Intimate Partner Violence from the Viewpoint of the Abuser

Abstract

Domestic violence is a social issue that affects one in four women and one in seven men over the age of eighteen. While extensive research has been done on the effects of domestic violence on victims, there has been little research on the perpetrators of domestic violence. Being able to recognize domestic violence and support those who have been victims of domestic violence is incredibly important but is not the extent of the issue. There is also importance in recognizing why perpetrators of domestic violence engage in violent acts. Current research on domestic violence perpetrators from legal systems or therapeutic samples is constrained by the ability to obtain accurate accounts of their actions that are filtered through these systems. One of the main constraints within research is the lack of anonymity for those who share their side of the story. The intent of this research is to analyze the viewpoints of perpetrators of domestic violence using an anonymous forum. This allows these perpetrators to share their uncensored stories.