Typos: courtesy of Itamar
Danziger
Sept. 2, 2008
Each annual Stats Canada family
violence report has a theme – focus more on the things that you are
interested in!
-you have to see how the therapist
defines abuse, but also how the client sees it. We also have to see
how the social/legal construction of “abuse” is. Institutions
might also have their own working definition… you also have to see
the rhetoric of the place to see the underlying, “working”
approach
Lorrie Heiss et al. define
abuse as: any act of verbal or physical force, coercion or life-threatening
deprivation that is directed at an individual woman, that causes physical
or psychological harm, humiliation, or arbitrary deprivation of liberty,
at which perpetuates female subordination.
-the course will start off
with this definition and start talking about what “any act”
means – who defines it? who defines force, humiliation, arbitrary
deprivation, etc…?
-violence =many forms (physical, emotional, sexual, economic, etc…) usually perpetrated by a trusted person. Usually it is easier legally to deal with a stranger perpetrator. We see abuse in increasingly younger partners. Exposure to disrespecting language is also seen younger! Even as young adolescents, they have to learn how to negotiate and understand language… it shapes our boundaries: “Shut up bitch” could be understood differently in different situations, and differently by different people, and this will influence their identity and agency in relationships in the future! Children are using worse language younger – language which could easily be abusive/demoralizing to women/gay/etc….
-this decrease in age = occurs is relationships and intimate relationships.
-not easy to make sense of
the abusive relationship one is in because it doesn't fit the “relational
scheme” – i.e. how can someone who was so nice be this way? How
could this happen to me? Isn't violence rare?
Myths
International stats:
-of course have to look at how the author defines assault!
->conflict
tactic scale was used – there is no room in this tool for
interpretation of the act which was reported. This is why the stats
are higher than Canada.
Lecturer's motto: figure
out the meaning
-for each police reported abuse,
there are 10 unreported. So it is under-detected
Heines
->no
it is widespread/global.
-this course will ask what
is common/thematic, and where is the differences?
-we look at the question: well, who is violent to whom? There is directionality to this – as there are more women victims than men victims. What reproduces/reduces violence? There are socioeconomic status/age/race patterns.
-explored are the gender identity, gender relationships, relationship schemes, etc…
-question: what is the difference
between violence/abuse and a merely crappy (conflictual) relationship?
Johnson spoke about this difference between common partnership violence/intimate
relationship terrorism
-many clients won't necessarily
name or even identify the abuse in the relationship. So you have saying
“I wish he hurt me – so police would be involved”. Presenting
problem is rarely the physical abuse. Only 1% of women calling
CSLC spontaneously report abuse. The trick is to know how to open up
the discussion about the abuse. “maybe I am wrong, but I am worried
that maybe someone might be hurting you” – more women will disclose
– up to 40%! (i.e. much better!). this is a chance for people to back
out if they want to… the worse thing is that either you will be wrong
or the women will tell you to “fuck off” for even suggesting
this, but it does open the door for the idea that the women can always
turn to someone. If you are struggling with making sense of the relationship,
chances are, that the client is too. Figuring out the relationship is
a process – so if you ask, then the client won't necessarily say everything,
or sees everything. But you got to begin by setting out the discourse
tone of dialogue. Criticism of checklists approach: it is a process
and not a checklist where you ask the questions and you get the answers.
This process is a function of the relationship between the client and
therapist: did the client feel safe disclosing? Did she trust the therapeutic
relationship? There are issues to this, for example obligatory reporting
to the police etc… which might undermine the “safety” of
the relationship.
-relationships are not clear
cut: sometimes different good/bad emotions come up in a relationship.
And then there are more factors, like children, economic support etc.
which influences the client's view of the relationship, and where they
draw the line of what is acceptable. Therapists need to have their own
bottom lines, but might need to let go of their own borders in working
with abuse clients.
The difference between an abusive relationship and a relationship gone wrong include following concepts:
-when there is an injury or criminal offence, then social workers don't have a choice, though clients might still not see it as abuse.
-danger/fear/control have measurement tools.
-the subtle control issues
are harder to identify. The issue here is pattern over time (and that
leads to the abuse).
-unless a line is crossed,
and the client is in danger, you have to see the person's processes
in dealing with what you see as abuse. The key is using language/labels
right! If not, our terms might silence our clients. Calling the husband
a “batterer” might scare off a woman who still has to live
with him. Gotta find a sensitive way to touch a problem.
Kanuha:
Hooks:
How do we see a single slap in a 40 year marriage? You gotta see
the pattern: control/danger/fear. Question: how do you heal from this?
Answer: you gotta see her process: how does she talk about it? How does
she fit this into her life?
-the people who are charged
are overrepresented in criminal system. There is discrimination in legal
system.
I the room:
| Natalie J. Sokoloff and Ida Dupont: domestic Violence – examining the Intersections of Race/Class/Gender – an introduction |
| -violence
against women is experienced personally, yet it is influenced by cultural
intersection of race/gender/social class/sexuality. It is not only physical/emotional/ -sometimes it is hard to see
that women are both victims, yet has resilience at surviving. Since
there are both constrains and choice in abuse, it has been called surviving/survivor. Intersectionality:
abused women have secondary abuse because of race/gender/etc… Stereotypes also increase secondary abuse. i.e.:
Over-reliance on law-enforcement in minority communities had led to:
State intervention might increase problem with:
Therefore, there is a need for:
-alternative programs include:
giving resources to battered women in order o reduce inequity. There
I a program called “Peacemaking” which is involved with mediation.
Another approach is to have culturally sensitive treatment, in which
the abuser still takes responsibility for the abuse, while the women/children
are being empowered. Another approach is to get battered women to get
involved in grassroot organizations – to be more proactive in ending
family violence and not just dealing with past incidents (i.e. report
to the police. -nevertheless, the primary concern should be to protect the women. -without voicing the marginalized populations too, then the domination thing has reproduced itself by white/middle classes speaking on their own behalf without giving voice to other women from other groups who were also abused. It might be unethical to write about others' groups – and may even perpetuate further marginalization by establishing policies without understanding of the given culture. But eventually, the root problem
must be addressed: racism/sexism. And this can be done with more shelters/resources/etc…
also: employment education: teach the woman skills that she can use
to financially support herself (participatory empowerment). -there is still a lack of research
combining abuse with race/social class Summary: gotta see beyond
the victim – we also have to recognize how structural issues (immigration/ethnicity/ |
Sept. 9, 2008
-now until October: we will
discuss frameworks of thinking about violence towards women. We will
see a movie about violence against women around the world.
-violence against women is
also personal and also structural
-there is a gap between professional knowledge of abusive relationships and street knowledge of abuse (accident/stay for the family)
-women who start asserting
themselves often receive more abuse – the men try harder to control.
Homicides rates are higher once the woman decides to leave!
-the mix of gender/woman sexuality
schemes in society allows more abuse
Class – Sept. 16, 2008
The problem of naming abuse
In North America, Feminists
were involved in pointing out the (white/middle-class women in the 1960s.).
So in the 1970s-80s, you had a lot of studies. Second-generation feminists
discovered that it was result of gender oppression/male dominance.
Jillian Walker: connected policy and practice. There was a proliferation
of women's shelters. You needed a concept in order to get funding. In
the beginning, it was called “wife abuse“.
-we gotta be sensitive to how
we name the abuse, since it influences how we construct the problem
(and how we intervene.) the downside that we predetermine the experience
and action. The orthodoxy of telling a woman to leave stems from out
concept of “victim”/etc… the woman can either accept –or
reject – out terms, since it is also an identity. It could be a first
realization that others are going through this –and this is empowering.
Jillian Walker: when we name something, we label a preset course of
action/serviced. You gotta have an intervention that is more set on
connecting then labeling. How you label shapes your intervention/how
you balance the individual and her context, and how much the person
will disclose and her response. Balancing the individual and her context/ambiguity/ambivalence
of the relationship/individual's social location/context of the violence.
Fraser: a woman who experiences
violence has to balance Love and abuse in the relationship. Thus, it
is not a binary opposition: it is not either love or abuse – it is
a combination of them both. It’s a transition – not an opposition.
Our cultural script of love: first, it is all shiny/later, it is a rational
choice. Eventually there is a move from passion to a secure attachment
kind of relationship.
Kanuha: we have to see women's
differences – they are not experiencing one schematic kind of abuse.
The point of all of this:
the abuse is not binary. “he has say/she does not”/controlling
vs. submission/agency: survivor vs. victim
Agency:
Survivor: she has the power to leave
Victim: she has no survival
skills.
This eclipses transitions in
the relationships (in other words, it makes the relationship black/white).
We need to see the relationship an a point in time: now/tomorrow/yesterday.
We have to do this within social location: “who is this person
across from us?”
-then we have role-play in
class – it is hard to see how/when to inquire
Harvey Wallace/Melanie Sheppard:
Harvey Wallace: asks
which scenarios are considered abusive. gotta look at patter/context/meaning/
Melanie Sheppard: control
is the issue. Abuse is the means to get control; it is not only what
you do but what you do not do. It could be an act or a perceive threat
of consequence. Control could be in isolation. Often threats are enough
and the physical abuse doesn't happen. Tactics of control happen in
isolation – but they are not haphazard. Also – the question is who
has the say? Isolation is set up by the partner. But the victim internalizes
this. The partner isolates the abused so that she won't get the feedback
to counteract the internalization of the abuse.
Abuse is not an accident. It
is intentional. Te abuse might minimize it though.
Abuse might lie on hidden hostility/insecurity
of the abuser. We cannot accept the abuse, but we can talk and process
those feelings.
How does abuse come about? Harvey Wallace
Walker – Traumatic Bonding: The violence cycle:
->they
are bonding through the abuse – so the woman gets more attached to
the abuser with the hope of modification. The fatal error: “I can
change it!” psychological entrapment: she tries hard to invest
in the relationship after the explosion.
Intergenerational transmission of abuse:
-a person's history of abuse
predisposes the victim to find similar people with similar issues.
The battered woman
syndrome – linor walker – woman is overcome by fear
-thinking that she has no other options – so threat/fear/immobilization
is abusive relationship (vs. a crappy relationship). There is a gradual
conditioning of helplessness/hopelessness ->can't see a way out. The abuser takes
on a bigger-than-life proportions in her mind.
| Bograd, M. (2005). Strengthening domestic violence theories: Intersections of race, class, sexual orientation, and gender. In N. Sokoloff (with C. Pratt) (Eds.), Domestic Violence at the Margins: Readings on Race, Class, Gender, and Culture, pp. 25-38. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press. |
| You gotta
see the culture behind the specific victim. i.e. homosexual family violence
is negated more. What we chose to study – or not study – is also
cultural violence .
Invisibility: some people report less/studied less/etc… |
Sept-23
Understanding the dynamics of abusive relationships
-early feminism: links gender
and power: the social structure gives power to males over females.
Violence against women is qualitatively/quantitatively
different than violence against men.
When cultures have equitable
relations between genders, there is no gender violence
Canadian center for justice relationships
18% of violence reported to the police is familial
85% of them are towards woman
-even when police are called,
they do not always pick on the violence/injury. Actually, usually not
-45% of reports do not include
no injury – since most abuse does not include actual injury.
-physical injury is last resort
to control tactics
Some theorize: control is the basis for abuse
Others: there is something
deeper: unmet needs/impulsivity/etc….
“has someone threatened
you” –gives some other answers than “did you get hurt”.
-25% feared that their lives are in danger
->fear is an indicator of abuse. It might help differentiate abuse from a bad relationship
-many were are abused more
than once – ask about the patterns ->the victim is anticipating violence ->leads
to fear ->traumatic
attachment/psychological entrapment
Factors of abuse
what is the experience/consequence of violence
-psychiatric care/suicide -5 times more for women who identify themselves in abusive relationships
-women use more weapons in
their violence
->but
not all men are equally violent and not all women are equally vulnerable.
It is not as early feminism said that all violence boils down to a gender
issue
Risk markers:
Virginia Goldner
-Gender inequality constructs relationships in western culture. Gender
is also restrictive but also organizing our culture. Not talking about
it doesn't mean it doesn't exist –so we can actually look at the various
social organizations to see the gender inequality.
Hairmusten: some men/women do not feel powerful/powerless, the person with power will obviously not willing to naturally give it up.
-by the time that abuse takes
place, there is a pattern in place, so you have to change it – and
also take into account possible resistances
David Levenson: how do equitable relations look like?
shared decision making/monogamous
relationships/ equitable ideology regarding men/women's sexuality/shared
labor in the home/peaceful problem solving strategies/emotional independence
for men and women/economic independence for women
cycle of violence
-denial is in the center of
all of this
Forms:
Inside circle:
--
If the client is shutting down - you can always [recommended!] mention that (when abused client is shutting down)/feeling anxiety
-lay out the safety-need – she knows that you can report to the police in certain cases – so lay it out – say when the cases that you’re going to report. The laying out of that +saying that you are ready to listen to whatever she wants to bring up.
“i.e. if you think that
X is treating you not well, and you are scared that the police will
be involved, then I think that there is an issue that is bothering you”
“I donno what happened
– but I do think that something happened at Christmas that is bothering
you”
-mention when you will report
to the police and when.
It is important to ground yet
not too much when over-anxious
-most abuse cases do not report
abuse as presenting problem.
After opening up – might still have times where the person will want safety nets
->“It
took a lot of courage to open up”/”I do not have all the answers
to tough questions”
If you hand in assignment 2
– December 1st
Oct 7, 2008
Nov 18 and 25 – are guest lectures – do December 2nd's reading before that!
phillip katzacaris
-couple therapy for violence
is counter-indicated, since the abuser must first take responsibility.
What does the abuse cycle look like?
Gender/race/culture/sexual orientation
Kimberly kremshaw: domestic
violence: only one form of oppression and social control. So, a colored
woman in domestic violence is only one of the oppressions she might
be experiences, and perhaps not the worst of them
Michelle Bograd: different
demographic/personal/identity data intersect – so different systems
of power intersect. We exist in a social context in different systems
of power/oppression: classism/racism/sexism/
->in everyday life, it is not an abstract descriptions! There are actual social consequences to them!
->the meaning and nature of domestic
violence as experienced by the self/personal and social consequences
are represented, and how/whether escape and safety can be obtained.
These are all ways in which our social locations shape the way that
we see domestic violence.
-so, for some women, the fear of racial discrimination might be more fear-invoking than the fear of violence. There are more levels of identity than personal identity!
-examples: a mom w/ a 16-year-old with special needs, might have a problem entering a shelter. A woman of color might have ethnic fears too.
-another few interceptions: age, health, language. Those might be a moderating factors for differential treatment of the abuse.
->so
a challenge is when the [abuser] becomes the translator between the
victim and authorities.
“respit”
Critical race theories
-domestic violence poses a central threat to the family. The family is private. It is separate from the public sphere. Poor/single mothers [usually with more children than the national average]/colored women are overrepresented in the violence statistics. They come more into the services –and have more intrusions by the state. And they face more discrimination by their social locations: i.e. racism/classism/heterosexist views. The intersectional dimension should explain the domestic violence: gender is not an explanation for violence. It should rather be modified by the various oppressive social locations. So, you must take the specific person's account as to their daily lives within their specific social locations. It is also important to see who the violent partner reproduces the oppressions. I.e. if society or a social location is oppressive, the violent partner will incorporate it into the violence. Bograd gives an example: a black woman will fear reporting so that [abusive] husband won't be exposed to racism in the legal system. Gotta see the various identities of the person as they shift in the situations.
->some people make their choices made only based on social locations. When we ignore the women's constraints/barriers [we see her as resistant/denying rather than coping], their behaviors seem dysfunction, rather than coping.]
Abuse is defined expressed and experiences and addressed by interpsychic, interpersonal community and cultural social locations. Routes to safety are shaped, or constrained by social locations as well. Individuals make choices to try to maximize their safety. Those choices might be compromises which might involve risks
->we need to be cautious about making
cultural assumptions.
Honor killings: hasenpour: early 1990s – a father threatened to burn his daughter for wanting to marry someone not arranged, as her parents want. Judge dismissed it as culture. Honor killing is a gender power and control thing within a cultural social local context. It might appear culturally specific, but at the same time might also be universal.
->gender oppression is not sufficient
to account for domestic violence– you gotta see the themes and patterns
Renzetty: same sex domestic violence. She looked at its prevalence and factors contributing to it. Male to male and female to female are equal, statistically. They are not one time statistics
mutual battery: hard
to see who the victim is. Renzetty: when engaged in a rigorous assessment,
you can also see the victim an the victimizer even when interviewing
same-sex couples. i.e. you look for fear and consequence. You need to
see the motivation of the violence to see that it is not mutual. Study:
same sex partner violence = shame, especially when fought back!
They may present as withdrawn/responsible for the partner and relationship,
after it has ended! Lesbian woman who perpetrated the abuse legitimized
their behavior.
Legitimization techniques of the abuser [even in same sex couples!]
-important to see how you define
abuse! What are the implications/motivation/where is humiliation/deprivation?
Difference between heterosexual/same-sex
violence: the homophobia involved in same-sex stereotypes.
-fear/consequences are the
difference between mutual violence and partner-abuse
Kanuha: you can have multiple oppressive social locations: sexism/racism/homophobia
->so she doesn't have a safe place
->you
gotta be sensitive to all of those. Not only to the actual abuse
Clinical implications:
October 14, 2008
Today, we'll speak about:
-naming the abuse is just one aspect of addressing the abuse
-some of the readings refer
to insights/themes to women of various isolations/challenges
Frank and Golden (1992)
took a stance against the term “codependence” in abusive relations.
Codependence is defined “suggests that her staying is caused by
some early deficit, first to her environment and then, as a result,
in herself. It may continue to try to please, change and protect and
whom she may not leave” ->problem that it implies the shared
responsibility – but this is what keeps the women in the relationship,
and the lack of responsibility taken by the men is what keeps them abusive.
It also implies that there is intrinsically wrong with her!
Reasons son staying
Sheppard: i.e. immigrants ->vulnerable
populations aren't helped by the law. They have lack of information,
etc…
-Extent of danger to her/children is one factor in deciding to stay or leave
->more
people are killed when trying to leave their abusive mates than when
they stay
-abused women are less codependent
than having learned to disregard her well-being
-we call look for the historical
account in how the current situation develops
Lempert – 1996
-abuse is one part of the relationships – there may also be significant caring and support
->people try to hide the abuse in their relationship as abuse
->thus the abuse is rendered invisible, and the victim's self-image as victim is also hidden. People try to having a face-saving strategy
->the women thought that he is so controlling that no one would control him except her ->later she learns that she can't control him either.
-social isolation helped the
abuser have the victim remain isolated.
Eisikovits/buchbinder (1999
how does one leave the abusive relationship?
Wuest and Merritt-Gray – 1999
-entrapment and recovery:
-Reclaim self
-resistance to abuse or relinquish
parts of self – for example, giving up parts of self.
-there is so much vulnerability of leaving – one has to readapt – “will I manage on my own?”/”what I am supposed to do independently?”/”how do I do that?”
->separation
could be experiences as loss of control in her life. It seems depleting
and not only freeing.
-leaving could be physically dangerous! Support is fragmented and decentralized [i.e. shelters].
-leaving is exhaustive and leaves survivors depleted
-boundaries need to establish boundaries to prevent re-victimization
->i.e.
some husbands use children [i.e. “buy the children”] to show
how bad she is; sometimes she can't take the children with her, and
is blamed for it.
Not turning back
-for immigrants and other specific populations, have more consequences of leaving
-for
physically handicapped: important questions for solutions include: is
there a ramp/transportation/etc…
Advent of AA – 1930
Alcoholism was labeled as a disease ->abstinence is the only way of recovering from addiction ->people need to make a lifestyle change in order to be cured –unlike cancer. It helps the economy
->it is interesting to see what we attribute the diagnosis to – personality/biology
-the
idea that a diagnosis is also a socially constructed thing!
Oct 21, 2008
| Class paper |
-for this
class, depth is more important than breadth
-write what the paper is about
in the beginning! -look for empirical evidence
for the intersection that you want to show
|
-lots of things need to be
planned in order for the abused wife to leave the home
Assessment
-youth protection might be
seeing how the wife is putting the children at risk. If you see that
the wife is as risk might be “I see that you are in danger”.
If you see that she is not ready to leave, you have to phrase yourself
in a non-stigmatized way.
Hard questions
Hathaway, Willis and Zimmer, 2002
Despite specialized training, there is still an under-identification of violence
->rarely
do we have the women's insights
Provider related factor:
->asking does not give a direct response, but it plants a seed. Some need being asked many times in order to express her situation
->the way being asked makes the difference
in disclosure
Reasons for women not disclosing
-for some, general questions/indirect
questions led to disclosure
Briere and Jordan
-with time, the symptoms become more chronic in nature and not specific/acute
->i.e.
confusion/tiredness – so it is hard to deal/ask about specific feelings
Abuse might interfere or reinforce
-women's responses to violence is variable – could be somatic/physical/psychological
->that’s why there is no “checklist” assessment.
->previous experiences – i.e. abuse as a child – might complicate the current situation
->Briere and Jordan: you don't have a single “profile” of an abused woman. Often, current abuse is not being asked.
-Thus, a deconstructive approach
is indicated
Targets of intervention of a currently abused woman with previous sexual abuse
-only treat traumatic stress
after she is no longer in immediate danger/stable. Therapist might need
a safety plan – just to let her know that there is an option for escape.
Have her check in by phone or something if you feel that she is at risk.
Of course, you can't enforce it on her.
-a safety plan could also have
therapeutic value since it also gives her the message that someone is
listening/worried about the situation.
McCloskey and Grigsby -staged approach to assessment/intervention/safety planning
Therapist must first understand
the prevalence/severity/
->i.e.
therapist can ask if s/he can speak to the client about the husband.
Initial IPV screening questions
-if the client said that this
did not occur, asked if it ever happened. If yes, do the full
assessment
Full assessment of intimate partner violence
Intimate partner violence across time
Interventions by others
Determining who the primary
batterer/victim might not be easy
Oct 28, 2008
Couple counseling and intimate partner violence
Question: in intimate violence, is couple counseling possible? (asked by Bogard and Mederos)
-we have to be cautious about
working with coupes with intimate violence. You have to be conscious
of the dynamics of the abuse – i.e. rage and how it is expressed,
tactics of control, and how the conflicts are resolved ->listen for wordings and phrasing. Therapist
should also bring up if he feels that he can't work with couple. If
couple is not able to live together, therapist should facilitate separation.
If you feel that there is risk
Couple therapy tasks
Preconditions for working with couples in intimate partner violence
-people might avoid therapy because of embarrassment/fear of custody fight/other problems (mortgage/kids)
-bogard and Mederos suggests
some individual sessions as a way of trying to rule in/out intimate
partner abuse
Domestic violence is rarely presented
->the couple rarely presents the violence as the presenting problem.
-you need thorough screening
–ask the woman, using her words/ i.e. “what does yelling mean?”
Ask the abuser:
Ask the victim:
->you
have to slow down to her pace. You can not push the client to a plan!
Individual assessment interview aims to:
fear/blame are indicators of
abuse
Bogard and Mederos: you need
both couple members to be freely there
-both the wife and children
live with the tension – so the children might not see the violence
but they definitely feel it.
Essential prerequisites for couple therapy with a violent partner
-therapy must set limits on
aggression
Nov 4, 2008
-class cancelled
Nov 11, 2008
11-23% children witness some violence towards their mothers
-the secrecy around children
disclosing is more potent, as their experience a larger threat/fear
to exposing.
-we must distinguish between
common couple conflict and abuse. It is the climate of fear that affects
the children's developments
Affects of children exposed to wife abuse
--
There is an overlap between
ADHD and mother's PTSD because of the wife being abused
Nov 18, 2008
Intervention with men who abuse
Various approaches todeal with abusive men
psychotherapeutic
stages:
-this approach assumes that
for the abuse to subside, you need to look at the psychological motives.
Guiding principles
3 themes:
levels of intervention
When they come in
Dynamics of common men clients
Multicultural clientele of the guest speaker (“Progam“)
-for the last 7 years: 25% are immigrants – sometimes as high as 40%
-mostly adjudicated – 82% by court/DYO. Others came from CLSC/youth protection.
-Central and Latin America are the biggest group of immigrants in the violence group represented by the guest lecturer
-the immigrants seem to have
more traditional roles/male loses status/concrete thinking
-perseverance in therapeutic group on average over 7 years
-they perceive that this is an intrusion into the relationship/or sees no point in the help since their relationship might have ended.
->therapy has to be de-mystified
--
December 2, 2008
No material was discussed this class.