Citation

Enander V. Fem. Psychol. 2011; 21(1): 29-48.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0959353510384831

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The aim of this qualitative study was to investigate battered women’s emotion work in the context of male-to-female intimate partner violence and, more specifically, in the context of leaving violent men. A total of 22 informants were interviewed and the material consists of 47 interviews. The results suggest a process in which victims initially conceptualize abusers as good, but subjection to violence leads to a cognitive-emotive dissonance that is responded to by emotion work. Over time, conceptualizations of the abuser shift from good to bad and efforts are made to change emotions from warm to cold. Connections between this process and previously described leaving processes are discussed.