M.A. (Clinical Psychology) / According to Dell (1989) violence is a strikingly lineal concept that is difficult to address from a systemic perspective. Regardless of this fact, violence is also operative in large systems and is part of society's predicaments. Violence exacts an enormous social cost which is concerned with the loss of self respect in both the perpetrators and the victims as well as the family and the broader social community (Nell & Butchart, 1989). Exploring how people construct and explain violence and how this affects them is the focus of this study. In addition the study will explore the victims' views on intervention strategies to be implemented to reduce this violence. In short, this is to bring together theoretical knowledge and people's common sense ideas. For the purpose of this study, open-ended interviews which were tape-recorded and conducted in the respondents' own language were employed for the purpose of information gathering. The tape recordings were then transcribed and translated in terms of Meyer's (1989) causal construct in psychology as well clustering similar themes that emerged-under different headings. The findings of this study will show that the subjects explained violence in terms of external causes and their ideas about how to prevent violence were concerned with violence at a political level rather than interpersonal level.

Limited research has examined desistance from intimate partner violence (IPV). In this thesis the aims are to explore the role that individual, social/environmental factors and subjective change (personal agency) play in the process of desistance from male perpetrated IPV, and to develop and examine a multifactorial theory of desistance from male perpetrated IPV. As research about desistance has tended to more prominent in the criminological literature and in relation to general offending and delinquency, the aim of the first part of this thesis was to undertake two critical reviews on desistance from violence and desistance from IPV. It was found that research in these areas has been neglected. It was concluded that a psychological approach to desistance is required whereby the findings are integrated into the models developed in the criminological literature, in order to develop a multifactorial theory of desistance. Specifically, it was found that pertinent to IPV, severity and frequency of violence was related to desistance and typology research indicated that personality characteristics might distinguish desisters from persisters. The nature of the dyad within which the IPV takes place was also found to be relevant specifically to the study of desistance from IPV and therefore, in need of further examination. In the empirical study, group comparisons on the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory III subscales were conducted between a purposive sample of 37 desisters, 50 persisters and 49 controls. It was found that Cluster A and Cluster B disorders and disorders at a diagnostic level were more often reported in the groups that had used violence against an intimate compared to the control group. The rates and percentages of clinically meaningful traits and disorders were lower for the desisters than the persisters. Overall the desisters were more like the controls than the persisters across the personality traits and clinical syndromes measured. In the qualitative study, thematic analysis was conducted on data derived from interviews with 13 desisters, nine persisters, nine treatment facilitators and seven survivors. A conceptual model of desistance was developed that demonstrated desistance from IPV is a dynamic process that gradually unfolds over time. The model comprised three global themes: (i) The cycle of lifestyle behaviours (violent): ‘Old way of being’ (the experiences, behaviours and thinking of the men when they used violence); (ii) Catalysts for change (the triggers and transitions experienced that initiated change); and (iii) The cycle of lifestyle behaviours (non-violent); ‘New way of being’ (the experiences, behaviours and thinking of the men when they stopped using violence). The integrated findings illustrate that the path from persistence to desistance is neither linear, nor shared by all IPV offenders. A complex interaction between structure and agency characterised the process. Future research needs to adopt a longitudinal design to gain a clearer understanding of the temporal sequencing of events leading to desistance, and also to determine whether the characteristics that differentiated the groups studied change over time. In addition, it is proposed that individual assessment is required for each offender of IPV. Treatment could then be developed to meet individual needs, which may increase the effectiveness of rehabilitation for IPV perpetrators.

M.A. (Psychology) / The~present study is an exploratory investigation into the deliberate self-harm syndrome. Throughout the text, a distinction is made between other types of self-harm (for example, indirect self-harm such as alcohol abuse; "direct self-harm performed by a psychotic individual) and the self-harm performed within the deliberate self-harm syndrome (that is, direct, voluntary, non-lethal self-harm, performed by a non-psychiatric individual). The aim of this study is to foster an understanding of this syndrome and, accordingly, to facilitate acceptance of the individuals who suffer from this syndrome, without displaying the need to classify these individuals into any one particular psychiatric category. It is hoped that this aim is realised through a discussion of associated features and related.patterns of the syndrome. This research conducted an investigation of 21 individuals who appeared to fit into the syndrome. Three of the subjects were excluded from the study because their type of self-harm and/or their motivation for self-harming differed from those individuals who suffer from the deliberate self harm syndrome. Although some queries were made about the suitability of eight of the subjects, enough evidence has been put forward by the study to assume the possible existence of such a syndrome, and for the syndrome to be taken seriously. Many grey areas were discussed with regards to the criteria that should be considered when determining whether an individual fits into the syndrome or not. This merely serves to both highlight and confirm the point that it is not a rigid psychiatric category that is being proposed, but that there are, nevertheless, certain criteria that need to be considered when whether an individual deliberately self-harms, discussed in this study) determining or not (as even though there were certain limitations in the study (most of them being related to the study's exploratory point of departure) the researcher is of the opinion that the information provided in this study, should be treated with the respect that it deserves.

Exposure to community gun violence is increasing a sense of anxiety and hypervigilance in American society today. Whether or not they are direct victims, American children and adolescents often become casualties of community gun violence. Their safety, well-being, and even survival are at risk due to continued exposure to gun violence in their communities. This study utilized a retrospective sample of adolescents derived from the National Survey of Children’s Exposure to Violence (NatSCEV) to understand the prevalence and severity of cognitive and emotional symptoms associated with childhood exposure to community gun violence compared to other types of adverse childhood events. The results showed that adolescents who have been exposed to community gun violence self-reported higher levels of negative emotion and cognitive disturbance in comparison to peers who have had no exposure to these forms of adverse events. Compared to these peers reporting no adverse events, an increase of 30% was observed in negative emotions and 33% in cognitive disturbance when the adolescent is exposed to community gun violence. An increase of 22% in negative emotions and 30% in cognitive disturbance was observed when an adolescent is exposed to other forms of community disorder. Finally, adolescent participants who were exposed to childhood adverse events other than community disorder and gun violence reported 8% greater negative emotions and 28% greater cognitive disturbance than peers reporting no adverse events during adolescence. These results suggest that exposure to gun violence promotes negative emotionality and increases cognitive disturbance.

Despite the growing recognition of the prevalence of domestic violence worldwide, there is an increasing number of women reporting abuse, and there are those who have died at the hands of their abusers. Many of these domestic violence situations involve children who grow up carrying the physical and/or emotional scars of abuse into adulthood, which also has negative implications for their social well-being. This study adopts a qualitative approach to analysing emerging themes relating to the experiences of eight adult participants (four men and four women) who have lived in domestically violent homes during their childhood. The study deals with definitions of abuse, the social, physical, emotional, cognitive, behavioural and psychological effects of abuse and identifies the social consequences of growing up in a violent home. With reference to the research interviews, it is the researcher’s finding that if there is violence in the home, children’s socialisation will be impaired. The results of the study support the hypothesis that the socialisation of adults and their ability to form healthy relationships are hindered by being exposed to domestic violence during childhood. In terms of the goals of intervention, the basic principle is that children need to be provided with a safe environment, appropriate discipline and a secure relationship with an attentive caregiver. The ultimate goal of intervention is to prevent further harm and promote recovery. Socio-educational goals include being taught to communicate and settle differences without the use of violence, to promote the development of well-adjusted social beings. / Educational Foundations / M. Ed. (Socio-Education)

Despite the growing recognition of the prevalence of domestic violence worldwide, there is an increasing number of women reporting abuse, and there are those who have died at the hands of their abusers. Many of these domestic violence situations involve children who grow up carrying the physical and/or emotional scars of abuse into adulthood, which also has negative implications for their social well-being. This study adopts a qualitative approach to analysing emerging themes relating to the experiences of eight adult participants (four men and four women) who have lived in domestically violent homes during their childhood. The study deals with definitions of abuse, the social, physical, emotional, cognitive, behavioural and psychological effects of abuse and identifies the social consequences of growing up in a violent home. With reference to the research interviews, it is the researcher’s finding that if there is violence in the home, children’s socialisation will be impaired. The results of the study support the hypothesis that the socialisation of adults and their ability to form healthy relationships are hindered by being exposed to domestic violence during childhood. In terms of the goals of intervention, the basic principle is that children need to be provided with a safe environment, appropriate discipline and a secure relationship with an attentive caregiver. The ultimate goal of intervention is to prevent further harm and promote recovery. Socio-educational goals include being taught to communicate and settle differences without the use of violence, to promote the development of well-adjusted social beings. / Educational Foundations / M. Ed. (Socio-Education)

The purpose of this research was to compare the scores on the variables of ability, achievement, and adjustment in an effort to locate areas wherein the children who perceive and project verbally a high amount of violence are significantly different from children who perceive and project a low amount of violence.

Battered women's perceptions of gender roles within the family were studied. Twenty white, working-class women who were victims of domestic violence were interviewed. It was determined that battered women have very traditional views of gender roles in the family and these views affected the choices that they made within their relationships and their ability to escape these abusive relationships.

Submitted by Filipe dos Santos (fsantos@pucsp.br) on 2018-05-14T12:53:31Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Lúcia Helena da Silva Alves.pdf: 1645318 bytes, checksum: be28418f5daba6e97b5246470ed4eb15 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-05-14T12:53:31Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Lúcia Helena da Silva Alves.pdf: 1645318 bytes, checksum: be28418f5daba6e97b5246470ed4eb15 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-03-09 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / Currently, we experience several extremely violent scenarios that reach the most vulnerable portion of the population, who lives in the outskirts of the big cities. Thisresearch has as its objective to deepen the theoretical investigation on trauma in a situation of extreme violence, which implies reviewing the technical devices from the field of knowledge of psychoanalysis. It is from the field of knowledge that the analyst uses the clinical devices, such as listening, floating attention, free association, transference, interpretation, among others, in order to comprehend the psychological dynamics of the subjects who have experienced trauma, those who feel vulnerable and helpless. Within this context, we ask ourselves: what is trauma? Which psychic processes are part of it? How does the recurrence of traumatic affection manifest itself in clinic? What are the psychoanalytical devices that we can use? The perception is that we are sailing in troubled waters within the clinic, where the analysis of these patients shows us that theory and practice need to be reviewed. It is in the context of the clinic that a space is opened for the individual to talk about his or her trauma–it is understood that the subject, by suffering from violence, sees him or herself invaded in all psychic spaces for the excess of intolerable pulsional energy directed to ‘Me’, whose exaggeration derives from lived experiences by the individual with the external world. The therapeutic space is the place of the reunion between the subjects, the one that takes care, and the one who is taken care of. This clinical model is not the one from the excluded, the less favoured classes, the oppressed, the ones from anywhere –but a space of reception of different subjects. In order to illustrate this research, we resorted to the method of case fragment, which is considered one of the most ancient methods used in human and social science, not only in clinical practice but also in research. The first fragment refers to Antígona, mother, human rights militant who had her son killed by a State’s agent; the second, Iolaos, boy, sexually abused by his neighbour Prócusto. It is at the light of Ferenczi’s theory and other contemporary authors that we will analyse this psychic functioning manner founded in the divide mechanism. The clinical services seek to give a new meaning to the perception of trauma and its subjective repercussions unleashed in the subject’s life, generating pulsional motions that are repeated, relived and that manifest themselves in the form of psychic suffering, with representations that need to be symbolized / Na atualidade,estamos vivenciando vários cenários de violências extremas que atingem a população mais vulnerável, que vive nas periferias das grandes cidades. Esta pesquisa tem como objetivo aprofundar a investigação teórica sobre o trauma em situação de violência extrema, o que implica em rever os dispositivos técnicos a partir do campo dosaber da psicanálise. É a partir do campo dosaber que o analista faz uso dos dispositivos clínicos, taiscomo:a escuta, a atenção flutuante, a associação livre, a transferência,a interpretação, entre outros,para compreender a dinâmica psíquica dos sujeitos que vivenciam o trauma, os quais sesentem vulneráveis e desamparados. Dentro desse contexto, nos perguntamos: oque é o trauma? Quais processos psíquicos ocompõem? Como a repetição dos afetostraumáticosse manifesta na clínica? Quais os dispositivos psicanalíticos que poderemos utilizar? A percepção é de estarmos navegando em mares revoltos da clínica, onde as análises desses pacientes nos mostram que a teoria e a prática precisam ser repensadas. É no contexto da clínica que se abre o espaço para o indivíduo falar do trauma sofrido –entende-seque o sujeito,ao sofrer uma violência, vê-se invadido em todos os espaços psíquicos pelo excesso de energia pulsional intolerável voltado para o eu, cujo exagero é retirado das experiências vividas pelo indivíduo com o mundo externo. O espaço terapêutico é o lugar do reencontro entre os sujeitos, aquele que cuida, e quem é cuidado. Esse modelo clínico não é o dos excluídos, das classes menos favorecidas, dosoprimidos, de qualquer lugar -mas um espaço de acolhimento de diferentes sujeitos. Para ilustrar esta pesquisa recorremos ao método de fragmento de caso, o qual é considerado um dos métodos mais antigos utilizados nas ciências humanas e sociais, tanto na prática clínica quanto na pesquisa. O primeiro fragmento se refere aAntígona, mãe, militante de direitos humanos que teve oseufilho morto por um agente do Estado; osegundo, Iolaos, garoto, abusado sexualmente pelo vizinho Prócusto. É a luz da teoria ferencziana e de outros autores contemporâneos que analisaremos esse modo de funcionamento psíquico fundado no mecanismo da clivagem.Os atendimentos clínicos visam ressignificara vivência do trauma e suas repercussões subjetivas desencadeadas na vida do sujeito, gerando moções pulsionais que são repetidas e revividas e se manifestam na forma de sofrimento psíquico, cujasrepresentações precisam ser simbolizadas

Forensic literature has shown particularly high prevalence of violent behavior in offenders convicted of rape but not the otherwise. There is empirical and theoretical support for the development of rape behavior being preceded by a sequence of increasingly non-violent and violent acts. All these point to rape as a subset of violent behavior. However, no existing research has studied the co-occurrence of rape and violent behavior coupled with their underlying mediating factors. This study represents the first empirical attempt to explore the developmental paths to rape behavior in association with its co-occurred violent behavior within the cognitive framework, tracing from distal developmental adversities to cognitive variables common and specific to rape and violent behavior, and then pornography use. Using structural equation modeling, the hypothesized model was tested in a sample of 175 adult male prisoners serving sentence in the Correctional Services Department, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for the conviction of rape and / or violent offence. The resulting Developmental Sexual-Aggressive Model of Rape Behavior explicated that distal developmental adversities, a host of cognitive mediators namely hostility toward women, sexual masculinity factor, antisocial / violent attitudinal factor and entitlement, together with the more proximate behavioral precursors namely pornography use and violent behavior all contributed to explain rape behavior after controlling for social desirability. While hostility toward women and sexual masculinity constituted rape-specific cognitive constructs, the other cognitive constructs were common factors of both rape and violent behavior. The strongest cognitive construct was hostility toward women which emerged early on in the developmental model. Three etiologic paths underlying the development of rape behavior had been identified: one Sexual Path and two Aggressive Paths. The extent of influence between the Sexual Path and the two Aggressive Paths in total was comparable but the two Aggressive Paths became more influential to repeat rape behavior with higher frequency. The Aggressive Paths not only rendered empirical support to the co-occurrence of rape and violent behavior but more importantly revealed a violence-to-rape behavioral pattern. Taking a developmental perspective, the model made direct clinical implications for multiple entry points for rape prevention strategies targeting the general population, the at-risk males and the convicted rapists in order to achieve the ultimate goal of protecting public safety. Research implications with suggestions for future empirical studies were also included. / 犯罪學文獻表明暴力行為在犯了強姦罪名的犯人中特別普遍，但相反則不然；亦有實證和理論支持強姦行為是由一連串非暴力以致暴力行為逐步發展而成。這都顯示強姦行為是暴力行為的一個子集。然而，沒有任何現有的研究探究了強姦行為和暴力行為的共存，及它們背後的中介因素。這項研究是第一個科研致力探討強姦行為和與它並存的暴力行為的發展路徑。在認知框架下，發展路徑從遠端成長期遇到的逆境，至強姦行為和暴力行為共同及特殊的認知因素，然後到色情資訊的使用。根據結構方程式模型，假設模型在175名因強姦和/或暴力罪名，在香港特區政府懲教署服刑的男性成年犯人所組成的樣本進行測試。研究控制了社會讚許變項後所得的「性侵略性模型發展」(Developmental Sexual-Aggressive Model)，闡述遠端成長期遇到的逆境、一系列認知中介因素即敵視女性、以性主導的男子氣概、反社會 / 暴力思想及權利主意，行為方面的近因即色情資訊的使用和暴力行為，有助於解釋強姦行為。敵視女性及以性主導的男子氣概構成強姦行為特殊的認知因素，而其他認知因素則構成強姦行為和暴力行為的共同因素。敵視女性是當中最重要的因素，而又在發展模型中早期出現。強姦行為背後的三個病因路徑是：一個性的路徑(Sexual Path)和兩個攻擊路徑(Aggressive Path)。單一的性路徑和總的兩個攻擊路徑之間的影響程度是類似的，但兩個攻擊路徑對高頻的重複強姦行為變得更有影響力。兩個攻擊路徑不僅提供了實證支持強姦行為和暴力行為的共存，更重要的是揭示了「暴力演變至強姦的行為模式」(violence-to-rape behavioral pattern)。研究所得的模型別具臨床意義，為預防強姦的策略提供多個入口點，包括針對公眾、存有風險的男性和被定罪的強姦犯，以達到保障公眾安全的最終目標。最後，對未來的實證研究亦提出了建議。 / Lee, Kit Shan Yvonne. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2015. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 192-223). / Abstracts also in Chinese; appendixes in Chinese. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on 06, January, 2017). / Detailed summary in vernacular field only.