An examination of variables from a social-developmental model to explain physical and psychological dating violence

This study examined individual difference variables derived from a social-developmental perspective to help explain physical and psychological violence in dating relationships. Participants completed measures of physical and psychological violence, self-esteem, personal power, peer relations, romantic love, codependency and dominance. Self-esteem, personal power and peer relations were variables from the social-developmental model that, with dominance, predicted dating violence. Males were more likely to report receiving violence, females more likely to report inflicting violence. Those participants reporting bidirectional physical violence, both receiving and inflicting physical violence, experienced the most frequent physical and psychological violence. The implications of these findings for understanding the origins and the context of dating violence are discussed.