Different theories have been put forward in order to better understand the phenomenon of family violence. Resource theory seeks to explain family violence through the different resources at the disposal of the perpetrator of family violence. These resources may include financial, social, and even physical force. The more resources a person may have, the stronger the strength of force, not necessarily physical force, that a person can command.
In the case of the family, violence can be directed to the wife by the husband or by the parents to the children (Gelles, 2005). This is strong theory that can explain the occurrence of family violence.The husband, or even the parents, if they feel deprived or that they lack of resources, they will try to compensate such lack by asserting authority through violence or physical force. If there are more resources, such as money, property, and others, available at the disposal of a person, there is less need to use physical force.
These resources can actually be used to enforce the authority of the person. An example would be the way that parents threaten to remove a child’s access to computers, phone, or any other gadgets to bring their behavior in line with the parents’ expectations.The problem, however, is when the man or both parents lack the resources to enforce their will on the members of their family. If this occurs, physical force and violence may become the last resort in enforcing their will.
If the husband, the wife, or both parents have low income, low level of education, or if they do not have good negotiation and interpersonal skills, they tend to use violence more. They will use violence or physical force to compensate for what the lack of resources that they feel. Their main goal is to maintain the dominance that they have in the family.
