Lenore Walker's cycle of violence

The "violent cycle" theory of domestic violence was first introduced by researchers and feminist Lenore Walker in the 1970s. Her theory is based on interviews with women who survived the abuse relationship.

The goal of the theory of violent circulation is to describe and predict patterns in which violent relationships often fall into. Walker identified three phases in which these relationships tend to cycle:

Honeymoon stage: This is where violent relationships often begin. The abuser is charming, caring, gentle and affectionate. He or she can give gifts to the victims, do good things for them, and often make the victims feel accepted and loved.

Tensile construction phase: According to Walker, violence usually precedes the turbulent period of growing relationships. The abuser may become more embarrassing, short-lived or paranoid. Victims usually protect themselves by appeasing the abuser. Unfortunately, the anger of the abuser is often unreasonable and therefore cannot be reasonably calm. In many abusive relationships, the victim cannot do anything to avoid annoying their partner.

Stage of performance: This is when the incident occurs and the abuser becomes violent. In addition to physical attacks, the batter may use threats, intimidation and emotional abuse to keep his or her victim consistent. At this stage, victims are often too scared to seek the help they need.

Walker's theory holds that as time goes by, the stage of the show will re-enter the honeymoon stage. This emotional manipulation makes it difficult for many victims of abuse to escape this relationship. The batter can be very fascinating when they want it. According to Walker, this cycle tends to get tighter over time, and each phase lasts for a short time until the victim escapes or is tragically killed.

This theory has received considerable criticism over the years. Some people think that Walker's sample size is too small and not sufficiently diverse to provide an accurate description of the violent relationship across the country. Based on their own research and experience, others do not believe that domestic violence is as predictable as Walker first made.

The behavior, motivations and strategies of the abuser can vary widely. There are many ways in which a person can be manipulated. Some abusers are rarely primarily emotional or verbal abuse, and rarely use physical attacks. Others will not experience the stages of peace, tension and violence as Walker described.

Whether Walker's cycle of violence is strictly and accurately applied to every abused person, it is still an important study. It reveals abuse and suggests why some victims will not leave their abusers.

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