Conflict Theory Of Stress In The Family

There are a number of factors that contribute to stress in the family. As society changes, families continue to be faced with high-level stress that makes it hard for them to function. One of the contributing factors for stress in the family, is domestic violence. The National Coalition against Domestic violence defines domestic violence as “the willful intimidation, physical assault, battery, sexual assault, and/or other abusive behavior perpetrated by an intimate partner against another” (Spousal or Partner Abuse Assessment, Detection and Intervention, 2016)
Before one can analyze domestic violence sociologically, one must understand the reasoning and the different that creates it. “Family members who cannot talk to each other, don’t listen
Conflict Theory essentially proposes that each individual or group struggles to procure the maximum benefit (Demmitt, 2013). Conflict theory is probably the most appropriate sociological theory that can be used for understanding domestic violence. According to the conflict theory, society is in a never ending conflict because of limited resources. Conflict theory applies to domestic violence in many ways. In any relationship, in most cases, both partners compete for power and/or dominance or which we call “wearing the pants”. Domestic violence also arises in a relationship, when a person needs a feeling of control over the other. To exemplify the authority in the relationship, one person will scoop to being abusive physically and mentally which can lead to domestic violence. If we view a relationship or a marriage as a social situation, the conflicts in this situation become more understandable. Some resources that are competed for in a relationship are money or even a good job that someone in the relationship might lack. A lack of those resources, creates in one of the relationship members a feeling of worthlessness or inferiority which can lead to conflict. When the conflict intensifies, it can potentially lead to violent and/or abusive behavior. Conflict in a relationship, in some cases come from a person in the relationship has more money, power or even just a
We call this intervention strategies. Intervention is a form of counseling, it essentially directly confronts situation or social concern and tries to implement ways to help with the issue ("What is intervention", n.d.). Some examples of intervention strategies for domestic violence are shelters, group therapy and individual counseling. Statistics show that, cognitive group therapy for domestic violence victims has consistently proven to be effective (Intimate partner violence: A group cognitive-behavioral therapy model, 2012). One of the positive assets of this intervention, it gives women a sense of relief knowing that other people have the same struggles as them. In domestic violence group therapy, the group consist of 10-15 women from ages 25-45 (Intimate partner violence: A group cognitive-behavioral therapy model, 2012). The problem with this model is that it doesn’t address statistics on the women who are actually effected. Women from ages 16 to 24, are mainly affected with domestic violence. However, this cognitive remedy fails to include an age group that is essential to