In a recent news article, Lauren Derrett shares her personal experience as a victim of domestic violence. She starts off with a detailed account of “coming back from a state of unconscious, with my [her] husband standing over me [her]” (Derrett, 2017). She expresses that that particular incident would be the last time, after so many similar incidents in which she forgave her husband. She goes on to describe several past domestic violence encounters with her husband, and explains how he would use her own insecurities against her to convince her that she could not find a better relationship. Derrett justifies her quiet acceptance of the abuse as a means to save her kids the pain of another divorce. From an outsider’s perspective, Derrett was …show more content…
Derrett’s husband has a large amount of power over her, because she is dependent on him for a variety of factors. Derrett “would have taken all the abuse if it meant not having to put my [her] kids through another divorce” (Derrett, 2017). This gave her husband the power to do as he pleased, because he knew she would not leave him. Social exchange theory also claims that the comparison level of alternatives, the anticipated outcome from another attainable relationship, dictates whether someone leaves a relationship. In Derrett’s case, her husband made her feel as if she could not find another relationship, let alone a better one. He verbally abused her by telling her that no one would want her and her children and that even her own mother didn’t love her. This likely made Derrett believe that she had no possible alternative, making her relationship with her husband above the comparison level of alternatives. It took a near-death experience for Derrett to recognize that no relationship was better than her existing one, but once she came to that realization, she was quick to leave. Her closing message to the audience urges victims of domestic violence to take action and stand up for themselves, rather than remaining dependent on their