People have been caught up in the fascinating and disturbing slander trial involving Johnny Depp and his ex-wife, Amber Heard. He is accusing her of defamation for a post written under her name. The testimony revealed that the column was, in fact, written by the American Civil Liberties Union in an agreement with the organization at the time of the release of its Aquaman film. One of the highlights of the case has been the allegation that the abuse between Depp and Heard was reciprocal.
At the moment you are reading this, the issue remains. However, both individuals have testified, supported by clips, witnesses and other evidence, that the other was involved in physical and emotional abuse. The couple's psychotherapist, Dr. Laurel Anderson, testified that the couple was unstable; Depp and Heard abused each other. Anderson implied that Heard started the physical attacks, not for self-defense, but to prevent Depp from running away from her. This would not justify Depp's abusive behavior, but points to a complex dynamic that Anderson called "mutual abuse."
The use of the term in court sparked protests by domestic violence lawyers. These arguments were based mainly on the notion of power dynamics - that in relationships there is usually a major abuser. However, decades of psychological research run counter to these notions, which are often based on gender stereotypes.
For most violent crimes, male perpetrators are far more numerous than women. But for crimes that occur between families, this dynamic changes. Examining places where they are stressed abused or in emergency rooms may miss many male victims - men tend to under-report abuse - but when surveyed, women generally admit to using violence on an equal footing with men. Evidence since the 1970s has shown that domestic violence is perpetrated by women as often as by men and is usually motivated by the same reasons, although, in line with gender stereotypes, female violence is often described as reactive to male violence. Ironically, the spread of mutual abuse makes this easier to do.
Dhuna në familje shpesh shoqërohet me një diagnozë të Çrregullimit të Personalitetit 'Borderline' (BPD), i cili karakterizohet nga impulsiviteti dhe paqëndrueshmëria emocionale. Një psikolog që dëshmoi në rastin e Depp sugjeroi se Heard mund të ketë BPD, e cila në përgjithësi është më e zakonshme tek gratë sesa tek burrat.
Në një përmbledhje të literaturës, psikologia Elizabeth Bates zbuloi se abuzimi i ndërsjellë është, në fakt, modeli më i zakonshëm për çiftet që përjetojnë dhunë në familje. Kjo nuk do të thotë se ky model është i vërtetë për çdo situatë, vetëm se është shumë më i zakonshëm nga sa e kupton publiku i gjerë. Në mënyrë tipike, individët e kyçur në këtë model kanë histori të mëparshme abuzimi dhe shqetësime të rëndësishme për shëndetin mendor: Dhuna në familje shpesh është pjesë e një plejade më të madhe mosfunksionimi.
"Advocates" associated with violence against women may fear that acknowledging the abuse of women or reciprocal abuse will result in the public taking violence against women less seriously. Therefore, we must be clear that any violence against women is punishable and we must continue to work to reduce it. However, this observation should not contradict the intention to reduce all domestic violence, regardless of the perpetrator.
Of course, we can not say for sure what happened to the Heard / Depp family. However, Anderson was right when he observed that mutual abuse is a real phenomenon. Not knowing this makes it harder, not easier, to work on reducing domestic violence.
Source: Psychology Today
