet’s exact motivations are not easily discernable, Jacobson (1998) indicates that spousal abuse is oftentimes linked to dysfunctional relationship patterns and modes of communication within the household. Markowitz (2000) also indicates that spousal abuse more readily occurs, or is deemed ‘acceptable’ as compared to public violence, as the abuser is able to rely on the abused person’s emotional or financial dependence to ensure they will not receive punishment. In these regards, the abused person is often unable to leave or inform the authorities about the abuse because they rely on the abuser for their survival. While the earlier instance considers spousal abuse, family abuse also occurs in other forms. Consider the instance of David and Marie.