Shattered Vision: Disenchantment of Couplehood Among Female Survivors of Violence in the Shadow of Their Family-of-Origin Experiences

Abstract

This article describes and analyzes the relationship disenchantment of couplehood among female survivors of violence and their family-of-origin experiences of abuse. Twenty Israeli women who were survivors of violence participated in this qualitative research. Each woman underwent three in-depth interviews, two for data collection and one for validating the themes emerging from content analysis. Data analysis revealed that female survivors of violence aim to overcome the distress and pain of emotional and physical violence experienced in their family of origin, by constructing a couplehood vision imbued with a feeling of power, meaning, hope, and freedom. Partner violence shattered the women’s vision of couplehood, leading to crisis, disillusionment, and disenchantment in their marital relationships.