Batterers' Experiences of Being Violent

Nine male batterers were interviewed about their experiences of being violent in domestic relationships. Interviews were analyzed using a phenomenological method to uncover themes in the structure of violent experiences. Results indicated two levels of themes: Contextual themes that described comparisons of self with other, forming the relational setting for violence, and focal themes that described experiences of being violent. Results were discussed in terms of social learning theory and gender-role attitudes, concluding that for some men, being violent in domestic relationships is a failed attempt to assert a preferred identity and avoid a devalued one. The violence ultimately reproduces the relational context of perceived polarized identities from which it emerges. Implications of findings for the victim were discussed and suggestions made to expand treatment interventions to focus on the polarized and unstable terms by which the men in this study framed their identities in domestic relationships.