It Could Happen to Anyone: Why Battered Women Stay

by Alyce D. LaViolette, Ola W. Barnett

Overview

The widely read and highly praised bestseller It Could Happen to Anyone offers a unique amalgamation of the practical clinical experience of Alyce La Violette and the extensive research of Ola Barnett on battered women and their batterers. Fully updated and revised, this Third Edition includes a wealth of new material and case examples, while retained sections have been carefully rewritten to reflect contemporary thinking. This important text continues to provide understanding and empathy regarding the plight of battered women as they attempt to find safety. The integration of current knowledge with learning theory explains how any woman's previous life experiences along with the effects of battering might influence her to stay with her abuser. The book's content also explains how some social institutions, such as the criminal justice system, cannot be counted upon to protect her, thus making it dangerous for her to leave or stay. In extreme cases, she may even be killed. From a more optimistic viewpoint, the book describes many innovations geared to assist battered women through shelters, transitional housing, and temporary income support. This extensively revised and expanded new edition is a must read for anyone working in or training to work in a helping role for issues in domestic violence.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781452277745
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	04/17/2013
Edition description:	Third Edition
Pages:	344
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Alyce La Violette has worked with battered women since 1978, first as an advocate at Women Shelter in Long Beach and then in private practice. In 1979, she founded Alternatives to Violence in Long Beach, one of the first programs in the country for spouse abusers. She specializes in Anger Management, Domestic Violence Counseling for Survivors and Perpetrators, and Gender Issues. She also provides couples' counseling, and a broad base of individual issues. She also serves as an expert witness for criminal and family court.

Ola W. Barnett is a Distinguished Professor Emerita of Psychology at Pepperdine University, Malibu, California. She earned her undergraduate and doctoral degrees in Psychology at UCLA, specializing in Learning. Her initial research centered on batterers, and she later studied battered women and dating violence. She has coauthored two best-selling Sage books (with Alyce D. La Violette) on why battered women stay with abusive partners. These books provide a scientific explanation, grounded in learning theory, for understanding the obstacles battered women face in trying to break free. She remains active in the field of family violence by reviewing articles for a large number of journals and performing as an external grant reviewer for a few organizations. She serves on the editorial board of the new journal, Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice. She also continues research on the impact of transitional housing on the lives of battered women.

Table of Contents

1. Weaving the Fabric of Abuse: Learned Helplessness and Learned Hopelessness
2. Institutional Battering: The Power of the Patriarchy
3. Victimization: Why Does It Happen To Her?
4. Living With Fear: The Force That Holds, Molds, and Controls
5. Meltdown: The Impact of Stress and Learned Helplessness
6. Catalysts for Change
7. Voices of Hope: Survivors Speak
Appendices
Appendix A
Appendix B
Appendix C1
Appendix C2
Appendix D
Appendix E
Appendix F
References