Widom, Cathy Spatz: The Cycle of Violence

Matthew D. Makarios

The cycle of violence is the process in which individuals who are victims of child abuse become more likely to engage in violent and criminal behavior as adults. Cathy Spatz Widom has been a leading scholar on the cycle of violence and has published research that (1) shows support for the cycle of violence, (2) attempts to explain the cycle of violence, (3) examines how females in particular respond to child abuse and neglect, and (4) attempts to explain resilience to abuse and neglect. Her primary research was the building block that established support for the relationship between abuse and neglect. Subsequent follow-ups and extensions have been conducted that elaborated on the relationship between childhood victimization and crime. In 1992, sponsored by the National Institute of Justice, Widom sought to examine whether violence begets violence. That is, Widom looked to answer the question “How likely is it that today's abused ...

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