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8 Behav. Sci. & L. 107 (1990)
Who's to blame: Attributions regarding causality in spouse abuse

handle is hein.journals/bsclw8 and id is 109 raw text is: Behavioral Sciences and the Law, Vol. 8, 107-120 (1990) Who's to Blame: Attributions Regarding Causality in Spouse Abuse James C. Overholser, Ph.D. and Sara H. Moll, M.A. Spouse abuse is examined from the perspective of attri- bution theory. Aggressors are seen as attributing their violent behavior to external causes, whether by projecting their negative traits onto their spouses or by finding excuses which blame temporary environmental factors. In con- trast, victims often attribute the abuse to defects within themselves or situational factors affecting their spouses. The attribution process seems affected by the frequency, intensity and duration of the abuse, with temporal factors playing an important role in the woman's internalizing style. Furthermore, inadequate early coping efforts play a powerful role in establishing cognitive-perceptual patterns that serve to perpetuate the abuse. Various forms of domestic violence have become widespread in recent years. These include spouse abuse, parent abuse, and child abuse (both physical and sexual). Spouse abuse is unique among these different forms of family violence in that both victim and offender are adults and should be capable of interacting as equals. Because of this, when spouse abuse occurs there can be disagreement over the cause of the problem: Was the man excessively violent or was he provoked by the woman? Who is in need of treatment, the aggressor, the victim, or society? While most pro- fessionals agree that the core of the problem lies in the aggressor, many factors remain unclear. Societal factors may play an important role in fostering attitudes conducive to abuse (Ball & Wyman, 1977-1978; Hilberman, 1980). Such attitudes may affect the behavior of the aggressor, the victim, or other people who become involved in the situation (for example family members, clergy, or police). Many researchers feel that spouse abuse is a reflection of the violence emphasized by the mass media and popular culture (Levine, 1986; Wolfe, Jaffe, Wilson, & Zak, 1985). The negative effects of television violence on the behavior of children have been well documented (Eron, 1980). At a more basic level, societal attitudes may play a role in the instigation, or perpetuation, of spouse abuse. A man's wife is often viewed as if she were his pos- James C. Overholser, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor of Psychology at Case Western Reserve University. Sara H. Moll is a graduate student in the Department of Psychology at Case Western. Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: James C. Overholser, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106-3922, USA. 0735-3936/90/020107-14$07.00 © 1990 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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