Physical and Emotional Abuse

For days, Casey had taken extra precautions to make sure that nothing upset Jamie. Casey kept the house extra clean, had Jamie’s favorite meals prepared for dinner every night, and tried to seem cheerful and upbeat. Still, Casey couldn’t get rid of the uneasy feeling that trouble was brewing with Jamie. It was eight o’clock, and Jamie still wasn’t home from work. Casey was concerned. When Jamie walked in the door, Casey smelled whiskey.

“Where have you been? I was so worried!” Casey exclaimed. Jamie’s eyes narrowed. In a low, angry voice, Jamie growled, “I’ll go where I damn well please,” and knocked Casey into the wall. Casey immediately apologized to Jamie, but it was too late.

“You constantly nag me,” Jamie yelled and hit Casey hard across the face. Casey fell to the ground and sobbed.

Jamie walked into the kitchen and said, “I’m hungry.”

Not wanting to make matters worse, Casey got up, walked into the kitchen, and started to warm up dinner. Casey’s mind was racing, “I can’t believe this is happening again. Jamie promised never again after the last time. Jamie promised!”

Discussion Questions

Take out a piece of paper and answer the following questions as quickly as possible:

1. Is Casey a female or male?

2. Is Jamie a female or male?

3. What do Casey and Jamie look like?

4. What is Casey’s racial/ethnic background?

5. What is Jamie’s racial/ethnic background?

6. Are Casey and Jamie heterosexual, gay, lesbian, or bisexual?

7. Are they married? 8. Does either Casey or Jamie have a disability?

9. Are Casey and Jamie religious?

10. What does Jamie do for a living?

11. What does Casey do for a living?

12. Are Casey and Jamie upper, middle, or lower socioeconomic status (SES)?

13. Whom do you blame for the violence in this relationship?

14. How do your answers to these questions reflect your biases about IPV? 15. How may this influence your work with clients?