Accounting for violence: An analysis of male spousal abuse narratives

Woman Abuse: The Construction of Gender in Women and Men's Narratives of Violence

“…Consistent with other similar research (Hearn, 1998;Ptacek, 1990;Stamp & Sabourin, 1995), this study focused primarily on men's accounts of their own violent behaviour and their justifications and minimisations of violence.…”

“…Instead, they locate the responsibility for the violence with their partners (Stamp & Sabourin, 1995). This is illustrated in the following statement by a male participant: The participant attempted to justify his violent behaviour by representing it as a response to being 'pushed off the edge'.…”

Addressing intimate partner violence in substance-abuse treatment

“…Conjoint therapy also provides a safer venue for partners to discuss high conflict and emotionally charged topics; these discussions can also be postponed until the partners meet with the therapist, which can help the partners avoid such topics at home until such time that they have the requisite skills (developed in the course of treatment) to discuss such issues constructively. Partner aggression most often occurs in the context of arguments between partners (e.g., Stamp & Sabourin, 1995) and is often mutual and bidirectional (Vivian & Langhinrichsen-Rohling, 1994). Thus, addressing the interactional nature of the partner aggression may reduce its frequency by altering the interaction patterns that precede it.…”

Review essay: Dominant and muted discourses in popular representations of feminism

“…The material, social, and symbolic circumstances typical of women's and men's lives differ in ways that promote distinctive identities, perspectives, priorities, and modes of interacting (Haraway, 1988;Harding, 1991;Wood, 1992;Wood & Cox, 1993). The circumstances of many men's lives encourage instrumental behaviors, individualistic orientations, competition, and efforts to gain and hold control over others and situations (Bingham, 1996;Campbell, 1993;Malta & Borker, 1982;Stamp & Sabourin, 1995). The circumstances of many women's lives, in contrast, promote expressive behaviors, relational orientations, cooperation, and inclusion of others (Aries, 1987;Cancian, 1987;Hall & Langellier, 1988;Johnson, 1989).…”