ABSTRACT
Violence and abuse do not exist in a vacuum but are nourished and encouraged by the values and beliefs of both individuals and societies. The wish to dominate and possess others, the seeing of others as objects rather than human beings, self-importance and greed, the fear of intimacy, the need to be tough and hard alongside the avoidance of vulnerability. These are just some of the conditions in which violence and abuse thrive. They are also strongly associated with male identity and would appear to be inimical to love.
