Labugana asked this question on 3/21/2000:

In the last few years I have noticed that men have become abusive towards women. It is not only in one race but in all. What is the explanation of this behavior?

NancyRuth gave this response on 4/1/2000:

I don't believe that this is a new thing. Domestic violence has been a part of life since we were all living in caves. Of course it is a power trip for the abuser. But why does the abuser do it? And let's not be mistaken here, there are also women who abuse men, but we don't hear of it so often because the abused men are afraid of being judged as being a lesser man, so keep it quiet, and hide it, just as we women do. It is caused by so many things....... .Learned behaviour... from seeing it at home during their childhood. .environmental..... If a person grows up in an area which has a large amount of violence and it is accepted by the peers of the abuser, that person will follow suit, to be accepted by the all important peers. .LEarned..... as in watching violent shows on T V and at the movies. .Desensitisation.... This occurs if the person is continually exposed to violence at any stage of their life. .Drug abuse/misuse... The people who do this belong to a large sub culture which finds any behaviour acceptable to gain access to the substance s/he wishes to abuse. Alcoholism...Many alcoholics abuse nobody, but for those who do, it is usually because the alcohol has cause disinhibition, and they do remember it, but say they can't, because it makes life more comfortable.Sometimes, they really cannot remember it because constant alcohol abuse damages the frontal lobe of the brain, where our memory and personality centres are. Mental illness..... can also cause violence in that the sick person can hallucinate, and believe that s/he is in danger, and defend him/her self. Frustration and anger..... because of work or social, or financial problems can also lead to abuse if the abuser is not aware of, or does not use, ways to reduce the tension and relax. It's a little like the man who's boss gives him a verbal serve; he can't hit the boss,because he needs his job, so he waits till he gets home, and then he kicks the dog, or hits is wife or kid, whichever he sees first. The ways to remove this violence from society all over the world, is to teach children in school and at home, how to be logical, instead of how to rationalise, and how to avoid violent confrontations, and how to be assertive without hurting someone else, either physically or emotionally. We need to teach them what to do if they are abused, and how to cope with the changes this makes in their lives. We need them to realise that each person is responsible for his/her own behaviour, and we need to reduce the amount of violence on tv, and in the movies. I do think, too, that there is more violence now than 50 years ago, because the population has grown. Every little bit of help we can give to our fellow man will reduce the amount of violence, as people learn by what they experience.

The average rating for this answer is 4.