Section 501.APPENDIX A   Attitudes and Behaviors Addressed in Group Activities

The belief that men are superior to women and have the right to dominate them may be a principal contributor to partner abuse.

a)         Group activities shall focus on the following attitudes and behaviors:

1)         Belief in egalitarian partnership;

2)         Respect for equal rights;

3)         Awareness that abuse is an intentional strategy designed to exert power and control over intimate partners;

4)         Identification and appropriate expression of a full range of emotions;

5)         Awareness of the financial costs on families and society (police, employers, courts) of intimate partner violence;

6)         Empathy for the victim's experience;

7)         Understanding the negative effects of the abuse on victims, children, abusers, the community and society as a whole;

8)         Encouraging examination of life experiences and belief systems (e.g., family, community and culture) that have fostered choices for abusive behavior;

9)         Nonabusive beliefs and choices; and

10)        Acknowledgement and consideration of others' needs that are independent of abusers' needs.

b)         Group activities shall challenge, among others, the following attitudes:

1)         Justification of violence, such as revenge, retaliation, etc.;

2)         Normalization of the violence;

3)         Right/need to exert power and control over intimate partners;

4)         Self-centered thinking;

5)         Substance abuse and past victimization cause violent behavior;

6)         Rigid sex-role stereotypes;

7)         Aggression as a conflict resolution tool; and

8)         Oppressive beliefs systems (e.g., sexism, racism, bias based on sexual orientation) that result in violent behavior.