Functionalist, Conflict and Symbolic-Interactionism Perspectives on Domestic Violence

Domestic violence is an almost universal phenomenon in all modern and historical cultures. Domestic violence is any activity that is perpetuated by one member of the family that harms another member of the family. Domestic violence has a variety of causes including severe misunderstandings, poor upbringing and personal insecurities. Domestic violence has many effects including emotional, psychological and physical injuries and serve to hinder the progress of society. The functionalist perspective theory argues that domestic violence is as a result of dysfunctional families. Domestic violence according to conflict sociological perspectives results from power struggles within the family. Symbolic-interactionism attempt to explain domestic violence by analyzing how meanings and symbols are shared in relationships among family members and how the disruption of this process results in violence in the family. Prevalence of domestic violence can be explained through structural functionalism, conflict and symbolic-interactionism sociological perspectives.

Overview of domestic violence and the functionalist perspective

Violence that is perpetrated by one person against another in domestic partnerships such as marriage is termed as domestic violence. In this type of violence, there is a pattern of abuse activities to a partner between individuals who are married, dating one another or are members of a family. Like most forms of violence there has to be an aggressor or aggressors and the victim or victims. Aggressors can be men, women or older children who may attack or abuse elders, their spouses, dating partners or children (Blume, 1996). Domestic violence can take many forms and may include burning, pushing, choking, punching, slapping, hitting and various types of contact that inflict injuries on the victims. Domestic violence is a social problem that is almost universal and only differs in intensity from family to family. It is difficult to determine the exact prevalence of domestic violence because most people, both aggressors and victims, are reluctant to admit to occurrence of the matter in their lives. Thus, domestic violence has many facets which makes the problem very difficult to solve easily.

Functionalist sociological perspective posits that every aspect observed in society serves a specific purpose. According to this theory, the family serves a purpose which if disrupted results in domestic violence. The theory advances the idea that each member of the family, play a role to ensure stability and balance in the family (Author, 2016). The failure to meet these responsibilities lead to imbalances that escalate into instances of domestic violence. On the other hand, the effect of domestic violence is that it interrupts the normal functioning of the family (Chapter n.d). Functions of the family that may be disrupted by domestic violence according to this perspective include socialization of children, reproductive function, and the establishing of educational and economical foundations for the members of the family. Thus the functionalist theory views domestic violence as an anomalous phenomenon and stress that domestic violence hinders the normal and the naturally intended functioning of the family.

Causes of domestic violence and symbolic-interactionism

Domestic violence is attributed to misunderstandings that often escalate to frequent events of violent behavior. Inequality among members of the family also create resentment which is often expressed through violence. Domestic violence can also arise from feelings of inadequacy that may prompt the aggressor to resort to it to reassert their authority over others in order to feel powerful. Changes that are introduced in society such as the shifting of gender assigned roles are also thought to contribute towards violence in the domestic unit. Domestic violence is perpetuated whenever acts of violence towards others in the family go unchallenged (Carline & Dehaghani, 2018). Societal indifference towards domestic violence and in some cases cultural tolerance serve to endorse the practice. Domestic violence may also be inherited from one’s family background as children raised in violent homes tend to resort to violence during adulthood (Theories, n.d). Hence the general causes of domestic violence are wide-ranging and dissimilar depending on the various factors that affect different families.

Symbolic-interactionism examines the relationships between individuals which are facilitated by shared meanings. This theory posits that people make sense of their surroundings and communicate their ideas through symbols. People also create new meanings which they share with others through social interactions. The theory can be applied to explain broad social phenomena and can also explain the occurrence and the results of domestic violence (Meltzer & Reynolds, 2020). Depending on the cultural background of the family in which domestic violence takes place, symbolic interactionism may explain the phenomenon in a variety of ways. However, the central cause of domestic violence according to the theory is breakdown in communication as a result of the inability to effectively convey meanings and understandings. The frustrations that ensue due to misunderstandings are often vented through violence within the family.

Effects of domestic violence and the conflict perspective

Domestic violence negatively affects the aggressor, the victim, the witnesses and society. Children who witness domestic violence are affected negatively as this impacts their social, emotional, cognitive and behavioral development. Such children end up being more aggressive, anxious, and suffer from poor social skills making it difficult for them to have meaningful friendships, quality family relationships and positively respond towards authority. Victims of domestic violence suffer from medical problems such as internal bleeding, lacerations, head injuries, broken bones and bruises. Emotional and psychological effects of domestic violence to victims and children who witness it include high levels of anxiety, fear and stress that may translate to lifelong depression and anxiety disorders when left untreated through counseling and other emotional support interventions. Victims of domestic violence also suffer from the inability to cope with various social situations and tend to be melancholic and reclusive due to poor self-image. These effects also may translate to difficulties in advancing educationally, professionally and eventually result in poor financial outcomes for individuals, families and societies.

Conflict sociological theory was first proposed by Karl Marx to explain the existence of conflict as an essential part of upholding the social structure. Different members of society according, to this theory have to compete for scarce resources resulting in endless conflict. Thus power arises from influence on these resources and is gained, maintained, and perpetuated through dominance and control. On the other hand people who have insufficient resources strive constantly to gain advantages a situation that leads to constant social conflict between the powerful and the powerless (Learning, n.d). In the domestic context dominance and coercion are also exercised to maintain power. Domestic violence is mostly perpetrated by males according to this theory because dominance is viewed as a masculine attribute. Domestic violence thus is the result of actions by males who believe they are exercising dominance over their female partners. An alternative interpretation of this theory is that dominance may also be influenced by the economic power one may have over another in the family.

In conclusion, domestic violence is reported to exist in virtually all societies and manifests itself in different forms in various families. It consist of various activities that result in physical, emotional, spiritual and social harm that is inflicted by aggressors on others within the family context. The causes and effects of domestic violence form a wide spectrum of problems and their impact making it one of the most significant problems faced by society. Some of the causes of domestic violence include misunderstandings, power struggle conflicts, and confusion over the roles and responsibilities to be played by different members of the family that are defined by factors such as gender and economic capabilities. Various sociological approaches have been used to explain domestic violence. Structural functionalist theories interpret domestic violence to be the result of confusion over roles various members should play in the family in a changing world. Conflict and Symbolic-Interactionist theories show that domestic violence results from powers struggles and misunderstandings within families respectively.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

[Author removed at request of original publisher]. (2016, April 08). 15.2 Sociological Perspectives on the Family. Retrieved August 29, 2021, from https://open.lib.umn.edu/sociology/chapter/15-2-sociological-perspectives-on-the-family/

Blume, T. W. (1996). Social Perspectives on Violence. Michigan Family Review, 02(1), 9. doi:10.3998/mfr.4919087.0002.102

Carline, A., & Dehaghani, R. (2018). 7. Domestic Violence and Abuse. Family Law. doi:10.1093/he/9780198749653.003.0007

Chapter 2. A Functionalist Perspective. (n.d.). On Studying Organizational Cultures. doi:10.1515/9783110882476.21

Learning, L. (n.d.). Sociology. Retrieved from https://courses.lumenlearning.com/alamo-sociology/chapter/reading-theoretical-perspectives-on-marriage-and-family/

Meltzer, B. N., Petras, J. W., & Reynolds, L. T. (2020). The genesis of symbolic interactionism. Symbolic Interactionism, 1-52. doi:10.4324/9781003074311-1

Theories of Causation. (n.d.). Intimate Partner Violence Women’s Health Issues, 21-35. doi:10.1007/0-306-47586-3_2