According to the traditional view of family violence, the etiology of child abuse, incest, and spouse abuse is primarily within or between individuals. This individualistic approach has led to the overemphasis on the culpability of women in the etiology of violence. It has failed to examine the influence of gender and sex-role socialization on individual victims and perpetrators. On the basis of current research, which challenges the individualistic and sexist analysis of family violence, this article presents an expanded interpretation of and alternative methods for treating family violence.
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