NCJ Number
81566
Date Published
1981
Length
408 pages
Annotation
This volume probes the conscious and unconscious manifestations of abuse of women from anthropological, sociological, and psychological viewpoints. Biological and behavioral differences in men and women are discussed, and the minority status of women throughout history is explored in depth.
Abstract
Discussions of rape, wife-battering, and incest focus on the aggressor, the victim, societal attitudes, and inequities in the legal system. Insights in the medical, surgical, and psychoanalytic abuse of women are provided, and the causes underlying prostitution are examined. Information is presented on the criminal behavior in women and their treatment in correctional institutions. Of special interest is the coverage of such self-destructive behavior as alcoholism, drug addiction, and attempted suicide. Self-mutilation in pursuit of beauty is analyzed as violence perpetrated by women against themselves. Also evaluated are major research findings on the causes of aggression and violence. Full attention is given to both genetic and environmental factors and to the theories of Dollard, Freud, and Bandura. Perspectives on the special emotional problems confronting women and on the interplay between violence on television and violence in the culture are offered. The volume concludes with two verbatim interviews with victimized women which further illuminate the tragic consequences of abuse. Chapter references and an index are included. (Publisher's summary modified)