Lennore Walker's Theory: The Cycle Of Violence

Violence is usually a word people understand, it’s something most would prefer to stay clear of. Yet, some violent relationships continue on even though it’s clearly abusive to an outside eye. The cycle of violence is a theory developed by Lenore Walker in 1979, this theory is a pattern seen in people who commit domestic and family violence. It gives an explanation to why an abusive person’s behavior can change drastically throughout time. This theory has six stages, although it is acknowledged that this is not the same for everyone and differs to each individual’s circumstances. However, the cycle of violence gives insight on why violent situations may seem so continuous and happen sporadically.
The beginning two phases of this theory are the build-up
This is where the person being violent claims to never be so again, listing other factors that caused them to react in a violent manner. They may undergo a drastic personality change, treating the victim affected with more care. Maybe even buying gifts and just generally giving more affection to help get over the explosion and guilt. The victim is most likely relieved that the violence is has stopped, and forgives the abuser for their actions. This causes the honeymoon phase. This is where both parties are in denial of how bad their relationship had gotten to, that they decide to ignore any possibility of the violence occurring again. The partner will probably convince the victim through affection and contriteness that what they did was a mistake and won’t happen again. Quoted from Domestic Violence Roundtable, “The most disheartening part of the honeymoon phase is the false hope that it fosters.” The victim becomes hopeful that what had happened truly was a mistake and that the situation can really be better. But of course, this is only a phase and although joyful, it’s masking the true nature of the relationship and will be inevitably uncovered in the