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Unique Patterns in the United States

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Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science
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Synonyms

Cross-cultural variation in intimate partner violence; Domestic violence; Partner violence

Definition

Counter to what is seen in most countries, women are intimate partner violence perpetrators at a similar rate as are men in the United States. Aggression is modulated by environmentally sensitive brain mechanisms. The United States provides a unique set of societal forces that through these mechanisms promote higher levels of female-initiated intimate partner violence relative to other nations.

Introduction

Traditionally, men have been stereotyped as being perpetrators of intimate partner violence (IPV), whereas women have been depicted as victims. Early research suggested that if women were aggressive toward their male partners, it was in the context of self-defense (e.g., Dobash and Dobash 2004). However, in the last 50 years, research from the United States has suggested that women are just as likely to be the perpetrators of IPV, and in many samples they have been shown...

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Correspondence to Krystal D. Mize .

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Mize, K.D. (2017). Unique Patterns in the United States. In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_909-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_909-1

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