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Abstract
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This paper is based on research which examined the lives of Israeli battered women from the phenomenological aspect. Thirty-five unstructured interviews were carried out in a shelter for battered women. The women's accounts suggest that the situation of battered women resembles that of inmates of total institutions, as defined by Goffman (1961). Physical barriers are imposed upon them, and they go through a process of mortification of the self which begins soon after the marriage. Compulsory confinement to the house damages the self and diminishes the ability to cope. Furthermore, it cuts the women off from external sources of physical help and moral support. Increased understanding of this harsh reality would benefit the social agencies engaged in helping battered women.
VioLit summary:
OBJECTIVE:
The aim of this study by Avni was to examine the experiences of battered wives in the context of Goffman's "total institution". This study is based on phenomenological research the author performed in a shelter in Israel.
METHODOLOGY:
The author conducted a quasi-experimental, cross-sectional study with a non-probable sample of 35 women attending a shelter for battered women in Israel. Thirty-five married women ranging from 19 to over 40 years of age were interviewed. All subjects had children and an average standard of living. To obtain a phenomenological description of the battered women's home, the author conducted one-on-one 90 minute unstructured interviews. Information gathered included the women's personal accounts of their lives, home life, and relationships with their children and husbands. 98% of the women approached at the shelter agreed to participate, however women with young children and duties to perform were excluded. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and analyzed, with the objective of finding patterns in the women's accounts. A comparison was made between the confinement of a prisoner in prison with that of a battered woman in her home. This study focused on the feeling of confinement and its causes, manifestations, and effects. Counting frequencies of expressions and frame analysis were conducted for this study.
FINDINGS/DISCUSSION:
A "total institution" was paralleled in the home of these battered women. These women were compulsorily confined to their homes and were subjected to damages of self (self mortification). Their ability to cope with their situation was diminished. Three factors contributed to the women's self mortification: suspicion by their husbands, physical exposure in their home, and the concealment of shame in defense of their home.
Suspicion of their wives was a dominant characteristic of the battering husbands. While suspicion does not directly correspond to Goffman's specifications of self mortification, it is a powerful factor in the case of battered women. This study found that with suspicion, the women experienced unceasing tension, followed by self doubt. Suspicion also created feelings of injustice. The women could not cope with the discrepancy between what they were accused of and what they actually did. Consequently they doubted themselves.
Another form of self mortification is physical and psychological exposure. The author reported the wives were abused, in part because of their intimate exposure - living within a home. In order to maintain power the husbands used torture whenever they felt their masculinity was threatened. When the husband showed weakness, and the wife witnessed this weakness, the wives were available and became the appropriate victim of their husbands abuse. Unlike an institution, the isolation in the home is total. The complete exposure and constant inspection of ones movements contributes to self mortification.
Two reinforcing variables added to the wives self mortification. They were society's belief that the home is a private domain and that it is best not to intervene in domestic affairs. The women felt compelled to conceal their shame and the fact that their home was not happy or peaceful. These variables helped to ensure that battered women become "double victims". They could not talk about their experience nor could society intervene.
All women reported confinement to their homes and the effects of this confinement. The men would come and go, but the women's mobility was limited. This confinement and subsequent isolation restricted the women's external sources of physical help and moral support. Battered wives were subjected to the same tests of obedience much like those of a prison inmate, that is punishment until submission. As in the prison world, once the role of the "Boss" has been established, the house rules become adopted. With all of these women the physical abuse was severe. Compounding this, all of the women suffered from various forms of psychological abuse.
The wives interviewed were not allowed to object to any unfair conditions lest they be punished for expressing their disapproval. Their husbands said whatever they wanted, while the wives could not contradict their husbands for fear of appearing to be dissentient or disobedient.
Institutionalized individuals who cannot plan their activities and need to ask permission, find themselves in a position of humiliation and submission. They lose their autonomy. A battered wife finds herself in a similar situation. Her home is like a prison; and her husband, her jailer. This study reported that the husbands would become their wives' sole educator and established a totalitarian control. Because many of the women married young and had limited knowledge and experience, they were dependent on their husbands. This scenario perpetuated a vicious cycle of dependence and abuse.
In conclusion, the author found the homes in the sample to resemble "total institutions"; and that the women remained with their batterer husbands because it was physically impossible for them to leave.
AUTHOR'S RECOMMENDATIONS:
The author suggested that all social agencies need to be aware that it is physically impossible for women to leave their husbands and their homes. The author stated that social agencies may become better equipped to help battered women by understanding this model of confinement and isolation. It is also important to minimize the concept that the home is a private place in order to facilitate intervention when abuse occurs.
Further studies need to confirm that the nature of wealthier violent homes isn't different from poorer ones; examine the status of battered women who have not left their homes; use a cross cultural study to compare the situations of battered women in other countries with the findings of this paper; and conduct research that would apply this model to other forms of family violence. (CSPV Abstract - Copyright © 1992-2007 by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Institute of Behavioral Science, Regents of the University of Colorado)
KW - Israel
KW - Countries Other Than USA
KW - Domestic Violence Victim
KW - Spouse Abuse Victim
KW - Wife Victim
KW - Adult Female
KW - Adult Victim
KW - Female Victim
KW - Family Environment
KW - Home Environment
KW - Partner Violence
KW - Violence Against Women
KW - Staying in Abusive Relationship
Language: en |