Graduate

My main interest is to do a comprehensive analysis, not precisely of data and statistics, but of the way in which regios, Monterrey residents, live and perceive the current wave of violence. This is the perception of violence, crime and fear in Mexico’s so-called post-neoliberal era, focusing on Monterrey’s situation. How do people talk about the increasing perception of violence? Has this perception of violence changed the way in which they live? Are there different perceptions of violence across classes? What does this discourse tell us about how they live/assimilate/reproduce the violence and fear in greater society? How can we make sense of it? I argue that fear of crime and violence are playing a crucial role in disciplining citizens’ lives across classes and that their subjectivities and self-governing techniques, fostered by the neoliberal structure of government, have evolved in a very particular way. / text

This thesis explores women’s disclosure of domestic violence, and is based on the findings of two research studies. The first study explored prevalence rates of domestic violence reported by women following childbirth. The subsequent narrative study explored women’s experiences of disclosure and their interactions with statutory agencies. The research was influenced by a feminist epistemology, recognizing the marginalisation of the women’s experiences from a subjugated relationship, addressing the power relationship between the researcher and participants and because of the significant disparity between gendered lives. The study was conducted in two parts. A survey of five hundred women in the immediate postnatal period within a large NHS Hospital participated in the first part of the study. The second study involved narrative interviews with fifteen women living within their own community who talked about their experiences of domestic violence and issues surrounding disclosure. Women’s stories about disclosure including the responses they received were influenced by cultural narratives. The theories of social power have been utilized as an explanatory framework and provide the theoretical basis of the analysis. The study found low levels of disclosure at two specific points along the pregnancy/childbirth continuum; during booking in clinic and in the immediate postnatal period. Furthermore, the findings revealed three specific tactics used by perpetrators to engage women in the early relational stage with the intentionality of exerting control and subjugation. These have been termed feeling special, feeling vulnerable and commitment. Whilst women talked of coercion and subjugation by their partners, they also talked of how their interactions with statutory agencies limited their agency. The significance of this study is that the thesis was able to challenge contemporary policies developed by statutory agencies in the provision of support to women who experience domestic violence. The thesis develops some understanding of the nature and role of cultural narratives and patterns of disclosure before suggesting new directions to further advance the findings presented. Finally, the thesis proposes recommendations to improve training for statutory agencies in providing a response to women disclosing domestic violence, suggesting a new direction in thinking about the facilitation of this training.

In the last fifteen years, the problem of domestic violence has moved from being a 'behind closed doors' phenomenon to an issue of increasing public concern. This concern has inevitably coincided with increasing research efforts. The majority of this research has focused on men who batter female partners. Attempted explanations for this problem have arisen from general theories of aggression as well as research identifying the unique characteristics of domestically violent men. This study proposed a new direction for domestic violence research, considering domestic violence as a process. The application of such a conceptualisation was intended to capture both the dynamic and complex nature of these events. A qualitative methodology based on Grounded Theory was used to delineate a descriptive model of the offence process in domestic violence from interviews with ten participants currently incarcerated at Paparua Prison, Christchurch. These men had current or prior convictions for domestic violence offences. The model that emerged from this study consists of four temporally sequential phases which are described and discussed. These consist of: background factors, buildup/ offence context phase, offence phase and post-offence phase. It is suggested that this offence process model will provide a framework for the evaluation of current causal explanations, has the potential to enhance the development ofnew hypotheses and has utility in terms of alterring current conceptualisations of effective intervention packages.

Issues regarding confidentiality and potential dangerousness, when an individual is seen in outpatient psychotherapy, are addressed in this study which was derived from a controversial California Supreme Court decision. The Tarasoff holding imposed a duty to protect upon psychotherapists where the therapist knew, or should have known, that there was a treat of violence to a third party. This case appeared to pit society's interest in the prevention of violence against its interest in effective psychotherapy (through a postulated cost to the psychotherapy relationship of a duty to warn involving a breaching of confidentiality). A two-pronged research procedure consisting of a survey of 278 psychotherapists and a structured interview with 61 psychiatric outpatients was utilized to collect data regarding the decision-making process that a therapist employs when confronted with a potentially aggressive patient. It was found that, in general, dangerous outpatients both entered psychotherapy voluntarily and were potentially violent before entering treatment. Such individuals did not frequently meet the legal criteria for commitment and were reported to be more dangerous toward intimates than strangers. The formation of a therapeutic alliance did not appear to be a necessary condition for the patient to reveal dangerousness. Findings from therapist responses revealed that they infrequently responded to potential violence by committing the patient to a hospital or by notifying the police. Their most common responses were more frequent psycotherapy and voluntary hospitalization. Warnings were reported as an intermediate level response. Outpatient respondents indicated that their they considered it appropriate for a therapist to use information from therapy sessions to warn others in the case of serious threats. Confidentiality did not appear to be a premier concern, with few outpatients reporting that they would abandon treatment if confidentiality were broken during a homicidal emergency. Finally, warnings may not significantly impair a therapy alliance nor create an appreciable level of psychotherapy attrition. This finding is suggestive that, from a social policy perspective, a warning may be an efficacious procedure and may not generate the commonly predicted thwarting of effective treatment and ultimate reduction in public safety.

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<p>Working from a child participatory perspective, the study aimed to explore children's perceptions and experiences of screen violence. Within this process there is an attempt to understand how children assign meaning to these violent screen images at an interpersonal and broader social level.</p>

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of women's anger and religiosity on their expression of violence toward their partner. The sample consisted of the 664 women who completed three interviews for Project HOW: Health Outcomes of Women, a study of low-income, ethnically diverse women in Dallas county. Across the waves, women completed measures of relationship violence, anger, and religiosity. Religiosity was not found to moderate the relationship between women's anger and their use of violence. When partners' threats and violence were included in the regression equations, these variables were consistently related to women's behavior. Due to several methodological limitations, clinical implications of the results should be considered with caution.

Master of Arts / Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work / Nadia Shapkina / This study examines male-based sexual violence prevention programs on college campuses. In an effort to combat the widespread problem of sexual violence against college women, universities have implemented sexual assault prevention programs. While past programs have focused on risk-reduction strategies that target women, new programs are beginning to focus on approaching men to challenge hegemonic masculinity and gender social norms that are conducive to sexual violence. Thus far, the methods of these programs have not been studied in detail. This study uses interviews, observation, and document analysis to analyze the methods and messages of male-based sexual violence prevention programs at six universities in the United States. The research describes and analyzes the origins, goals, structures, strategies, success, and challenges of these programs. Their strengths and limitations are discussed, and suggestions and considerations for the programs are provided. As male-based violence prevention programs become more popular on college campuses, this research offers a deeper understanding of these programs that may inform and improve the effort to combat violence against college women.

In the field of gender based violence prevention more and more emphasis is being put on preventative efforts through attitude change. This study is the result of a minor field study in Rwanda and analyzes the mechanisms that are present during the process of attitude change. The purpose of this study is to isolate the mechanisms within this process. The study applies feminist theory and process tracing though elite interviewing. The analysis is built on 14 interviews with field officers working for the organization Rwanda Men's Resource Center as instructors on a gender based violence prevention program. It was found that attitude change is more likely when participants feel equal and not threatened, as well as when they were able to draw their own conclusions and be agents of their own ideas. Furthermore, when exposed to new ideas concretely through their personal relationship with a trainer, to their spouses, and through take-home exercises, participants gained new insights. To be successful the program required a long term commitment to the subject at hand. Ultimately, this signals that attitude change is a long and continuous process- of which lasting results can be achieved through continued reinforcement.