Intimate Partner Violence
Areas Of Focus
Counterintuitive Behaviors Intimate Partner Violence
- Staying in the abusive relationship
- Impact of emotional abuse
- Returning to the abuser
- Protecting or defending the abuser
- Minimizing or denying the abuse
- Delayed reporting of abuse
- Not seeking help when given the opportunity
- Expressing love or concern for the abuser
- Recanting previous statements about abuse
- Remaining financially dependent on the abuser
- Allowing the abuser access to children
- Appearing calm or unemotional when describing abuse
- Blaming themselves for the abuse
- Not having visible injuries
- Not fighting back during abuse
- Initiating contact with the abuser after separation
- Refusing to cooperate with law enforcement
- Failing to disclose all incidents of abuse
- Engaging in risky or self-destructive behaviors
- Not initially disclosing sexual abuse
- Confusing details between abuse events and unrelated events
- More memory issues
- Staying silent in court or during interviews
- Cooperating with the abuser’s legal defense
- Distinguishing between primary and predominant aggressor
Why Expert Testimony Matters in Intimate Partner Violence Cases
Expert testimony in domestic violence cases helps explain patterns of abuse, including control, coercion, and why victims may stay or delay reporting. It provides insight into the psychological impact of abuse and challenges common myths, supporting a clearer, trauma-informed understanding of victim behavior.
- Explains complex patterns of abuse and coercive control, including cycles of tension-building, violent incidents, and remorse or “honeymoon” phases, which create confusion and trap survivors in dangerous relationships.
- Clarifies psychological impacts of trauma and intimidation, showing how chronic fear and trauma affect survivors’ emotional regulation, decision-making, and ability to plan safe exits.
- Educates on barriers to reporting abuse or leaving relationships, such as financial dependence, social isolation, threats to safety, child custody concerns, and emotional manipulation, providing context for seemingly counterintuitive survivor choices.
- Addresses survivor behaviors that may seem counterintuitive, including returning to the abuser, minimizing abuse, or inconsistent disclosures, explaining how trauma bonding and survival strategies influence these behaviors.
- Disrupts myths about victim agency and “choice,” emphasizing how trauma impairs perception of options and autonomy, countering the idea that survivors “choose” to stay or tolerate abuse.
- Contextualizes effects on parenting and children, explaining the complex ways domestic violence affects family dynamics, child development, and parenting.
- Supports understanding of modern abuse tactics, including technology-facilitated stalking, digital harassment, and covert surveillance, which extend control beyond physical violence and complicate escape efforts.