Aggression and dominance: The roles of power and culture in domestic violence.

Abstract

In the past few decades, it has become increasingly clear to social scientists and policy makers alike that violence within the family is all too common and canits enormous costs to individuals, families, and society as a whole. Numerous controversies exist in the field, particularly with regard to what factors are significant in the etiology and development of violence between intimate partners. This article focuses on relationship power as a critical construct to consider in domestic violence, as it encompasses aspects of social, dyadic, and individual functioning. The literature on the construct of power and its relationship to domestic violence is reviewed and then placed in cultural context, followed by a discussion of M u r e directions for research on and treatment issues in power and violence.

Neuroticism and Marital Satisfaction During the Early Years of Chinese Marriage: The Mediating Roles of Marital Attribution and Aggression

“…As noted in the Introduction section, given the long-standing patriarchal traditions in Chinese marriage (Pimentel, 2000), the noted gender power structure propositions (Malik & Lindahl, 1998;Sagrestano et al, 2006) may be particularly useful for understanding why Chinese wives engaged in more negativities than did their husbands in the present sample. That is, also as discussed, despite the improvement of women's status at the macro societal level during the past few decades in China, gender inequality and patriarchal traditions are still ingrained in the micro-level daily marital lives.…”

“…In particular, from a social structural perspective (Malik & Lindahl, 1998;Sagrestano et al, 2006), the difference in negativity between husbands and wives may be a reflection of the gender power structure in marriage. An extensive body of research based on samples of Western couples has suggested that partners with less power in close relationships may use negativities (e.g., aggression) as coercive tactics to exert influence, achieve desired changes, and ultimately redress the power imbalances (Babcock, Waltz, Jacobson, & Gottman, 1993;Overall, Hammond, McNulty, & Finkel, 2016;Sagrestano, Heavey, & Christensen, 1999).…”

The Explanatory Role of Relationship Power and Control in Domestic Violence Against Women in Nicaragua

“…Although definitions of power may vary, it is widely agreed upon that power changes with contexts and over time and varies according to intersecting social positions (Heise, 1998;Malik & Lindahl, 1998;Mosedale, 2005;Prilleltensky, 2008). For example, individual power is shaped by social boundaries such as class, gender, ability, and race (Hayward, 1998;Hurtado, 2009).…”

“My way or no way”: Anarchic power, relationship satisfaction, and male violence

“…The link between power outcomes and marital satisfaction has received a great deal of empirical attention (see review by Gray‐Little & Burks, 1983); however, most of the research investigating the relationship between these constructs occurred in the 1970s and 1980s (see review by Malik & Lindahl, 1998), and most of these studies did not examine anarchic power (see the Gray‐Little et al, 1996, study for an exception). Overall, these studies reveal that egalitarian couples report more marital satisfaction and lower levels of conflict than couples in which one spouse is dominant (e.g., Blood & Wolfe, 1960; Gray‐Little & Burks, 1983; Kulik, 2002).…”