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Abstract: 

Are more recent attempts to redefine partner violence valid? In particular, does the trend towards conceptualizing different types of partner violence, with different recommended treatments, make sense? In this article, Joan Zorza reviews Michael Johnson’s four types of abuse. These include intimate terrorism, violent resistance, situational couple violence, and mutual violence. This article describes some of the difficulties involved in conceptualizing and measuring partner violence, and finds that measures such as the Conflict Tactics Scale tend to both over- and under- report abusive behaviors. Further, she describes limitations of Johnson’s conceptualization of situational couple violence, noting that it trivializes and excuses men’s violence against their partners.

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Affiliations:  1: founding editor, Domestic Violence Report.