The Battered Woman Syndrome: Characteristics, Symptoms, and Elements During the past decades, community awareness of domestic

and family violence has increased significantly and in line with this shift, substantial legal reforms directed at assisting victims of domestic violence and sexual assault have taken place. While many of these changes have been welcomed by those working in the field of violence against, women, since its inception, a great deal of controversy and confusion have surrounded the term battered woman syndrome, how it is used and on what basis it can claim to explain the experiences of victims of intimate abuse. The term battered woman syndrome was coined by psychologist and prominent feminist, Lenore Walker, to denote a set of distinct psychological and behavioral symptoms that result from prolonged exposure to situations of intimate partner violence (Craven, 2003). The Republic Act 9262 or the AntiViolence Against Women and their Children Act of 2004 defines battered woman syndrome as a scientifically defined pattern of psychological and behavioral symptoms found in women living in battering relationships as a result of cumulative abuse. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), known in the mental health field as the clinicians bible, does not recognize battered womens syndrome as a

distinct mental disorder. In fact, Dr. Lenore Walker notes the syndrome is not an illness, but a theory that draws upon the principles of learned helplessness to explain why some women are unable to leave their abusers. Therefore, the classical battered womens syndrome theory is best regarded as an offshoot of the theory of learned helplessness and not a mental illness that afflicts abused women. The theory of learned helplessness sought to account for the passive behavior subjects exhibited when placed in an uncontrollable environment.

In the late 60s and early 70s, Martin Seligman, a famous researcher in the field of psychology, conducted a series of experiments in which dogs were placed in one of two types of cages. In the former cage, henceforth referred to as the shock cage, a bell would sound and the experimenters would electrify the entire floor seconds later, shocking the dog regardless of location. The latter cage, however, although similar in every other respect to the shock cage, contained a small area where the experimenters could administer no shock. Seligman observed that while the dogs in the latter cage learned to run to the nonelectrified area after a series of shocks, the dogs in the shock cage gave up trying to escape, even when placed in the latter cage and shown that escape was possible. Seligman theorized that the dogs initial experience in the uncontrollable shock cage led them to believe that they could not control future events and was responsible for the observed disruptions in behavior and learning. Thus, according to the theory of learned helplessness, a subject placed in an uncontrollable environment will become passive and accept painful stimuli, even though escape is possible and apparent.

In the late 1970s, Dr. Walker drew upon Seligmans research and incorporated it into her own theory, the battered womens syndrome, in an attempt to explain why battered women remain with their abusers. According to Dr. Walker, battered womens syndrome contains two distinct elements: a cycle of violence and symptoms of learned helplessness. The cycle of violence is composed of three phases: the tension building phase, active battering phase and calm loving respite phase. (Schoolworkhelper, 2012)

Characteristics and Symptoms of Battered Woman Syndrome Battered woman syndrome describes a set of symptoms found in woman living in battering relationships. The four general characteristics are:

The woman believe its her fault The womans inability to place the responsibility of the violence elsewhere The woman fears for her life and/or her childrens lives. The woman has the belief that the abuser is omnipresent and omniscient.

Women need to know that according to research spousal abuse does not typically stem from a problem with the relationship, but instead begins with the mans emotional insecurities, low self-esteem and abusive behaviors witnessed in his childhood. There are many reasons a woman would stay in an abusive relationship. Among them: reinforcement during the honeymoon stage after being beaten, loss of selfesteem, women feel they are the peacekeepers in a relationship, adverse financial consequences, Threats from the batterer to kill self or children, learned helplessness. Many of these women still love the abuser even after they leave, by whatever methods. But they must understand that in order for the battering spouse to change he must go through a two-step process to get help for his abusiveness. First, he must suffer negative consequences for the violent behavior and then he must go through specialized spouse abuse counseling. If drugs or alcohol were involved he must also be treated for the addiction. The batterer must believe and accept these five concepts:

Accept responsibility for the abuse Understand the use of abuse to control partner Understand the level of emotional dependency on the part of the abuser Gain the ability to recognize low levels of anger and to use anger management techniques Have empathy for the victim

Once outside of the abusive relationship a woman can overcome the feelings of inadequacy and helplessness that were brainwashed into her while being in an abusive relationship. Elements of Battered Woman Syndrome

Tension-Building Phase During the tension-building phase, minor battering occurs can be verbal or slight physical abuse or other form of hostile behavior. The woman usually tries to pacify the batterer through show of kind, nurturing behavior; or by simply staying out of his way. What actually happens is that she allows herself to be abused in ways that, to her, are comparatively minor. All she wants is to prevent the escalation of the violence exhibited by the batterer. This wish, however, proves to be double-edged, because her placatory and passive behavior legitimizes his belief that he has the right to abuse her in the first place. However, the techniques adopted by the woman in her effort to placate him are not usually successful, and the verbal and/or physical abuse worsens. Each partner senses the imminent loss of control and the growing tension and despair. Exhausted from the persistent stress, the battered woman soon withdraws emotionally. But the more she becomes emotionally unavailable, the more the batterer

becomes angry, oppressive and abusive. Often, at some unpredictable point, the violence spirals out of control and leads to an acute battering incident. Acute Battering Incident Phase The acute battering incident is said to be characterized by brutality, destructiveness and, sometimes, death. The battered woman deems this incident as unpredictable, yet also inevitable. During this phase, she has no control; only the batterer may put an end to the violence. Its nature can be as unpredictable as the time of its explosion, and so are his reasons for ending it. The battered woman usually realizes that she cannot reason with him, and that resistance would only exacerbate her condition. At this stage, she has a sense of detachment from the attack and the terrible pain, although she may later clearly remember every detail. Her apparent passivity in the face of acute violence may be rationalized thus: the batterer is almost always much stronger physically, and she knows from her past painful experience that it is futile to fight back. Acute battering incidents are often very savage and out of control, such that innocent bystanders or interveners are likely to get hurt. Calm, Loving, Respite Phase The final phase of the cycle of violence begins when the acute battering incident ends. During this tranquil period, the couple experience profound relief. On the one hand, the batterer may show a tender and nurturing behavior towards his partner. He knows that he has been viciously cruel and tries to make up for it, begging for her forgiveness and promising never to beat her again. On the other hand, the battered woman also tries to convince herself that the battery will never happen again; that her partner will change for the better; and that this good, gentle and caring man is the real person whom she loves.

A battered woman usually believes that she is the sole anchor of the emotional stability of the batterer. Sensing his isolation and despair, she feels responsible for his well-being. The truth, though, is that the chances of his reforming, or seeking or receiving professional help, are very slim, especially if she remains with him. Generally, only after she leaves him does he seek professional help as a way of getting her back. Yet, it is in this phase of remorseful reconciliation that she is most thoroughly tormented psychologically. The illusion of absolute interdependency is well-entrenched in a battered womans psyche. In this phase, she and her batterer are indeed emotionally dependent on each other -- she for his nurturing behavior, he for her forgiveness. Underneath this miserable cycle of tension, violence and forgiveness, each partner may believe that it is better to die than to be separated. Neither one may really feel independent, capable of functioning without the other. Theory of Learned Helplessness Unlike previous research in the field, Walkers study did not presuppose a relationship between mental illness and subsequent susceptibility to intimate violence, rather than, it attempted to demonstrate the frequency with which symptoms commonly associated with mental illness, such as depression, low selfesteem and helplessness, appeared in women who had suffered long tern domestic abuse (Craven, 2003 cited in Walker 1984; Walker 1995). Walker adapted Seligmans theory of learned helplessness to explain why so many battered women fail to leave their abusers (Craven, 2003 cited in Walker, 1984). Seligmans theory sought to explain certain forms of psychological paralysis by utilizing social learning and cognitive/motivational theoretical principles. Based on a study conducted with laboratory animals whereby the animal was repeatedly and non-contingently shocked until they became unable to escape the painful situation, the theory argued that the reason the animals failed to attempt to escape,

even when escape was both possible and readily apparent to animals who had not undergone the previous shock treatment, could be found in their distorted perceptions of ones capacity to alter their position. These distorted perceptions, according to Seligman, resulted from an inability to predict the efficacy of ones actions. Seligman then drew comparisons between the behavior of the animals in the study and certain forms of human depression, highlighting analogous cognitive, behavioral and motivational characteristics exhibited by each of these groups (Craven, 2003 cited in Walker 1984). Drawing from Seligmans work, Walker hypothesized that continual exposure to battering, like electric shocks, would, over time, diminish a womans motivation to respond and produce the same kinds of cognitive, behavioral and motivational responses. In other words, a woman who remained in a violent relationship was more likely to exhibit signs of learned helplessness than one who had never been in, or had escaped a violent relationship (Craven, 2003 cited in Walker 1984).

Sources: St. Rosemary Educational Institution, 2012. Battered Womens Syndrome: Origins, Theory, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. [online] Available at < http://schoolworkhelper.net/battered-womens-syndrome-originstheory-post-traumatic-stress-disorder/> [Accessed 27 September 2012]

Zoe Craven, 2003. Australian Domestic and Family Violence Clearinghouse: Battered Woman Syndrome, [pdf] Available at <http://www.adfvc.unsw.edu.au/PDF%20files/battered%20_woman_syndrome.pdf>

[Accessed 4 September 2012]