We all know the story of a battered housewife. It may be a horrendous injuries inflicted on a nursing or even a pregnant mother or a seemingly simple case of a love-and-hate cycle.

Wife tells a friend that she was shocked when husband slapped her but consoles her self by saying that he’ll never do it again. Wife’s friend disagrees but she will convince her by telling her friend how apologetic husband was. It started with a slap and it will continue to be so but wife is forced to remain silent. Wife’s friend would ask her if he’s still hurting her. Wife will not tell. She would even cover him up by inventing stories. Wife may go to the hospital or bleed in front of her children but she won’t leave him. She knows he will tell her how sorry he is for beating her.

It was just a slap. He apologized and said he’d never do it again. But he did do it again and the next time he hurt her. He was contrite. She was confused. In the years after the first slap, the violence escalated. She was hospitalized twice. But she didn’t leave. She loved him. He said he loved her. And he was always so sorry afterwards. It’s important to understand why she stayed and what she can do to break the cycle of battering.

It’s a vicious cycle waiting to be broken through constant consultation and awareness. The battered wife syndrome is a difficult one to settle especially when friends remain oblivious to the psychological and emotional condition of the battered wife.