Are victims of domestic violence passive and unwilling to help themselves?
What at first may appear to be “crazy” or inappropriate behavior on the part of the victim (e.g., repeatedly missing appointments, being afraid to use legal remedies or seek battered women’s advocacy services, or wanting to return to the perpetrator in spite of severe violence) may in fact be normal reactions to a “crazy” and very frightening situation. A victim uses many different strategies to cope with and resist abuse. Such strategies include: agreeing with the perpetrator’s denial and minimization of the violence in public, accepting the perpetrator’s promises that it will never happen again, saying that she “still loves him,” being unwilling to terminate the relationship, and doing what is asked. These strategies may appear to be the result of passivity or submission, when in reality the victim has learned that these are sometimes successful temporary means of stopping the violence. Sometimes the victim will begin to terminate the relationship by seeking assistance from the court
