The Abuser
There is no “profile” which defines an abuser. Domestic Violence is not confined to certain groups. Abusers may be either gender, any race, religion, ethnic background, economic class, educational level, age or marital status. Frequently abusers deny that their behaviors and attitudes are abusive, and many are quite gregarious and charming outside of the home.
The Victim
There is no “profile” which defines a victim either. As with the abuser, victims may be either gender, any race, religion, ethnic background, ecomomic class, educational level, age or marital status. Victims also may deny that certain behaviors and attitudes are abusive. This may be as a result of ignorance about what constitutes domestic violence and the belief that physical force, coercion and threats are normal behavior. Denial may also come from a feeling of powerlessness and frustration, or shame and embarrassment.
