Theoretical Perspectives On Family Violence

In the past family violence was considered a taboo, the abuse or neglect that was going on in the home was more or less supposed to be a “family secret”. It is important to note that family violence has gone from a level of secrecy to entertainment. Nowadays there are shows like, Dr. Phil, and Steve Wilkos that show such dysfunction and aim to “help” such violence in the home. Some might argue and say it’s only for entertainment purposes. Is this true? Has family violence become entertainment and looked at as a joke? Take for example The Simpsons, which associated family violence to being funny or not to be taken seriously i.e. when Homer chokes his son Bart throughout the series. Shows like this imply that family violence is not to be taken
The use of theoretical perspectives is important to understand the various issues in various psychological settings.Using a theoretical perspective specifically the ecological systems theory perspective to analyze and organize the many levels of influence of family violence is necessary in general to get a better understanding of the issue of family
Many people have experienced family violence, however, do not consider it family violence because violence is often associated with hitting or other forms of physical abuse only. Family violence is defined as any form of abusive or neglectful behaviour to harm or control another family member ("What is Family Violence - Stop Family Violence - Public Health Agency of Canada", 2017). Family violence can be presented in many forms; neglect, which is often used against children and the elderly, is the failure to provide proper care. It can range from not providing proper food or care for an individual to disregard for proper healthcare. Physical abuse is the deliberate act that causes pain or harm to an individual. Sexual abuse is acts of unwanted sexual behavior like i.e. molestation, toward another. The ongoing abuse that consists of humiliation, degradation, and other behaviour that can make someone feel controlled or lose value in self is emotional abuse. Financial abuse is the misuse of an individual's funds or anything where there can be financial gain at the expense of another. All forms of abuse can either be subtle actions that seem to have a minor effect