Living With Crazy: My Experiences of an Abusive Wife (Part IV)

Abstract

With divorce rates in the United States hovering at around 50%, there are clearly issues creating rifts between spouses, and domestic abuse accounts for some of this statistic. However, abuse in which the female is the primary instigator is less recognized even though common (Archer, 2000). The purpose of this continuing memoir (see Farris & Baghurst, 2013a,b) is to provide an account of one man's experiences of an abusive wife. In this section, details are recounted of mistrust, a near-death experience during a high speed chase, physical separation, efforts to discuss the marriage with church leaders, reunification, and eventual permanent separation. The overarching aim of this section of the memoir is to better understand how one man struggled to reach a decision to divorce, while overcoming some of the stigma that accompanies males who claim abuse by their partners.