While analyzing their findings, Jacobson and Gottman noted heart rates actually decreased in 20 percent of the batterers as they became more verbally aggressive during arguments with their wives. These men are more likely to use or threaten to use a knife or gun on their victim and typically have a criminal history and display anti-social behavior. They often fear abandonment and become jealous and controlling of their wives. Myth - Use of violence by men and women is the same. Jacobson and Gottman acknowledge that several studies have suggested that women commit approximately the same number of violent acts against their spouses as men, but the authors contend that the severity and purpose of the violence differ greatly.
Males are much more violent, causing more severe physical injuries than women.
In addition, the authors find that most male abusers batter their partners as a means of control and intimidation. Women who are violent are most often reacting in self- defense. Myth - Battering often stops on its own. The authors concluded that battering does not stop without intervention. Through their research, they noticed that although some batterers may decrease physical violence over time, they often continue or increase emotional abuse of their wives.