Oppose Domestic Violence Against Women: China's Theory and Practice

Author: Rong Weiye et al. / Country:
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2002-11-01
Features:
(II) The worship of physical strength is manifested as the symbol of strength and power for men. Being strong and powerful is an affirmation of masculinity and an important virtue for men. The authoritative dictionaries in our country include the concept of "yanggang" (masculine vigor) in their definitions, which includes physical fitness. Tall and strong men at least gain some confidence from this, and such men can also evoke a sense of attraction, security, and submission in some women. The praise of male physical strength and power exists in many literary works, and often stems from the perspective of women feeling reliable and safe: "leaning on his broad and sturdy shoulders, supporting the hope of fate" or "his smile finally reveals a sense of strength." The worship of male physical strength is not merely a matter of aesthetic form but also a matter of functional aesthetics. In a sense, men establish their social advantages through their physical strength. In early human history, physical strength and power could determine survival, status, and power, and conflicts between tribes were resolved through physical prowess. Today, many conflicts still rely on physical strength or the threat of it, and the invention of various weapons is merely an extension of male physical strength and power. Therefore, fundamentally, men believe in the utility of physical strength and power in resolving conflicts, and sometimes violence is used merely to prove that they are "men." In both children and adults, men are willing to display their physical strength and power in conflicts as long as the opportunity arises, because even if they don't use it, it still serves as a deterrent, especially when they are with women. The worship of male physical strength gives men a last resort, in conflicts and contradictions, they can resort to this last resort—violence. For some men, using violence to resolve conflicts has become a basic means, and they may even be unaware of other methods.
(III) There is a lack of societal guidance for men on when violence can be used and how to resolve conflicts without resorting to violence. This is consistent with the previous reasons. Although families, schools, and even the media teach people about civilization and the law verbally, the reality of life is a much larger classroom. In families, as a father, it is difficult for a man to escape his potential violent tendencies, and his verbal guidance to children may not align with his actual behavior. In society, as mentioned earlier, the expectations and acceptance of male violence render conventional teachings powerless. Many men, when conflicts arise and their sense of dominance, control, rights, and face are not met, rarely experience the sense of accomplishment that comes from resolving such imbalances appropriately. Instead, the (explosion) of physical strength is often what they see or experience. If their (explosion) targets people, it becomes violence; they often (explore) their (explosion) on those weaker than themselves, such as women or children.
II. Psychological Analysis of Perpetrator Traits
Regardless of the differences in the influences they have received, the extent of their personal characteristics, social achievements, and status, or the severity, complexity, and manifestations of their violence, all perpetrators share some traits to some degree. These traits do not exist statically in perpetrators but serve as psychological motivations driving their behavior and shaping their perceptions. These traits may not be clearly recognized by perpetrators, who often do not believe they are being driven by these traits but are deeply rooted in their hearts.
(1) Inferiority Complex
Unlike the outward appearance, research shows that many abusers suffer from low self-esteem. ① Self-esteem is the emotional experience of positively evaluating one's own value and achievements. Healthy self-esteem is a spiritual accomplishment, a way of self-affirmation and trust. It makes people feel safe, powerful, capable, and trustworthy toward themselves and others. Low self-esteem can bring great self-pressure. If it is not confronted and acknowledged, one may suffer in self-defeat and be trapped in a swamp of inferiority from which they cannot escape. To be free from the torment of inferiority, one needs a high sense of self-esteem.
From the psychological structure of self-esteem, it consists of the following four aspects:
1. Significance: Whether one feels loved and appreciated by important figures in life.
2. Competence: Whether one has the ability to complete tasks they consider important.
3. Morality: Whether one believes they have met ethical and moral standards.
4. Power: The extent to which one influences their own and others' lives.
Perpetrators may appear strong, but in families and society, they suffer from a sense of deficiency, dissatisfaction, and failure in these four aspects, leading to deep inferiority hidden behind their "imposing" violent behavior. Therefore, from the perspective of personal psychological dynamics, their violent behavior is often driven by this inferiority complex.
Inferiority itself is not a problem; on the contrary, it can be a motivation for progress and growth. However, when inferiority becomes an unresolved knot in the heart, it becomes harmful. "When an individual faces a problem they cannot handle properly, they claim they absolutely cannot solve it, and at this point, an inferiority complex arises." ① When perpetrators insist that the conflicts, difficulties, and challenges they face are beyond their ability to adapt and are truly desperate measures, it may be this psychological knot at play.
The following traits can easily lead to an inferiority complex in perpetrators:
1. Strong desire for control
Many abusers have a dominant self-control pattern. ② Their desire for control often reaches an extreme level, possibly due to male power instincts, making them want to control almost everything in society and family, or at least exert influence over those they wish to affect. The problem is that this is impossible, so they constantly feel others' success and may experience their own setbacks and conflicts at any time. With this uncontrollable anxiety, they cannot gain self-esteem from significance, competence, or power, falling into inferiority and exhausting themselves. Under the influence of this latent inferiority complex, using psychological or physical violence to maintain control is a common trait among most perpetrators. An overly strong desire for control may lead perpetrators to avoid various forms of loss of control at all costs. But ironically, they often feel more failure than success in control, always threatened by a sense of loss of control, feeling insecure, neglected, powerless, incapable, worthless, and lost. In both family and social contexts, they are overly sensitive and fearful of failure, regardless of objective reality or others' perceptions (e.g., achieving high positions, making a lot of money, marrying a beautiful wife), their inner feelings are more often dominated by a sense of failure and crisis. They will do everything to protect what they believe they have and pursue their even more expansive desire for control. In reality, no matter how they appear outwardly—even arrogant, confident, and dominant—their inner hearts are deeply inferior: fragile, tense, fearful, and painful. They can hardly understand the true nature and clues of situations or conflicts, harming others and themselves in the process; under the burning of their desire for control, they lose the ability to control the external world and themselves, and violence becomes their only resort.
2. Overly responsible, unable to trust others
The culture of male superiority makes men feel a sense of responsibility in society and family. This sense of responsibility is essentially a sense of power. Being responsible can bring self-value to an individual. Due to various reasons, perpetrators may no longer have this sense of social responsibility, or they may no longer be able to satisfy it in this regard. However, they generally believe they have the responsibility to teach their family how to handle problems. Moreover, it is precisely the lack of satisfaction in society that may lead to a sense of inferiority, making their desire to dominate and teach their family even stronger.