Essentially humans, like most species want to be around others like them. They want to settle down,
form relationships, make connections and have a sense of belonging without which they feel
incomplete. In the words of Baumeister and Leary, “it seems fair to conclude that human beings are
fundamentally and pervasively motivated by a need to belong, that is, by a strong desire to form and
maintain enduring interpersonal attachments.” They want to form lasting bonds and feel close to
others, this also means that they are hesitant to break them even if that means having to endure
beatings and inhumane treatment. This thesis paper hopes to prove that, even when relationships turn
out to be unhealthy and abusive, people still have a difficult
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in “A thousand splendid suns”, written by Khaled Hosseini. Mariam, a 15 year old girl is forcefully
married off to Rasheed, a man almost thirty years older than her. At this point in the story Mariam is
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The majority of victims in abusive relationships are by far women. A national report on domestic abuse
in Afghanistan has showed that an overwhelming majority of woman, 87.2%, experienced at least one
form of physical, sexual or psychological violence or forced marriage. But it was also seen that women
who experience domestic violence don’t seek a legal divorce, partly due to economic dependence on
their husbands and cultural pressure to keep families united. As a result, only 5% of cases involving
violence against women surveyed by the UN in a recent report ended in prosecution in a formal court.
People are not able to break away from relationships because of various reasons. For example the might
have low self esteem and think that whatever their partner is doing to them is their own fault and that
they should a better job at pleasing them. The victims of abusive relationships in most cases show signs
of mental illnesses like post traumatic stress disorder and chronic depression as seen in various studies.
Thus their whole lives fall apart , but most of the times the victim can find aid from their loved one