| Physical abuse in marriage is the act of inflicting pain | | | | management skills often gives in to violent outburst |
| on a partner in order to assert control over him/her. | | | | of anger which is out of proportion to any offense |
| More cases of physical abuse in marriage involve the | | | | committed. Husbands with perfectionist and |
| male partner as the aggressor than the female. | | | | difficult-to-please nature often find reasons to fight |
| Every year in the US, 2 to 4 million women are | | | | with their wives. |
| assaulted by male partners as against 800,000 cases | | | | 10. When a partner is idle. - An unemployed or |
| of domestic violence perpetrated by women against | | | | underemployed husband reads meaning to every |
| men while 2,000 women are murdered by their | | | | action of the wife, feels threatened and resorts to |
| current or former male partners in the US. The | | | | violence to control his wife. |
| following are some of the underlying causes: | | | | 11. Cultural Background - A husband who comes from |
| 1. Lack of Church attendance. - Religion especially | | | | a culture where the wife is treated as a property |
| Judeo-Christian faith has a way of tempering man's | | | | and where wife abuse is an entrenched practice |
| aggressive nature and making him see his wife as a | | | | would have no inhibitions in being violent against his |
| God-given complement to his person. A husband who | | | | wife. |
| does not believe in the word of God will not | | | | 12. Faulty Religious Beliefs - A wife who has a |
| subscribe to this biblical teaching. Such a man does | | | | misunderstanding of what it is to submit to her |
| not accept the Christian teaching in Ephesians 5:25 | | | | husband, accepts physical abuse thereby reinforcing |
| which says Husbands love your wives, just as Christ | | | | the husband's antisocial and violent behavior. A |
| also loved the Church and gave Himself for it and | | | | husband who goes to a church where the rights of |
| Eph. 5: 33 Nevertheless, let each of you so love his | | | | women are ignored would not have any inhibitions |
| own wife as himself. He acts with impunity without | | | | about using fist cuffs to settle marital disputes. |
| recourse to God because he believes might is right | | | | 13. Absence of Law against Battery - Husbands living |
| since he does not have the fear of God in him | | | | in a country where there are no laws against battery |
| 2. Poor Spousal Communication. - Communication is | | | | take liberty for license and behave violently toward |
| the lubricant that oils the machinery of marriage; | | | | their wives. |
| when it is poorly developed; partners get physical | | | | 14. Low Socioeconomic Status of Woman - A |
| over minor issues. | | | | husband married to a woman of poor social standing |
| 3. Victim of Child Abuse - A husband who was a | | | | feels he would not be called to question if he |
| victim of child abuse has pent up anger and feelings | | | | behaves violently towards his wife. |
| of inferiority which he will release on his partner after | | | | 15. Urban Residence - Studies have found the |
| marriage unless he has dealt with the issue before | | | | incidence of physical abuse is higher among couples |
| marriage. | | | | living in urban settings. This might be related to the |
| 4. Witnessed Father Beat up Mother - A husband | | | | higher stress of living in such places with men |
| who witnessed his dad beat up his mum would think | | | | developing volatile temper as a consequence. |
| it is normal to act that way when there is | | | | 16. Young age at time of Marriage - Men who marry |
| disagreement. | | | | early in life especially if pregnancy out of wedlock |
| 5. Husbands who abuse alcohol or drugs. - Such men | | | | compelled them to marry may be prone to wife |
| drink or use drugs and thereafter lose their self | | | | abuse. |
| control and become violent. | | | | 17. Great number of children - The stress level in such |
| 6. Wrong Gender Role Beliefs. - Husbands with | | | | families is high because of the demands of the |
| distorted view of their role as heads in the home use | | | | children and this could lead to physical abuse during |
| their position to demand unquestioning obedience | | | | quarrels. |
| from their wives or else they use violence to beat | | | | 18. Unmet expectations - When a man has a hidden |
| them in to submission. | | | | reason for marrying a woman, for instance, if he is |
| 7. Failure or Unhappiness at place of work. - A | | | | expecting some financial assistance from the in-laws |
| husband who is a failure or is miserable at the place | | | | and this is not forthcoming, he can resort to violence |
| of work comes home with pent up anger and takes | | | | during minor misunderstandings. |
| it out on the wife and children. | | | | 19. Denial of conjugal rights - When a woman |
| 8. Poor Social Skills. - Husbands with low self esteem | | | | deprives the husband of his conjugal rights because |
| and inferiority complex who have exaggerated need | | | | of his inability to fend for his family, he tries to use |
| to dominate their wives to show that they are in | | | | force to get his way. |
| charge at home resort to spousal physical abuse | | | | 20. Disrespect towards a husband - A woman who |
| during disagreements. Such men find it difficult to be | | | | taunts and disrespects the husband or compares him |
| intimate with their wife. | | | | with more successful men could be at a risk of |
| 9. Aggressive and Perfectionist Personality - A | | | | violence being used against her during arguments. |
| husband with aggressive personality and poor anger | | | | |