The Myth of Mutuality, Issue Brief No. 6

“While it may appear that teen dating violence is often mutual in a way that it is not for adults, it is important to understand that the dynamics of power and control are still present in teen’s abusive relationships. (…) Understanding and paying attention to the reasons underlying each teen’s behavior in a situation of apparently mutual violence will enable you as a service provider to better determine which party is the predominant aggressor. Identifying the predominant aggressor and the victim is necessary to understand what happened in a given incident and in the history of the relationship and is also important in allowing you to provide the best possible resources to the teens.”