Illinois Administrative Code
Title 89 - SOCIAL SERVICES
Part 501 - PARTNER ABUSE INTERVENTION
Subpart C - GRANTS
Appendix A - Attitudes and Behaviors Addressed in Group Activities

The belief that men are superior to women and have the right to dominate them may be a principal contributor to partner abuse.

a) Group activities shall focus on the following attitudes and behaviors:

1) Belief in egalitarian partnership;

2) Respect for equal rights;

3) Awareness that abuse is an intentional strategy designed to exert power and control over intimate partners;

4) Identification and appropriate expression of a full range of emotions;

5) Awareness of the financial costs on families and society (police, employers, courts) of intimate partner violence;

6) Empathy for the victim's experience;

7) Understanding the negative effects of the abuse on victims, children, abusers, the community and society as a whole;

8) Encouraging examination of life experiences and belief systems (e.g., family, community and culture) that have fostered choices for abusive behavior;

9) Nonabusive beliefs and choices; and

10) Acknowledgement and consideration of others' needs that are independent of abusers' needs.

b) Group activities shall challenge, among others, the following attitudes:

1) Justification of violence, such as revenge, retaliation, etc.;

2) Normalization of the violence;

3) Right/need to exert power and control over intimate partners;

4) Self-centered thinking;

5) Substance abuse and past victimization cause violent behavior;

6) Rigid sex-role stereotypes;

7) Aggression as a conflict resolution tool; and

8) Oppressive beliefs systems (e.g., sexism, racism, bias based on sexual orientation) that result in violent behavior.