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Män, våld och moralarbete : Rapporter från män som sökt behandling för våld i nära relationer

Boethius, Susanne LU (2015) In Lund Dissertations in Sociology 110.
Abstract
Men, violence and moral work- Reports from help-seeking men at treatment centers working with violence in close relationships



Men’s violence against women is an extensive social problem. In the 1970s, a new kind of centers were

established in the US and UK, focusing on treating men who had been violent against their wives or girlfriends, the

aim which is to end the men’s violent behavior. In the 1980s the first center where violent men could seek help was

established in Sweden. Even though these treatment programs have been around for almost 30 years, they have

received limited attention from researchers and evaluators. Research in the field on domestic violence is less

... (More)
Men, violence and moral work- Reports from help-seeking men at treatment centers working with violence in close relationships



Men’s violence against women is an extensive social problem. In the 1970s, a new kind of centers were

established in the US and UK, focusing on treating men who had been violent against their wives or girlfriends, the

aim which is to end the men’s violent behavior. In the 1980s the first center where violent men could seek help was

established in Sweden. Even though these treatment programs have been around for almost 30 years, they have

received limited attention from researchers and evaluators. Research in the field on domestic violence is less

frequently studied from the perspective of men rather than from the female perspective. This thesis explores how

men, who voluntarily sought help at men´s centers report their experiences of violence and treatment.

The study is based on two types of data; responses given on a questionnaire collected primarily for an evaluation

study, and analyses of qualitative interviews conducted for this thesis only. The results from the questionnaire shows

that, the men who seek help at a treatment center do not constitute a heterogeneous group. Some men report

frequent unilateral psychological, physical and sexual violence use against their partners. Other men report no

physical or sexual violence use at all. Many men report being exposed to their partner’s violence. The motives for

seeking help are not always to end the violent behavior. The possibility to assert whether the treatment was effective

is also discussed. There was no control group, meaning that there is no way to compare the results with those men

who did not participate in the treatment. However, the men report less violence use one year after the first contact

was made with the treatment center.

The main part of the analysis explores how the interviewed men present themselves. In other words, the thesis

highlights the men’s explanations and portrayals of their own retold experiences. The analysis shows that all the men

construct a morally decent description of their selves. Inspired by Scott & Lyman’s (1968) sociological concept

‘accounts’ and Goffman’s (1971) ‘presentation of self’, the moral work, made by presenting the retold violent acts and

their relationships, are identified.

Furthermore, the men switch between denying and claiming responsibility. At times they deny responsibility for

the violence used and place it with the women (“it’s her fault”), their background, or specific situations. At other

times they claim responsibility, and do this on three different levels; 1) in the situation, 2) by explaining that they

have been trying to end the relationship and 3) by arguing that they has been trying to seek help. The men also

negotiate the concepts of ‘violence’ and ‘women abuser’, making efforts to make distinctions between themselves

and “real” women abusers. (Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
Popular Abstract in Swedish

I Män, våld och moralarbete uppmärksammas hur män, som frivilligt sökt sig till verksamheter där det erbjuds behandling för våld i nära relationer, rapporterar om sina erfarenheter. Rapporteringarna består dels av svar på frågeformulär, dels genom deltagande i samtalsintervjuer.

Författaren analyserar hur männen förklarar sina handlingar och gestaltar återberättade erfarenheter av våld och behandling. Samtliga intervjuade män framhåller moraliskt försvarbara identitetsbeskrivningar och i boken identifieras hur männen, med hjälp av redovisande förklaringar och stödjande karaktärsframställningar, genomför detta moralarbete.

Vidare framkommer det hur männen växlar när det handlar... (More)
Popular Abstract in Swedish

I Män, våld och moralarbete uppmärksammas hur män, som frivilligt sökt sig till verksamheter där det erbjuds behandling för våld i nära relationer, rapporterar om sina erfarenheter. Rapporteringarna består dels av svar på frågeformulär, dels genom deltagande i samtalsintervjuer.

Författaren analyserar hur männen förklarar sina handlingar och gestaltar återberättade erfarenheter av våld och behandling. Samtliga intervjuade män framhåller moraliskt försvarbara identitetsbeskrivningar och i boken identifieras hur männen, med hjälp av redovisande förklaringar och stödjande karaktärsframställningar, genomför detta moralarbete.

Vidare framkommer det hur männen växlar när det handlar om ansvarstagande. Våldshandlingarna i sig beskrivs med ansvarsbefriande redogörelser, medan ansvarstagande redogörelser framkommer i beskrivningar om hur männen försökt undvika våldet.

Männen i studien försöker även nyansera bilden av mäns våld mot kvinnor genom att förhandla om begreppen våld, kvinnomisshandlare och misshandel. Männen ger beskrivningar som luckrar upp bilden av ett tydligt offer och en tydlig gärningsman och framställer våldet som något relationellt som grundas i ansträngda situationer och livsöden. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
supervisor
opponent
  • Docent Pettersson, Tove, Stockholms universitet
organization
alternative title
Men, violence and moral work : Reports from help-seeking men at treatment centrers working with violence in close relationships
publishing date
type
Thesis
publication status
published
subject
keywords
mäns våld mot kvinnor, våld, behandling av män, moralarbete, accounts, våldsamma män, Våld i nära relationer
in
Lund Dissertations in Sociology
volume
110
pages
262 pages
publisher
Lund University
defense location
Kulturens Auditorium, Tegnérsplatsen, Lund
defense date
2015-10-02 14:00:00
ISSN
1102-4712
ISBN
978-91-7623-451-8
978-91-7623-450-1
language
Swedish
LU publication?
yes
id
8a6bda5b-632b-4c67-8e8c-6f9bf055ef74 (old id 7862214)
date added to LUP
2016-04-04 09:17:04
date last changed
2021-03-08 08:02:48
@phdthesis{8a6bda5b-632b-4c67-8e8c-6f9bf055ef74,
  abstract     = {{Men, violence and moral work- Reports from help-seeking men at treatment centers working with violence in close relationships<br/><br>
<br/><br>
Men’s violence against women is an extensive social problem. In the 1970s, a new kind of centers were<br/><br>
established in the US and UK, focusing on treating men who had been violent against their wives or girlfriends, the<br/><br>
aim which is to end the men’s violent behavior. In the 1980s the first center where violent men could seek help was<br/><br>
established in Sweden. Even though these treatment programs have been around for almost 30 years, they have<br/><br>
received limited attention from researchers and evaluators. Research in the field on domestic violence is less<br/><br>
frequently studied from the perspective of men rather than from the female perspective. This thesis explores how<br/><br>
men, who voluntarily sought help at men´s centers report their experiences of violence and treatment.<br/><br>
The study is based on two types of data; responses given on a questionnaire collected primarily for an evaluation<br/><br>
study, and analyses of qualitative interviews conducted for this thesis only. The results from the questionnaire shows<br/><br>
that, the men who seek help at a treatment center do not constitute a heterogeneous group. Some men report<br/><br>
frequent unilateral psychological, physical and sexual violence use against their partners. Other men report no<br/><br>
physical or sexual violence use at all. Many men report being exposed to their partner’s violence. The motives for<br/><br>
seeking help are not always to end the violent behavior. The possibility to assert whether the treatment was effective<br/><br>
is also discussed. There was no control group, meaning that there is no way to compare the results with those men<br/><br>
who did not participate in the treatment. However, the men report less violence use one year after the first contact<br/><br>
was made with the treatment center.<br/><br>
The main part of the analysis explores how the interviewed men present themselves. In other words, the thesis<br/><br>
highlights the men’s explanations and portrayals of their own retold experiences. The analysis shows that all the men<br/><br>
construct a morally decent description of their selves. Inspired by Scott &amp; Lyman’s (1968) sociological concept<br/><br>
‘accounts’ and Goffman’s (1971) ‘presentation of self’, the moral work, made by presenting the retold violent acts and<br/><br>
their relationships, are identified.<br/><br>
Furthermore, the men switch between denying and claiming responsibility. At times they deny responsibility for<br/><br>
the violence used and place it with the women (“it’s her fault”), their background, or specific situations. At other<br/><br>
times they claim responsibility, and do this on three different levels; 1) in the situation, 2) by explaining that they<br/><br>
have been trying to end the relationship and 3) by arguing that they has been trying to seek help. The men also<br/><br>
negotiate the concepts of ‘violence’ and ‘women abuser’, making efforts to make distinctions between themselves<br/><br>
and “real” women abusers.}},
  author       = {{Boethius, Susanne}},
  isbn         = {{978-91-7623-451-8}},
  issn         = {{1102-4712}},
  keywords     = {{mäns våld mot kvinnor; våld; behandling av män; moralarbete; accounts; våldsamma män; Våld i nära relationer}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  publisher    = {{Lund University}},
  school       = {{Lund University}},
  series       = {{Lund Dissertations in Sociology}},
  title        = {{Män, våld och moralarbete : Rapporter från män som sökt behandling för våld i nära relationer}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/5282201/7862216.pdf}},
  volume       = {{110}},
  year         = {{2015}},
}