Battered Woman Syndrome

Battered women Syndrome is a patter of signs and symptoms appearing in a women who are physically and mentally abused over an extended period by a husband or dominant individual. This syndrome was first proposed in the 1970's and was basically based on the clinical observations of a single researcher. The constructs of Battered Woman Syndrome or BWS has been conceptualized as subcategory of posttraumatic stress disorder. It is composed of the following symptoms:

a. re-experiencing the battering as if it were reoccurring even when it is not.

b. attempts to avoid the psychological impact of battering by avoiding activities, people and emotions.

c. hyper arousal or hyper vigilance

d. disrupted interpersonal relationships

e. body image distortion or other somatic concerns

f. sexuality and intimacy issues ()

The case of Yvonne Wanrow, decided by the supreme Court of the Sate of Washington in 1977, marked a pivotal advance for woman in the content of self-defense. () In my opinion, Battered Woman Syndrome is a probable cause from women to commit crimes but should be a viewed a cause and not an excuse. Many women put their selves in an abusive situation and have many option of relieving themselves from it instead of violent crime. In my opinion, I do view it as a sickness or disorder due to the fact that after a certain amount of abuse, it can alter the mindset of an individual. In the case of Judy Norman, I believe she still should have been convicted of murder and maybe have found a better way of dealing with her abusive husband, such as reporting those incidents to law enforcement. In my opinion, she only has a reliable defense if at the exact moment she feared for her life and killed him in self-defense.