APA Dictionary of Psychology

rationalizations given by individuals who beat their spouses or domestic partners. These may include claims of provocation, or that beating a spouse or partner is acceptable in the batterer’s culture, or that the batterer was angry. The victim of battering may come to believe in the batterer’s excuses, and such self-blame or other justifications for the abuser’s behavior can make it more difficult for the person to leave the relationship without adequate support. See also blaming the victim; cycle of violence.