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Abstract
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OBJECTIVES: This study explores the context and experience of violent married women.
METHODS: Participants included 5 women in batterer counseling programs who had previously received legal punishment due to marital violence. Using a qualitative-heuristic methodology, core structures and common patterns of violence were discovered.
RESULTS: Similarities were explored between the participants' childhood backgrounds, marriages, and occurrences of violence. The core structure was displayed as "survival violence," based on the act of violence. Survival violence indicates that the victim of continual violence from her husband ultimately responds with violence and converts to the role of the abuser. In view of the common patterns, survival violence was seen to occur in accumulated interaction with the husband. Women's motivations for violence as expressed by the participants of the study were "anger diffusive," "retributive," "past preventative," and "means of survival." Conclusions: The researchers discussed implications and offered practical suggestions for improving the effectiveness of interventions with women who use violence against their spouses.
Language: ko |