When Love Hurts: A Look at Domestic Violence in the Military

Essay by hotlittlenumberCollege, Undergraduate December 2003

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When Love Hurts1

When Love Hurts:

A Look at Spousal Abuse in the Military

Psychology 101

When Love Hurts2

When Love Hurts:

A Look at Spousal Abuse in the Military

Domestic violence is a serious problem in America. According to Roleff et al (2000), it is estimated that every fifteen seconds a person is abused by their spouse or live-in partner. Nearly half of the nation's couples, whether married or unmarried, have had some type of violent dispute.(p16) Domestic abuse can take many forms. It may be hitting, slapping, or shoving a person. It may be controlling behavior such as; hiding car keys from someone so they cannot go to work, taking car keys and checkbooks with them to work so as to leave the other person stranded, listening in on phone conversations, or reading a person's email. It is a pattern of behavior typified by one person in a relationship trying to gain power or control over the other through fear and intimidation.

Hasenauer (1997) reports that spousal abuse can happen to both men and women, however women make up most of the victims and are more likely to suffer serious injuries. (p34)

Moniz (2002b) states that between May and July of 2003, four military wives, whose husbands were stationed at Fort Bragg, NC, were murdered by their husbands. Three of the four husbands had recently returned from deployments in Afghanistan. (n.p.) These killings shocked a nation and turned a spotlight of controversy on the Armed Forces. Some in the public believe that the military is just a group of patriarchal good old boys who would gladly turn a blind eye in order to cover another soldier's back. They believe that the military only cares about it's soldiers, and not their soldiers' dependents. The

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