It can happen to persons of all ethnic or religious backgrounds. This is true across the country. Batterers also come from every socio-economic, religious and ethnic background. You cannot tell a batterer just by looking at him, but you can tell by how they behave in a romantic relationship with you. These are some signs that the individual could become abusive.
Many therapists suggest that battering is about power and control over another.
Also, many therapists suggest that many batterers were raised in homes where someone committed acts of domestic violence. Children learn their behavior from the environment they live in. However, there are exceptions, usually when a person has the need to control and expresses that need by battering another. Alcohol and drugs are frequently seen in domestic violence cases, however they do not make individuals violent. Alcohol and substance abuse is a separate problem.