Why male offenders commit violent crimes against female partners

Two recent spinechilling murders of women in which a 16yearold girl was stabbed in Delhi and a 28yearold woman was chopped into pieces in Mumbai have reignited the debate around womenrsquos safety in the countryThere has been an ongoing debate on what contributes to such behaviours Is it nature or nurture The answer to this question is not straightforward says a citybased psychologist Trisha Daruwala It has been noticed that genetics do play a role in establishing some aspects of emotionality but our experiences play a role in determining whether they will be displayed or notHence rather than being tied up in this debate research suggests that it might be more helpful to examine the influences of biological psychological and social factors on behaviour This can be termed as the biopsychosocial theoryBiological influencesA range of studies have shown that neurological abnormalities have been found in the minds of coldblooded killers Some of the major brain areas that have been observed to play a role are the prefrontal cortex and amygdala The formerrsquos subpart ndash the neocortex possibly lacks cortical density or thickness of persons with psychopathy which are brain regions implicated in processing and recognizing emotions This explains the symptom of the inability to feel remorseAlso Read Dalit woman says kept as bonded labourer raped by 11 and left for deadAdditionally they had a lesser level of activation in the amygdala which can make a person fearless Hence amygdala disinhibition can explain the low moral evaluations and normalcy while committing a gruesome crime However the extent to which biological factors are involved highly depends on the kind of environmental exposure the individual has experiencedPsychological theoriesPsychoanalysis based on deviant behaviour has various aims Some try to understand variables that relate to such behaviour while others try to understand what maintains such behaviours We will try to focus on the latter keeping in mind the context of the article1 Learning theoriesWithin these theories in the context of criminal behaviour there is the theory of differential association It posits that criminal behaviour is a result of what we have learned from our environment about deviant behaviours and how frequently those behaviours were reinforced when they were performed2 Personality TheoriesA popular model called FiveFactorModel FFM also called lsquoBig Giversquo can be employed to understand the personality profile of psychopaths As per research their profile shows low scores on conscientiousness cautious dutiful selfdiscipline selfefficacy and agreeableness cooperation morality sympathy and others There are midrange scores on neuroticism emotional dysregulation vulnerability moderation and othersAnother important personality construct is narcissism There is arrogance social boldness and dominant behaviours displayed As per research longterm substance use is seen as an independent risk factor for violence and the diagnosis of substance abuse disorder places an individual at risk of violence more than any other mental illness and elevated substance abuse in psychopaths largely explains related violent crime3 Social FactorsResearch shows the following factors can exacerbate their tendencies towards physical expressionA Living within psychotic householdsB Witnesses to psychotic parental ragesC History of physical abuseD Patriarchal culture holds favours to violent behaviours in boys as a means to combat a threat to their virilitySpecific to Partner KillingDaruwala lists down major reasons that lead to violent crimes against female partners by male offendersA Anger due to instances of infidelityB Estrangement A desire to control Loss of control can triggerThe social learning theory posits that individuals resort to violence to achieve desired behaviours through observing violent behaviours especially in childhood Children often learn through modelling and when men witness such behaviour from their fathers in childhood their likelihood of abusing their wives in adulthood increasesAlso Read Womenrsquos safety Keep these lsquoessential itemsrsquo in your bag to protect yourself