The battered woman syndrome

Caused by domestic abuse in a long period, resulting in serious mental disorder called
battered woman syndrome. This syndrome is considered a subcategory of post-traumatic stress
disorder (PTSD), as a consequence a woman can develop a “learned helplessness” which causes her
to think that she deserve that kind of abuse and she can´t do something to avoid or end it, in some
cases women avoid telling or report to the police, her friends or family what is happening. This
theme is serious when this can end in in homicide cases where the women do not tell anything
about her abusive partner. Analyzing de details presented about the feelings, thinking’s and actions
in the past and present of aggressive and non-aggressive men and woman, the data summarize that
there are no specific traits of personality of women prone to convert on victims, but exists a prone
personality in violence on the aggressors.
Around the world, domestic abuse is a very problematic issue; most of the time the man of
the house is the one whom commit this abuse to the kids and woman. Domestic abuse is described
as incidents of degrading, controlling and mistreat to a familiar inside the house it can be physical,
Sexual and psychological abuse. Domestic abuse cause many problems in house most of them
physical but the mental health is also affected. Battered Woman Syndrome is a disorder caused by
domestic abuse; it is considered a sub-category of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. The BWS is the
wrong idea that the woman have that she can’t control the situation or report it, most of the time
woman think that the lover can change over time or that they abuse her because she deserve it.
Some criteria groups constitute battered woman syndrome, such as, disturbing memories
about the traumatic events, hyperexcitation and high levels of anxiety, elusive conduct and
emotional numbness expressed normally in depression, dissociation, minimization, repression and
resignation, interpersonal conflictive relationships due to the power exercised by the aggressor and
its control measures. Understand that negative and random behaviors directed against a person can
make him believe that, with his natural way of fighting, he cannot put an end to such abuse. For that
reason, the person stops trying to end the abuse, and instead develops defensive strategies in order
to live safely, but with the possibility that he or she continues to endure the abuse.
Battered Woman Syndrome have an abusive cycle of three stages. First stage is when the
abuser starts presenting some violent behavior towards the woman and it create tension in the
relationship. In the second stage this violent behavior turns into a physical, Psychological and sexual
abuse action. In the last and third stage is when the abuser apologizes and by consequence
convincing to the woman that they will change. At the end of this cycle, it starts all over again and
starts to be like something “normal” to the woman, here is when the BWD is starting to take effect,
woman starts to think that the abuse is their fault and they have to be punished.
Furthermore, Domestic violence is a current global problem that leads to interfamilial
instability. As we saw, nobody is exalted to suffer these acts; therefore, it is essential to make a
report of the facts by the victim or witness. It is necessary in many of the cases to receive
psychological help from specialized personnel in order to facilitate the temporary, partial or total
recovery of the crime to which the victim was subjected. It is necessary to take sides on the part of
the government to implement the laws that punish the perpetrator and avoid these undesired
circumstances, as well as social support from the corresponding institutions.
Bibliography:

 Villines, Z. (2018, December 3). Battered woman syndrome and intimate partner violence.
Retrieved from Medical news today:
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320747.php
 Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW, UN Women)
(1992) General recommendations made by the Committee on the Elimination of
Discrimination against Women. Published online: UN Women
 Gotter, A. (2017). Battered Woman Syndrome: What It Is and How to Get Help. Retrieved
from https://www.healthline.com/health/battered-woman-syndrome#the-law