Citation

Langford DR. J. Fam. Nurs. 1998; 4(2): 167-181.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1998, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/107484079800400204

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This article describes the context of women's relationships with battering men. Social chaos as the context of battering emergedfrom a grounded theory study of women's perceptions of danger in their relationships with battering men. Social chaos is created by a combination of factors: abusive men's unpredictability and use of unbalancing behaviors, contradictions, women's impaired sense of self, and the secrecy of battering. Chaos creates a sense of danger in battered women and serves to control their behavior. Social chaos is a component of dangerousness and has implications for assessing danger in woman battering.

Language: en