Why she left: The psychological, relational, and contextual variables that contribute to a woman's decision to leave an abusive relationship.
Item
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Title
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Why she left: The psychological, relational, and contextual variables that contribute to a woman's decision to leave an abusive relationship.
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Identifier
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AAI3187457
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identifier
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3187457
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Creator
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Brandt, Jody Elizabeth.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Peter Fraenkel
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Date
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2005
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Psychology, Clinical | Women's Studies
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Abstract
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The literature on domestic violence provides powerful and alarming evidence to support that intimate partner violence is a crime of epidemic proportion that demands serious attention. The goal of this study was to ascertain the nature of the dilemma that women in violent relationships face when determining whether or not to stay with their abusive partners and what ultimately influences their final decision to leave. The data analysis was guided by the principles of grounded theory, which places priority on discovering participants' meanings of their experiences and perceptions of reality. The interviews with the participants of this study brought to life the complex, evolving nature of their relationships with their partners, emphasizing not just the presence of abuse but also love, hope, attachment, and dependency. The respondents provided a range of reasons or catalysts that led them to leave their batterers. Four main themes were identified for leaving: (a) impact of abuse on the children, (b) shift in sense of self-efficacy, (c) escalation in violence, and (d) partner infidelity. The women were able to discuss in detail the ways in which these catalysts caused shifts in their perceptions of their partners, themselves, relationships, and realities, which ultimately enabled them to leave. While these findings are the first of their kind, because of the small sample size, they cannot necessarily be generalized to the population at large. The definition of abuse, the barriers that prevent a woman from leaving an abusive relationship, and the ways in which she experiences the relationship depend largely upon the contexts of race, culture, and class. Therefore these findings must be recognized as specific to the distinctive population of this study, namely urban women of color and low socioeconomic class, who found respite in a domestic violence shelter. Future research must continue to look to the women who have lived and survived intimate partner violence for knowledge, guidance and inspiration. This research in turn should continue to empower women to leave abusive relationships and, most importantly, to leave earlier before the abuse has an even greater impact on the women and their children.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
