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Skapande av femininitet : Om kvinnor i missbrukarbehandling

Laanemets, Leili LU (2002) In Lund dissertations in social work 8.
Abstract
This thesis is about women in drug abuse treatment and their descriptions of themselves as women - their process of becoming feminine. The aim of the thesis is describing and trying to understand the meaning of the treatment in the women's femininity processes and what significance drugs, alcohol, men, the own body, motherhood, and sexuality have and have had in the process. The emphasis is on the empirical material, which consists of several interviews with 29 female clients and treatment personnel at four different treatment programmes as well as observations, primarily of the physical environment. The programmes are a solution-focused open-care unit, a Minnesota Model treatment centre, an all-female institution, and a... (More)
This thesis is about women in drug abuse treatment and their descriptions of themselves as women - their process of becoming feminine. The aim of the thesis is describing and trying to understand the meaning of the treatment in the women's femininity processes and what significance drugs, alcohol, men, the own body, motherhood, and sexuality have and have had in the process. The emphasis is on the empirical material, which consists of several interviews with 29 female clients and treatment personnel at four different treatment programmes as well as observations, primarily of the physical environment. The programmes are a solution-focused open-care unit, a Minnesota Model treatment centre, an all-female institution, and a compulsory-treatment institution. At the all-female institution, all clients and the entire staff are women. At the compulsory-treatment institution, the clients are all women, while the staff consists of men as well as women. The other two programmes are directed towards male as well as female drug abusers.



In the women's descriptions of themselves as women, it appeared that they in various ways invested in femininity. They used their femininity and style to demonstrate femininity and to demonstrate to the surrounding world what kind of a woman they were. The drugs and alcohol were closely associated with how the women presented their femininity. However, both drugs and alcohol had several functions, which also have varied over time. The same means that initially had given strength were later used to endure. Relationships to men were central, and the women said that a relationship with a man proved that you were a real woman. The children, too, were of great importance to them as women. By being a mother you were unquestionably a woman. Some pointed out that their children were the drive behind their seeking treatment.



The women said that they were discontented with their lives and wanted a change. They "opened up" to the treatment and accepted their position as a client. As clients, they dissociated themselves from their use of drugs and alcohol and the femininity they had previously presented. Their previous life was not regarded as a "real life". The client position also meant that the women recognised and subordinated themselves to the image of femininity found in the treatment. The interviews revealed that the women, during their treatment, learned and acquired a femininity that at the same time was described as coming "from within" and being an expression of themselves. Through the treatment, they were disciplined to become a (real) "woman". (Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
Popular Abstract in Swedish

Denna avhandling handlar om kvinnor i missbrukarbehandling och deras beskrivningar av sig själva som kvinnor, den s.k. femininitetsprocessen. Syftet är att beskriva och försöka förstå behandlingens betydelse i kvinnornas femininitetsprocesser och vilken innebörd rusmedel, män, den egna kroppen, moderskap och sexualitet har och har haft däri. Avhandlingen har huvudsakligen ett deskriptivt och synliggörande syfte och inte ett teorigenererande eller teoriprövande. Tyngdpunkten ligger på det empiriska materialet. Det består av intervjuer med 29 kvinnliga klienter och behandlingspersonal vid fyra olika behandlingsprogram och observationer av främst den fysiska miljön. Klienterna har intervjuats flera... (More)
Popular Abstract in Swedish

Denna avhandling handlar om kvinnor i missbrukarbehandling och deras beskrivningar av sig själva som kvinnor, den s.k. femininitetsprocessen. Syftet är att beskriva och försöka förstå behandlingens betydelse i kvinnornas femininitetsprocesser och vilken innebörd rusmedel, män, den egna kroppen, moderskap och sexualitet har och har haft däri. Avhandlingen har huvudsakligen ett deskriptivt och synliggörande syfte och inte ett teorigenererande eller teoriprövande. Tyngdpunkten ligger på det empiriska materialet. Det består av intervjuer med 29 kvinnliga klienter och behandlingspersonal vid fyra olika behandlingsprogram och observationer av främst den fysiska miljön. Klienterna har intervjuats flera gånger under sin behandling. Programmen är en lösningsfokuserad öppenvårdsenhet, en Minnesotainstitution, en kvinnoinstitution och en tvångsvårdsinstitution. Kvinnoinstitutionen är helt enkönad då både klienter och personal är kvinnor. På tvångsvårdsinstitutionen är klienterna enbart kvinnor medan personalen består av både män och kvinnor. De andra programmen vänder sig till både manliga och kvinnliga missbrukare. Avhandlingen är uppdelad i fyra delar. Den första delen är en kontextualisering av studien och innehåller teoretiska utgångspunkter och en metodologisk diskussion. Del två är en framställning av den missbrukarvård och de behandlingsprogram de intervjuade kvinnorna deltog i. Här är fokus på de fyra verksamheterna. I delen ingår en presentation av behandlarnas arbete och deras bilder av missbrukande kvinnor. Jag kunde konstatera att, med undantag för öppenvårdsenheten, fanns hos behandlarna en tämligen gemensam bild av vilka behov de kvinnliga missbrukarna hade under sin behandling. Detta trots att enheterna hade olika teoretiska förklaringsmodeller och metoder. Individen var i fokus och målen var tämligen lika. Förutom drogfrihet var målsättningen att kvinnan skulle "hitta sig själv" och uppnå ett större självbestämmande över sitt liv.

I del tre utgår jag från de kvinnliga klienterna och deras berättelser om sina erfarenheter av socialtjänst och behandlingar för missbruk, både tidigare och aktuella. Av intervjupersonernas beskrivningar, även de tvångsvårdade, framkom att de sökte en förändring. Det framgick att de erkände och underordnade sig behandlingens tankemodeller. Intervjupersonerna karakteriserade behandlingen som en inre process och flera av dem sa sig ha börjat tänka på ett nytt sätt i och med sin behandling. De tvångsvårdade, som var betydligt mer negativa till sin vård än övriga, sa sig dock acceptera tvångsomhändertagandet.

I del fyra presenterar och diskuterar jag kvinnornas femininitetsprocesser. I beskrivningarna av sig själva som kvinnor framkom att de på olika sätt investerade i femininitet. De använde sitt utseende och stil för att uppvisa femininitet och visa för omvärlden vilken sorts kvinna de var. Rusmedlen var intimt förknippade med hur kvinnorna uppvisade femininitet. Dock hade rusmedel flera funktioner, vilka också varierat över tid. I inledningen hade användandet funktionen av att ge kvinnorna kraft att bryta med en traditionell kvinnoroll. Åren före behandling var det dock snarare ett försök till att skapa sig ett eget utrymme och att orka med att leva upp till den förväntade kvinnorollen. Samma medel som från början givit kraft användes sedermera till att stå ut. Relationer till män var centrala för kvinnorna och de framställde det som att ett parförhållande utgjorde ett bevis på att man var en riktig kvinna. Barnen hade en stor betydelse för dem som kvinnor. Några framhöll att som mamma skulle man finna livet så pass rikt och tillfredsställande att man inte borde behöva rusmedel. För flera utgjorde barnen en drivkraft till att de gått in i behandling.

Av intervjumaterialet framkom att oavsett program både accepterade och tillägnade sig de kvinnliga klienterna en mer traditionell bild av femininitet. Det var en typ av femininitet som de tidigare, bland annat genom sitt användande av rusmedel, sökt göra motstånd mot och sökt efter alternativ till. Detta motstånd fick de ge upp för att istället underordna sig de villkor som behandlingen skedde under. Denna process underlättades av att kvinnorna ville ha hjälp och var trötta på det liv de levde. De erkände sig själva i positionen som klienter. I denna ingick att ta avstånd från sitt tidigare liv och öppna sig för behandlingen. De disciplinerades till att bli (riktiga) kvinnor. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
supervisor
opponent
  • Börjeson, Bengt
organization
alternative title
Creating Femininity : On Women in Drug Abuse Treatment
publishing date
type
Thesis
publication status
published
subject
keywords
client, drug use, drug abuse, drugs, alcohol, drug treatment, addiction treatment, motherhood, sex, gender, femininity, women, Social problems and welfare, national insurance, Sociala problem, social välfärd, socialförsäkring
in
Lund dissertations in social work
volume
8
pages
283 pages
publisher
Leili Laanemets, Socialhögskolan, Box 23, 221 00 Lund,
defense location
Socialhögskolan, sal 28, Bredgatan 26
defense date
2002-05-24 10:15:00
external identifiers
  • other:ISRN: LUSADG/SASW-02/1036-SE
ISSN
1650-3872
ISBN
91-89604-10-5
language
Swedish
LU publication?
yes
id
42992cfc-954e-4f0c-b40e-58da4973f755 (old id 20731)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 16:08:53
date last changed
2021-12-20 08:57:52
@phdthesis{42992cfc-954e-4f0c-b40e-58da4973f755,
  abstract     = {{This thesis is about women in drug abuse treatment and their descriptions of themselves as women - their process of becoming feminine. The aim of the thesis is describing and trying to understand the meaning of the treatment in the women's femininity processes and what significance drugs, alcohol, men, the own body, motherhood, and sexuality have and have had in the process. The emphasis is on the empirical material, which consists of several interviews with 29 female clients and treatment personnel at four different treatment programmes as well as observations, primarily of the physical environment. The programmes are a solution-focused open-care unit, a Minnesota Model treatment centre, an all-female institution, and a compulsory-treatment institution. At the all-female institution, all clients and the entire staff are women. At the compulsory-treatment institution, the clients are all women, while the staff consists of men as well as women. The other two programmes are directed towards male as well as female drug abusers.<br/><br>
<br/><br>
In the women's descriptions of themselves as women, it appeared that they in various ways invested in femininity. They used their femininity and style to demonstrate femininity and to demonstrate to the surrounding world what kind of a woman they were. The drugs and alcohol were closely associated with how the women presented their femininity. However, both drugs and alcohol had several functions, which also have varied over time. The same means that initially had given strength were later used to endure. Relationships to men were central, and the women said that a relationship with a man proved that you were a real woman. The children, too, were of great importance to them as women. By being a mother you were unquestionably a woman. Some pointed out that their children were the drive behind their seeking treatment.<br/><br>
<br/><br>
The women said that they were discontented with their lives and wanted a change. They "opened up" to the treatment and accepted their position as a client. As clients, they dissociated themselves from their use of drugs and alcohol and the femininity they had previously presented. Their previous life was not regarded as a "real life". The client position also meant that the women recognised and subordinated themselves to the image of femininity found in the treatment. The interviews revealed that the women, during their treatment, learned and acquired a femininity that at the same time was described as coming "from within" and being an expression of themselves. Through the treatment, they were disciplined to become a (real) "woman".}},
  author       = {{Laanemets, Leili}},
  isbn         = {{91-89604-10-5}},
  issn         = {{1650-3872}},
  keywords     = {{client; drug use; drug abuse; drugs; alcohol; drug treatment; addiction treatment; motherhood; sex; gender; femininity; women; Social problems and welfare; national insurance; Sociala problem; social välfärd; socialförsäkring}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  publisher    = {{Leili Laanemets, Socialhögskolan, Box 23, 221 00 Lund,}},
  school       = {{Lund University}},
  series       = {{Lund dissertations in social work}},
  title        = {{Skapande av femininitet : Om kvinnor i missbrukarbehandling}},
  volume       = {{8}},
  year         = {{2002}},
}