Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (Clinical Psychology) in the Department of Psychology University of Zululand, 1993. / Violence by men against women has become a common occurrence. Exact statistics are, however, not available as police, hospital and social service records reflect only those incidences that are reported, while suspected large percentage of abused cases remain hidden form public awareness. The present study has been motivated by the fact that there is lack of literature on empirical investigations of women abused in South African families. The aim of the study is to present^ an understanding of violence-related interactional patterns in wife battering amongst the Zulu society in Natal. The project focused on interviewing wife-battering couples. The interviews involved individual (interviewing husband and wife separately) and joint interviews with the focus on the husband's wife's views on family interactions and battering. The results of the study indicate that wife battering in Zulu society is embedded in cultural conflicts. Men adhere to tradition, while women are pushing for a changed definition that is more westernized. This then, can be used as a basis for further exploratory studies which test wife battering and treatment programmes.

No description available.

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education in the Department of Educational Psychology, University of Zululand, 1992. / The aim of this study was : to describe the life-world of the abused child from a psychopedagogical perspective; and to determine, in the light of the findings obtained, certain guidelines according to which accountable support could be instituted in order to meet the needs of the abused child. The study initially outlines current thinking and research on child abuse, first identified as a clinical phenomenon in the 1960's. The early definition of child abuse included only physical abuse, known as "baby battering", but the definition has been broadened to include neglect, emotional abuse, failure-to-thrive, sexual abuse and cultural abuse. Furthermore, the characteristics of abusing parents and those factors that appear to pre-dispose a child to become the object of abuse are discussed. From a psychopedagogical perspective the abused child finds himself in a situation of dysfunctional education mainly because he goes through the difficult road to adulthood without the assistance and guidance of a responsible parent or adult. This results in the psychic life of the abused child being under-actualised. The lack of responsible adult intervention and guidance, which is based on the pedagogical principles of understanding, trust and authority, results in the abused child forming relationships within his life-world which are inadequate for his emancipation. The abused child thus fails to constitute a meaningful life-world. It would seem that poverty together with cultural sanctions which condone violence, stressful living conditions such as overcrowding, insufficient personal, financial and social resources, discrimination and deprivation, all interact with each other to produce fertile ground not only for abuse, but all forms of deviance. It was found that mothers were mainly responsible for abuse, particularly emotional abuse, neglect and abandonment This phenomenon can be explained by the fact that they are in the main responsible for the care of the children. The literature has shown that abusing parents have been abused themselves as children and know no other way of disaplining their children. They have not learned how to "parent". There are factors that pre-dispose the child to abuse ; prematurity, retardation, physical handicaps and the fact that the child is perceived by the parents as being "different". The review of the literature has emphasised the importance of the multi-disciplinary team in the treatment and prevention of child abuse. The role of a specialised unit in treating and preventing child abuse is recommended by some authors. Case conferences are described as a useful means of discussing cases intensively and reporting back to a committee or specialised unit. Education for family life, the outlawing of family violence, involving lay people in running community programmes, the development of better services in the community are all discussed as ways of preventing child abuse. In the light of the findings of this research, the following was recommended : * school social workers should be trained and placed at schools to assist and identify pedagogically neglected children; * that there should be a staff training programme for teachers with regard to the identification, intervention and counselling of abuse cases; * educational programmes directed at school children, parents, parents-to-be and professionals, are essential for the prevention of child abuse.

No description available.

This study investigated the differences in how domestically violent men processed social information before, during, and after the completion of treatment received from a Batterers Intervention Program in Florida. Men receiving mandatory treatment for domestic violence as the result of a court order were exposed to a series of hypothetical scenarios involving their intimate partners and women with whom they were not intimately acquainted. The scenarios were sculpted to create negative feelings in the men,and cognitive processing patterns were investigated by testing their recall of social cues, their perception of intentionality and hostility, response consideration, response decisions, enactment ability, and response evaluation. Data was collected from participants prior to their first treatment session, after 14 weeks, and upon completion of treatment after 26 weeks. The cognitive processing patterns of domestically violent men from a control group not receiving treatment were tested at the same points in time. Results of the study suggest that receiving treatment for domestic violence does have an effect on the cognitive processing patterns of domestically violent men. Namely, after receiving treatment, there is a greater consideration of more socially appropriate forms of behavioral responses, and less emotional comfort with intimate partner aggresssion. Implications of this study on research and treatment are discussed, and suggestions for improvement are made.

<p>Today several things point to the fact that many young women are being abused and sexual harassed. Despite that there is no knowledge about how the girls handle the violence or how the battering affects them. For that reason the purpose of this study is to describe and give a picture of some girl’s experiences of being battered of men they have or have had a relationship with. In focus is also how these girls identities are affected of the battering. These girls were between 16-24 years old when the battering started. </p><p>One important conclusion in this study is that if the attitudes of women battering can change, the power structure between the sexes be evident and the knowledge about women battering increase it might be easier for a lot of women. It could increase the possibility for girls and women to counter men’s power and for battered girls and women to change their situation at an earlier stage than they are able to today.</p>

Today several things point to the fact that many young women are being abused and sexual harassed. Despite that there is no knowledge about how the girls handle the violence or how the battering affects them. For that reason the purpose of this study is to describe and give a picture of some girl’s experiences of being battered of men they have or have had a relationship with. In focus is also how these girls identities are affected of the battering. These girls were between 16-24 years old when the battering started. One important conclusion in this study is that if the attitudes of women battering can change, the power structure between the sexes be evident and the knowledge about women battering increase it might be easier for a lot of women. It could increase the possibility for girls and women to counter men’s power and for battered girls and women to change their situation at an earlier stage than they are able to today.

For fragile families, external shocks to parents such as incarceration, illness, abuse, death, and divorce can be enough to push the entire family into homelessness. Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, I find statistically significant evidence that paternal incarceration, spousal abuse, and parental illness all increase the probability of childhood homelessness. However, I am unable to find a significant correlation between divorce and child homelessness. These findings imply large external shocks to the father, as well as both major external shocks and daily life habits such as drug abuse in the mother, can increase a child’s chance of homelessness. Additionally, I find that these results have a greater effect when they happen earlier in the child’s life, suggesting that policy directed at supporting fragile families with incarcerated fathers, abused mothers, and sick parents would be effective for decreasing childhood homelessness in the United States.

The rate of DV for AA women is higher than other groups and often more severe; however, some AA women are successful in leaving the violence for good. Researchers continue to examine how victims move beyond their former life and into an abuse free environment by directing more attention on positive dynamics of victims of DV. One area is the study of resilience; however, little is known about the lived experience of resilience. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of resilience in AA women who successfully abandoned an abusive relationship. The interview questions were used assist the participants in describing the lived experience of resilience. The survivor theory (ST) was used to demonstrate the participants' active role in leaving the relationship. ST was also used to dispute past research that indicated victims give up hope and therefore remain in the abusive relationship. Ten AA women from the Bell County, Texas area who are at least 18-years-old and have been free of an abusive relationship for 2 years were interviewed. Participants' perceptions were extracted and analyzed for patterns and themes using face-to-face interviews and written surveys. Data analysis procedures included the process of reducing participants' similar themes and statements in search of meaning. Results revealed three common themes that include having a positive mindset, establishing a strong relationship with God, and taking various forms of actions toward gaining control. Implications for social change include using the findings toward increasing education, intervention, and other supportive means used by those who provide services to victims.

<p>The purpose of this study was to do a narrative survey of the discussion about violence in partner relationships that is held in research literature. The question at issue was: How do research literature discuss violence in partner relationships, with focus on heterosexual relationships? The eight primary documents that have been chosen are written by researchers, professional therapists, National Counsil for Women's protection (Nationellt Råd för Kvinnofrid, NRK) and Swedish Government Official Report (Statens Offentliga Utredningar, SOU). To investigate the theories, discover the similarities and differences between them and how they can complement each other, the documents statements has been analyzed with a dialectic-hermeneutic approach and social constructionism and discourse theory.</p><p>The research findings showed that the gender perspective theory, the psychodynamic theory and the social psychology theory have a few things in common, but that they on the whole are different and contradict each other. The gender perspective theory dominates the discussion but needs to be combined with the other theories to give a more all-embracing understanding. A multidimensional model seems to be necessary.</p>