n the field of BWS, is psychologist Dr. Lenore Walker. Walker has dedicated most of her life to studying battered women and their victimization. Using the psychological theory of "learned helplessness," Dr. Walker came up with her own hypothesis to explain why battered women behave the way they do (Dubin, 9). Walker's findings resulted in the theory known as the "cycle of violence" (Downs, 76). The cycle portrays three distinct phases in which battered women go through with their abusers. Phase One is known as the "tension building phase." In this phase the woman senses that her partner is becoming increasingly sensitive to very minor disturbances. Phase Two is known as the "explosion phase." The male partner, in this phase, physically and emotionally abuses the woman. Phase two can last for minutes or hours, depending on the situation. Phase Three is known as the "calm or loving phase," and is thought to be why most women stay with their abusers. In this phase, the man apologizes repeatedly and promises to never hurt the woman again. After all the phases are complete, the woman believes her partner and the cycle of violence repeats again (Dubin, 9). Dr. Walker's research paved the way for a wider acceptance of BWS, and brought a new level of clarity to the courtrooms that were dealing with this complex syndrome. In 1979, Dr. Walker produced an important testimony in the case of Ibn-Tamas v. U.S. This federal appellate court, located in the District of Columbia, was the first to hear testimony on Battered Women's Syndrome. The appellate court remanded the case to a lower court, deciding that BWS had to be considered if it could help explain the defendant's perception of danger. Although the lower court did not admit BWS testimony, the appellate court's decision provided the first step for accepting the syndrome in future cases (Downs, 77). Dr. Walker released her book, The Battered Woman, in 1979 and continued to conduct h...
