Women subjected to domestic violence: The impossibility of separation.

Abstract

In the United States and in France, the figures relating to domestic violence are so alarming that the issue has been the focus of multiple policies related to care and prevention, without seeing any real decline in the phenomenon. Beyond the necessity of denouncing violence linked to gender relations between men and women, these policies must therefore be improved. These findings and other aspects noted by professionals and American and French researchers concerning the extent of the silence of women victims, including the fact that some of these women go back to their violent partner, have led us to explore the role played by psychic factors in this issue. Our study applies to a social context in which women have the economic and legal possibility of being protected from the violent partner. It concerns 30 women whom we interviewed for research purposes, and reveals the extent to which potentially traumatic infantile relationships play a part in the choice of the partner and especially in maintaining the relationship with a man who turns out to be violent. We have identified new factors that make it difficult to separate from the partner, all of which are related to early distress. The bond with the partner thus appears to be a quasidesperate and always unconscious attempt or fantasy to repair one's own history and to patch up this distress, as in Laurence's case. These results indicate that enabling these women to unravel these issues is essential in helping them.

A psychoanalytic perspective on victims of domestic violence and coercive control

“…Abby Stein, in her remarkable book Cupid ' s Knife details her interviews with battered women and focuses on the inhibition of aggression that curtails these women's self‐protective responses (Stein, 2013). Other analytic authors such as Goldner, Metz, and Covington have also contributed to the literature on various forms of treatment and their limitations (Covington, 2017; Goldner, 2004; Metz, Calmet, & Thevenot, 2018).…”

Domestic Violence in Sport: Complexities and Ethical Issues for Psychologists

“…hooks (2000) suggests that within a culture steeped in values of domination and possession, violence can be seen as a justifiable means to maintain control and existing hierarchical systems. Individuals with power or seeking to hold greater power within relationships or systems sustain power and control by threatening or deploying physical or psychological forms of abuse (Johnson, 2005; Hamel, 2016; Metz et al, 2018). Both women and men actively engage in IPV; however, women are more frequently victims of IPV in comparison with men and sustain more severe physical injuries than men (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2018).…”

Empowering Through Psychodrama: A Qualitative Study at Domestic Violence Shelters

“…The global incidence of domestic violence and its extremely detrimental effects require an immediate call for action, but women who are abused in their own homes often feel helpless (Roberts, 1998 ). Domestic violence can rob them of their confidence and self-esteem, stripping them of the courage needed to leave their abusive situation (Chen, 1995 ; Choice and Lamke, 1997 ; Metz et al, 2019 ).…”