Many people view domestic violence as “a personal matter.” The victims are usually guilt-tripped, subdued and pressured into keeping quiet, while the abuser often feels out of control and unable to stop the cycle of violence. One study found that two-thirds of couples seeking relationship therapy did not report violence until asked and that 40-75% of the children witnessed the violence and suffered child abuse as well.

Johnson and Ferraro (2000) classified domestic violence into five different types. The first type is called “Common Couple Violence,” where there are one or two incidents of extreme violence that doesn’t follow a pattern of attempted control. These abusers (which are 56% male and 44% female) are usually non-violent outside the house and are least likely to be sexually or emotionally violent. The second type is called “Intimate Terrorism,” which is a pattern of control and manipulation that involves emotional abuse. These assailants are more likely to kill their partners and plot revenge following the breakup of a relationship.

The third type of domestic violence is “Violent Resistance,” where one partner acts controlling and intimidating, while the other partner reacts in violent self-defense. This kind of violence may be a one-time event or a pattern. “Mutual Violent Control” or mutual combat involves two people using violence to control one another. The last domestic violence type is called “Dysphoric-Borderline Violence,” which describes a needy, dependent and emotionally imbalanced person who turns to “pitbull” type violence out of frustration, depression, fear of abandonment and neediness.

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