Affiliation:
1. Department of Psychology, University of Cape Town, Private Bag, Rondebosch, 7701, South Africa,
Abstract
Woman abuse and other forms of gender-based violence are key obstacles to gender equity across the globe. Researchers have examined the problem of woman abuse from a multitude of perspectives. However, little research has focused specifically on both partners' constructions of their relationships. This article is based upon a study that examined how women and men in intimate heterosexual relationships attribute meaning to the man's perpetration of violence against a woman partner. Narrative interviews were conducted with women and men who constituted 15 heterosexual couples. In this study participants' narratives of self, other, relationship and violence included ambiguous constructions of victims and perpetrators; constructions of violent relationships as cyclical in nature; constructions of woman abuse as a problem of the self; narrations of violence as a mutual endeavour and all-encompassing narratives of power and control. This study provided insight into the subjective, relational and gendered dynamics of abusive relationships, illustrated the significance of the context in shaping the ways in which experiences are narrated, and showed the value of poststructuralist theorizing to feminist psychology.
Subject
General Psychology,Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous),Gender Studies
Cited by
102 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献