ionship she/he is caught between conflicting emotions, such as love and hate. She/he lives a life of isolation. She/he has been taught, and has learned to be submissive, to feel powerless, and is trapped because of the economic dependency on the abusive partner. This learned helplessness can be attributed primarily by societal views and than is reinforced by the abusive partner. Many who are abused are humiliated about their situation because they feel that it reflects on their abilities as a person, partner, and parent therefore, they withdraw from support of other people to avoid embarrassment.Abuse affects every corner of the lives of the people it touches. As humans we are psychological, emotional, physical, sexual, and spiritual beings. Each aspect of a person’s being is affected by abuse. In terms of violence against women, we live in a society where many attitudes, beliefs, practices, and policies discriminate against women; for instance, in the work place and the perpetual theory of the subservient homemaker.Many, perhaps most, people believe that battered person will be safe once they separate from the batterer. They also believe that the abused are free to leave abusers at any time. However, leaving does not usually put an end to the violence. Batterers may in fact escalate their violence to force the abused in to reconciliation. In view of the fact that leaving may be dangerous, it still does not suggest that the battered women should stay. Cohabitating with the batterer is highly dangerous as violence usually increases in both frequency and severity over an extended period time. A batterer may engage in preemptive strikes, fearing abandonment or anticipating separation even before the battered woman reaches such a decision. Although leaving may pose additional hazards, ultimately a battered woman can best achieve safety and freedom apart from the batterer. The Cycle of Domestic Violence shows how domesti...
