Despite the pain and bruises inflicted by punching, kicking and worse mayhem, it is the scarring left by an emotionally abusive husband that is more likely to trigger a battered wife's decision to leave her spouse. This finding on the corrosive damage of emotional abuse and the first data on the number of women who actually escape violent marriages are among the scientific discoveries described in a new book, When Men Batter Women, New Insights into Ending Abusive Relationships. Other new findings examined include the discovery that there the two types of batterers, nicknamed Pit Bulls and Cobras, and data showing that violence rarely ends in abusive marriages. They will discuss their findings at 7 p.m., Tuesday, March 10 in 120 Kane Hall, the first day the book will be available.
Tickets are available at the University Book Store.
It is a reminder and takes on some of the characteristics of the beatings experienced by battered wives. What men are doing with emotional abuse is almost like mind control. Groundbreaking research, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, is the foundation for When Men Batter Women . Jacobson and Gottman brought violent couples into the laboratory, videotaped them during arguments and measured physiological responses. No physical violence was permitted in the lab, although some of the men had served jail time for beating their wives and a number of the women had been hospitalized after beatings.