The Frustration-Aggression Theory holds the most hope for understanding the cause of family violence. This theory is more complete than others because oftentimes abusers set goals for themselves as a result of their experience. For example, if a male was molested as child, it is likely that they will become domineering as an adult. This male may very well exert his power on to other members of the family as an effort to establish and sustain his manhood; refusing to ever be over powered again. Another example would be a married man who kills in search of his estranged wife. Both examples were situations in which individuals may be "frustrated" and display "aggression" to individuals who may prevent them from achieving certain goals. Therefore, other theories could very well be causes of family violence, but are incomplete and unable to hold a general understanding or cause of family violence. .
Individuals choosing to use or even to misuse a certain substance or another could be argued to be the underlying cause of Family Violence. However, the reality of the Substance Abuse Theory is that it fails to explain why many people who drink until they are considered to be drunk and or take drugs do not abuse their partners or family members. Likewise, abusers may be violent without the use of alcohol or other drugs. Abusers who use alcohol or drugs may use this as an excuse for their behavior saying "I was drunk" or "I don't remember". Even if they genuinely don't remember, it is nearly impossible to deny the feelings or what actually occurred that may have provoked them to behave violently and thus it doesn't remove responsibility for their behavior. There is much more to be considered to identify the cause of Family Violence than simply being an effect of intoxication or alcohol/drug dependency. If an abuser is alcohol/drug dependent, it is important that this is treated in tandem with addressing the violent behavior.
