Aggravating Factors

No relationship exists in a vacuum, and often it is the daily stresses of life that provoke the cycle of violence. Common aggravating factors include: the increased frequency or duration of marital conflict due to "daily hassles;" lower socioeconomic status with the resultant pressures of lack of resources; an "unemployed perpetrator," especially when correlated with gender stereotypes, self-esteem issues, increased substance abuse, (n1) and financial stress; the establishment of a power or status gap between perpetrator and family members; and the isolation of the family from outside resources. (DeBeixedon and Zur)

Walker especially emphasized the latter, noting that women in battering relationships experienced the highest measures for social isolation. Escalating violence and serious injuries can motivate the woman to seek help beyond the privacy of the family, but usually only if they believe true help is available to them. Moreover, in cultures that value aggressive behavior, men experience a smaller cost in loss of status for violence in the home until the violence risks the disintegration of his family. Finally, complicating this situation is "the sex role socialization that teaches women to believe that they are responsible for the health, well-being, and psychological stability of their husbands." (Walker 2000: 136)

***Notes

1) “It is often the intoxicating agents that allow expression of the neurodevelopmentally-determined pre-disposition for violence.” (Perry 1997)