Violence in the family is multifactorial, requiring a multidisciplinary approach. As a relatively new subject of scientific inquiry, theory and testing are at an early stage of development. However, there is strong evidence that victims of violence have often been exposed to violence in their families of origin. Experts agree that violence breeds violence. After a brief introduction, the author explains the psychodynamics at the basis of this unconscionable type of murder. He touches on projective identification and the symbioticfolie a' deuxfrom which the child tries to escape to achieve an autonomous self He presents a case study of matricide in which the victim is viewed as a maddening, pathologically abusive, domineering person, who, throughout the victimizer's life, had fostered his dependency on her.
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