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Simple English definitions for legal terms
battered-person syndrome
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A quick definition of battered-person syndrome:
Battered-person syndrome: A condition that affects people who have suffered physical, sexual, or emotional abuse from a spouse or lover. It was first described in the 1970s and consists of a cycle of violence that includes tension-building, acute battering, and loving-contrition stages. This syndrome is sometimes used as a defense for women who kill their abusers.
A more thorough explanation:
Battered-person syndrome is a medical and psychological condition that affects individuals who have suffered physical, sexual, or emotional abuse from a spouse or partner. It is also known as battered-woman syndrome.
The syndrome was first described in the 1970s by Dr. Lenore Walker. It consists of a three-stage cycle of violence:
- The tension-building stage, which may include verbal and mild physical abuse
- The acute battering stage, which includes stronger verbal abuse, increased physical violence, and perhaps rape or other sexual abuse
- The loving-contrition stage, which includes the abuser's apologies, attentiveness, kindness, and gift-giving
Battered-person syndrome is sometimes used as a defense to justify or mitigate a person's killing of their abuser.
For example, if a woman kills her abusive husband after years of physical and emotional abuse, she may argue that she was suffering from battered-woman syndrome and acted in self-defense.
Another example is a man who has been repeatedly sexually assaulted by his partner. He may develop battered-person syndrome and struggle with feelings of shame, guilt, and fear.