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Symbolic Interactionist Approach to Domestic Violence

NCJ Number
109227
Author(s)
J E Stets
Date Published
1987
Length
253 pages
Annotation
Based on indepth, taped interviews with couples involved in violent relationships, this dissertation argues that because domestic violence is embedded in a stream of ongoing, face-to-face interaction, an analysis of abuse must account for both parties' perspectives.
Abstract
Nine couples were recruited from a male battering program in the Midwest, and interviews were conducted from July to October 1985. The majority were in their late twenties and had some college education. The couples' income was relatively low, with 75 percent earning less than $14,000 a year. After describing the couples, the author develops a symbolic interactionist model to explain how the respondents made sense of their violence. The study found that when the self or other became an object of reflection, emotions and behavior were discussed in an attempt to rationalize the violence. Respondents established this meaning through the notion of control. They viewed emotions as out of control and behavior as both in and out of their control. The paper develops a model which explains the underlying process of violence in terms of control, including the stages of the violent act and the relevance of the 'I' and 'Me' of the self. The model resolves competing explanations in the literature, that violence is controlled versus violence is impulsive, by showing the conditions under which each is true. Forms, statistics, and case histories are appended. (Author abstract modified)

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