Lenore Walker’s cycle of violence is a theory that glimpses the existence of four phases in all the dynamics of gender-based violence, this researcher and psychologist has been working with this type of violence for more than forty years, her idea is that it is violence that can be dismantled and that combines her professional profession with the task of accompanying battered women struggling to defend themselves in court.
According to this expert, victims do not openly denounce their abuser for fear of reprisals or aggravation of the situation they are going through, especially if they are financially dependent on it. Walker has contributed to the psychology of gender-based violence with a very useful tool to understand the plight of abused women and the difficult path they travel to permanently break with their abuser.
- In 1979 he published the conclusions of his theory of phases drawn from the testimonies of battered women with which he worked.
- Walker realized that these women are not beaten all the time or in the same way.
- But that there are phases of violence that have different durations and manifestations.
He established a pattern of similar behavior in all situations of violence and noted how these patterns of behavior are repeated cyclically, so the cycle of violence described by Walker helps us understand how gender-based violence occurs.
Recent research helps explain that the inability to escape the cycle of violence exacerbates the consequences and paves the way for a fatal outcome. Gender-based violence involves the loss of the supports that make up the personality of the human being, which are biological, psychological and social. Conditions.
This is what L. Walker called the cycle of violence, one of the most popular theories about the stages of gender violence.
At this stage there is a gradual escalation of tension, which is characterized by the frequency of continuous fights and acts of violence, is a stage without specific duration, it can be a matter of weeks, months or years. jealousy, screaming or small fights.
Insults or verbal abuses are interpreted by the victim as isolated and controllable cases, the abuser undergoes sudden mood swings, is irritated by insignificant things and is very tense.
The victim tries to behave in a way that does not alter the couple, trying to calm him down by believing that the conflict will end, tends to blame himself for justifying the behavior shown by the aggressor, provided there is a minor incident of aggression, there are residual effects of increased tension on the part of the aggressor who, instigated by the victim’s apparent passivity , does not attempt to control himself.
This is the shortest of the three phases. Here violence erupts, there is absolute uncontrollability and physical, psychological and/or sexual aggression occurs, the victim experiences disbelief, anxiety, tendency to isolate himself and feels powerless in the face of what happened. days to ask for help.
At this stage, the aggressor often apologizes and promises the victim that this behavior will never happen again. Use emotional manipulation strategies to try to prevent the relationship from ending.
Accepting gifts, invitations or promises only reinforces violent behavior, tension accumulated during the stress build-up phase, and the aggression phase has disappeared.
At this stage, women find it difficult to report the situation they are going through: the change in attitude of the couple leads them to believe that it was a one-off fact and that it will not happen again, the victim wants to believe that it will. You’ll never abuse again. The moderation of the aggressor supports the belief that he can change, for his loving behavior during this phase. This conciliation phase ends when calm ends and small incidents and humiliations begin again.
“Any time of day or night is good to finish and end a stage of your life that you wish you didn’t live?-Raimunda de Peaflor-
To break the cycle of violence, the victim must be aware of their situation, from this recognition can begin to receive emotional and professional help.
In recent years, visibility has been given to a problem that has proven to be much more serious and deeper than previously thought. Has society responded with legislation such as the “Organic Law on Comprehensive Protection Measures against Gender Violence”?And the ‘Maria da Penha Law’, but we are far from the objectives and there is a growing concern about the appearance of signs of involution in social perception.
“If someone puts their hands on you, make sure you don’t put it on someone else. – Malcolm X-