DEFINITIONS
Battering: Assaultive behavior between adults in an intimate, sexual, theoretically peer, and usually co-habitating relationship.
FOUR FORMS OF BATTERING: Physical Battering, Sexual Battering, Psychological Battering, Destruction of Property/Pets.
PHYSICAL BATTERING: pushing, hitting, pulling hair, pinching, pounding, stabbing, spitting, choking, shooting, kicking, burning, clubbing, throwing chemicals
SEXUAL BATTERING: unwanted pinching of breasts, buttocks, private parts, sexual activity accompanied by physical assaults, rape, involving someone else with rape.
PSYCHOLOGICAL BATTERING: No contact with the victim's body; psychological weapons rather than physical attacks, done in context of a relationship where physical violence has already occured (as opposed to emotional abuse).
**variety of behaviors
-threats of suicide, violence, deportations, custody
-forcing the victim to do degrading things
-controlling victim's activities (sleep, eating habits, social relationships, access to money, constantly calling checking up on them, etc.)
-constant attacks on the victims self esteem ie: name calling, telling them they are not good enough, not worthy, worthless, fat, too thin, not wild enough, to meek, stupid, dumb, not worth the abusers time, clumsy, idiot etc.
-contact via email or through mail with threats, ill thoughts.
DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY/PETS
NO contact with the victim's body, but assault still meant for her. Destruction not random; not merely "ventilation".
Same impact on victim as physical assault.
Destroying objects during arguments, breaking victim's favorite property, removing lug nuts on victims car, sending them dead flowers or pets in a box. Attacks on her pets, poisoning her pets.
SIMILARITIES OF FOUR FORMS OF BATTERING:
1. Done without concern for victim's mental or physical well being
2. Done to show dominations: to control the victim; to punish.
3.) Reoccurrent: Often escalates in severity and frequency.