Cycle of abuse

Cycle of Abuse

The Cycle of Abuse is a social cycle theory developed in the 1970s by Lenore E. Walker to explain patterns of behavior in an abusive relationship.

Overview

The cycle of abuse concept is widely used in domestic violence programs, particularly in the United States. The cycle usually goes in the following order, and will repeat until the conflict is stopped, usually by the victim entirely abandoning the relationship. The cycle can occur hundreds of times in an abusive relationship, the total cycle taking anywhere from a few hours, to a year or more to complete. However, the length of the cycle usually diminishes over time so that the "reconciliation" and "calm" stages may disappear, violence becomes more intense and the cycles become more frequent.

Stages of the Cycle

The cycle of abuse generally follows a pattern:

1. Tension Building: Stress builds from the pressures of daily life, like conflict over children, marital issues, misunderstandings, or other family conflicts. It also builds as the result of illness, legal or financial problems, unemployment, or catastrophic events, like floods, rape or war.
2. Acute Violence: Characterized by outbursts of violent, abusive incidents which may be preceded by verbal abuse and include psychological abuse. During this stage the abuser attempts to dominate their partner (survivor) with the use of domestic violence.
3. Reconciliation/Honeymoon: The perpetrator may begin to feel remorse, guilt, or fear that their partner will leave or call the police. The victim feels pain, fear, humiliation, disrespect, confusion, and may wrongly feel responsible.
4. Calm: During this phase (which is often considered an element of the honeymoon/reconciliation phase), the relationship is relatively calm and peaceable. However, interpersonal difficulties will inevitably arise, leading again to the tension building phase.

See Also

• Domestic violence
• Psychological abuse
• Physical abuse
• Emotional abuse

References

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External Links

• Cycle of Abuse on WikiMD

Cycle of abuse

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  Cycle of Abuse