In place of healthy self-esteem, Jim had habitually turned to Shirley for comfort. When Shirley, even for a few minutes, “betrayed him” by focusing elsewhere, he found himself becoming enraged. When Jimmy’s defense of merger failed him, he turned to the defense of elevation. Rage never abandoned Jimmy. Like an ideal wife, rage was always available to him, night or day, at a moment’s notice. These are the common dynamics of domestic violence.
