Aggressiv atferd i intime relasjoner

Abstract

Intimate partner violence is unfortunately a common problem in the society. This literature review tries to conclude on which factors are important in the understanding of this subject, and it focuses on male-to-female violence. The factors are divided into outer and inner factors. Outer factors being stressors or influences outside a person that make a person more susceptible to partner violence, inner factors being inborn qualities or values that make a person predisposed to partner violence. The findings in this review suggest the following main reasons behind intimate partner violence. First, verbal conflict and psychological aggression makes physical aggression more likely, and this might be due to multiple factors. One might say partner violence occurs in the extreme end of already negative behavior. Second, physical aggression against ones partner might be linked to psychiatric disorders such as antisocial personality disorder and borderline personality disorder. These two disorders correlate with physical aggression and impulsivity, and these findings suggest that partner violence is connected to hostility. Third, learning is a very important factor in understanding partner violence. Partner violence is different in different cultures, especially is there a difference between western and non-western cultures. Social learning theory has been proven to be efficient in explaining this type of violence, more specifically its two elements differential association and differential reinforcement. Finally, substance abuse is an important issue. The findings suggest that it is the acute effects of substance abuse that predicts partner violence rather then the indirect effect. It seems as though the reasons behind physical abuse among couples are multiple, and it is best understood in a greater perspective.