For over fifteen years South Carolina have been one of the top ten states of most women killed by men. The majority of the time it is ranked number one. Due to lack of action it does not seem that it is going anywhere anytime soon either. Although I have lived in South Carolina my whole life my views differ greatly from those I share my state with. Within my household I was taught that family violence is completely unacceptable. My mother taught me that family is all that I have, and my father taught me that men should never hit women. I completed a semester of service learning within the domestic violence funding department of Department of Social Services and the South Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault. My experience has taught me so much about the barriers that prevent victims from leaving their relationships which often leads to repeat abuse. This led me to wonder what the causes of domestic violence are. 

The article "Theoretical Basis for Family Violence" belonging to the Journal of Family Violence provides information on the theoretical basis of domestic violence. A list of psychological theories are given to address their relation to violence between partners. These theories fall under four main categories: psychoanalytic theories, social theories, cognitive behavioral theories, and family and systems theories. The psychoanalytic theories are about the feeling one can have inside that eventually lead them to being abusive towards their partner. Social theories address learned behavior that is passed down within the family. Cognitive behavioral theories are those that relate to behavior that is transferred from one to another. Family and systems theories focus on certain events that take place within the family household that can lead to domestic abuse. The Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence assisted in this research. Both authors, Maren Hyde-Nolan and Tracy Juliao, have their PhD. 

On the other hand, "Effects of Parental Substance Abuse on Domestic Violence," specifically addresses the effects that substance abuse has on domestic violence, and how it relates to intergenerational transmission. It explains that while the "intergenerational transmission," the transfer of behavior within generations, is small, it is very consistent. One of the reasons stated that following generations adopt this action is because observing it within their household makes it seem as if it's normal. Studies also show that children who are abused when they are young are more like to partake in partner violence as they mature. The more one is exposed to violence the higher the probability they will do the same themselves. The data provided within the article was obtained within a domestic violence treatment facility that men were referred to when seeking treatment. The article clearly states how the statistics for level of spousal family violence, level of parental spousal violence, and parental substance abuse were obtained. Author Kenneth Corvo attended the School of Social Work, and author Elizabeth Carpenter attended Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences making them both qualified to speak on the topic of intergenerational transmission processes. 

The article "Domestic Violence in Later Life" focuses specially on domestic violence as it relates to the elder. After doing research they recognized that 1 out of 10 people older than 60 reported being a victim of domestic violence. Domestic violence in the later life refers to those who experiences intimate partner abuse after the age of 50. The article states that it is easier for the abuser to successfully isolate the victim due to physical limitations. It also recognizes that while domestic violence is not limited to only one gender, it is acted out against women much more than men. Although the rate of women as victims is still higher, the amount of men as victims rose after the age of 50. The lowered gender differential is a result of increased disability of both men and women. There are many barriers that make it hard or nearly impossible for the victim to leave the abuser in the later life including health, financial issues, family, and religious beliefs. The author, Jacqueline Stutts works with the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence as the training specialist. 

Some may argue that becoming a batterer has no relation to circumstance, or condition. That it may just be an expression of dominance over a submissive. I agree that the household one grows up in, and also their circumstances influence their ability to become violent towards loved ones greatly. These views help me recognize the many different ways one can become a batterer. In order to more accurately determine the cause it would be more efficient to target a specific age group in my research question.

Knowing the different circumstances and reasons one becomes a batterer makes it easier to determine how to solve the problem. Different solutions can be applied to different cases of abuse to prevent further assault. Understanding these causes also helped determine that primary prevention is the most important course of action in terms of ending domestic violence. With this knowledge the community can work towards decreasing the rates of domestic homicide much more effectively. 

