Male–male dimensions of male–female battering: A new look at domestic violence.

Abstract

The field of domestic violence has concentrated its theories, research, and treatment methods on the male-female dimensions of the problem. However, male-male issues also play a crucial role. The authors explain how traditional male socialization and rigid sex role stereotyping can have emotional and behavioral consequences that are displaced onto male-female relationships. In particular, humiliation is a potent and pervasive social mechanism that dominates male psychology, causing multiple problems in male self-esteem and interpersonal relations. Humiliation is the social form of shame and is deeply rooted in the same-sex relations of childhood groups, rituals of passage, and problematic relationships with father figures. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)