RT Article
T1 Testing the Validity of an Internal Power Theory of Interpersonal Violence
JF Journal of interpersonal violence
VO 36
IS 15/16
SP 7223
OP 7248
A1 Wagers, Shelly M.
A1 Wareham, Jennifer
A1 Sellers, Christine S.
A2 Wareham, Jennifer
A2 Sellers, Christine S.
LA English
YR 2021
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1763010791
AB The assertion that the motive behind battering is “power and control” is commonly accepted. Indeed, the most commonly cited “theory” behind Batterer Intervention Programs, a primary criminal justice system response to domestic violence, is that domestic violence offenders are motivated by their need to obtain “power and control.” However, this theory has not been fully developed or empirically tested. Researchers have argued for the need to turn attention back to developing better theoretical models with clear conceptualizations and operationalizations of the power construct. Wagers articulated such a theory and introduced a “super construct” called internal power. This article seeks to further develop and empirically test Wagers’s theory. Confirmatory factor analysis is used to examine the viability of the internal power construct, and structural equation modeling is used to test the relationship between the internal power factor and self-reported interpersonal abusive behaviors. Findings indicate internal power is a viable construct that warrants further exploration and offer preliminary support for internal power theory as an explanation of intimate partner violence.
K1 intervention/treatment
K1 Batterers
K1 Violent offenders
K1 mental health and violence
K1 Domestic Violence
K1 anything related to domestic violence
DO 10.1177/0886260519834092