OFFICE OF THE PROSECUTING ATTORNEY
TYPICAL BATTERER CHARACTERISTICS
- Low self-esteem
- Believes all myths about battering relationships
- BLAMES OTHERS FOR THEIR ACTIONS
- Has severe stress reactions when they use drinking and abuse to cope
- Uses sex as an act of aggression frequently to overcome impotence or
bisexuality
- Suffered from child abuse or neglect themselves
- Does not believe their violent behavior should have negative consequences
- Jealousy, often imagines mate having affairs
- Tries to isolate victim from friends and family
- Tries to control victim
- Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde personality
- Problems with the law
- Explosive temper, flies into a rage without provocation
- Projects own faults onto mate; tells mate it is all their fault
- Assaults verbally as well as physically: insults, name calling
- Comes from family where violence is practiced
- For males, may be more violent when female is pregnant or soon after she has given birth
- Denies beatings or their severity, seems not to remember.
- Will do whatever it takes to drive victim away, then whatever it takes to get them back:
grabs the kids, apologizes profusely, sends flowers, cries real tears, promises anything
(and knows exactly what victim wants to hear, "I'll go to church with you", "I'll go to a
counselor", "I'll stop drinking", "I'll never hurt you again", etc.) Once victim returns,
performance is repeated: whatever it takes to drive victim away, followed by whatever it
takes to get victim back. (Wetzel, 1980).
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