Psychological violence in intimate relationships

Abstract

Nasilje u partnerskim vezama kao društveni problem prepoznat je 1970-ih godina te predstavlja složen fenomen na individualnom, partnerskom, društvenom i globalnom planu. Psihološko nasilje, kao najčešći oblik nasilja između partnera, još uvijek je nedovoljno istraženo zbog velikog broja podvrsta, situacija i kombinacija u kojima se javlja, što posljedično rezultira velikom tamnom brojkom. Kada se pokuša dati odgovor na pitanje koji je uzrok (psihološkom) nasilju u partnerskim vezama, ne postoji jedan, univerzalni odgovor. Mnogi autori nastojali su odgovoriti na to pitanje proučavajući uzroke u biološkim svojstvima, zatim u individualnim karakteristikama i u ponašanju pojedinca, pa sve do proučavanja kulture i općeg društvenog sistema. Većina postojećih teorija ima fokus samo na jedan uzrok ili objašnjenje nasilja. Kako su istraživanja pokazala da na nasilje utječe više čimbenika, danas se javlja sve više teorija koje nastoje povezati prepoznate uzroke i čimbenike rizika za pojavu nasilnog ponašanja u jednu, integrativnu teoriju. Cilj ovoga rada je, pregledom domaće i inozemne literature, napraviti pregled i opis najznačajnijih teorija nasilja u partnerskim vezama te prema tim teorijama pronaći čimbenike rizika za pojavu nasilja u heteroseksualnim partnerskim vezama. Za bolje razumijevanje teme, na početku rada opisuje se nasilje u partnerskim vezama s naglaskom na psihološko nasilje, nakon toga slijedi pregled najznačajnijih teorija podijeljenih u četiri kategorije: biološke, psihološke (psihopatološka, teorija socijalnog učenja), sociološke (feministička teorija) i integrativne (socio-ekološka teorija). Na kraju rada nalazi se rasprava u kojoj su izdvojeni čimbenici rizika za pojavu nasilja te psihološkog nasilja u partnerskim vezama.Intimate partner violence as a social problem was recognized in the 1970s and represents a complex phenomenon on an individual, partnership, social and global scale. Psychological violence, as the most common form of partner violence, is still under-explored due to the large number of categories, situations and combinations in which it occurs, which consequently results in a large ominous number. There's no universal answer for the occurencce of (psychological) violence in intimate partnerships. Many authors have sought the answer to this question by studying causes in biological traits, then in individual characteristics and in the behavior of the individual, all the way to the study of culture and the general social system. Most existing theories focus on only one cause or explanation of violence. As research has shown, multiple factors influence on the occurrence of violence, and more and more theories are emerging today. They seek to link the identified causes and risk factors for violent behavior into a single, integrative theory. The aim of this paper is to review and describe the most significant theories of intimate partner violence and to identify risk factors for the occurrence of violence in heterosexual partnerships. For a better understanding of the topic, the beginning of the paper describes partner-based violence with an emphasis on psychological violence, followed by an overview of the most significant and “well-known” theories divided into four categories: biological, psychological (psychopathological, social learning theory), sociological (feminist theory) and integrative (socio-ecological theory). At the end of the paper there is a discussion with marked out risk factors for the occurrence of violence and psychological violence in intimate relationships