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Discourse After a Batterer Intervention Program: A Qualitative Analysis of "Letters From the Future"
Christopher D Kilgore1, Peter Lehmann1, Rachel Voth Schrag1
11 University of Texas at Arlington, USA.
Violence Against Women
|August 22, 2018
Summary
Men completing batterer intervention programs often use writing assignments to affirm future success within traditional male roles. Their narratives reveal a complex mix of behavior change and intimate partner violence-sustaining discourse, reflecting societal influences.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Criminology
Background:
- Batterer intervention programs (BIPs) aim to reduce intimate partner violence (IPV).
- Understanding participants' post-program narratives is crucial for evaluating program effectiveness and identifying persistent challenges.
- Men's self-perceptions and adherence to societal norms can influence their engagement with and outcomes from BIPs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze men's written responses following a solution-focused voluntary batterer intervention program.
- To explore the discourse and narrative strategies men employ to frame their experiences and future outlook.
- To identify the interplay between transformative and IPV-sustaining discourses in men's post-program reflections.
Main Methods:
- Exploratory study utilizing discourse and narrative analysis.
- Analysis of writing assignments (n=45) completed by men at the end of a BIP.
- Categorization of narratives based on discourse type: transformative, IPV-sustaining, or a combination.
Main Results:
- Men predominantly used the writing assignment to affirm future success, often defined by traditional masculine ideals.
- A significant portion of participants (38.6%) simultaneously employed both transformative and IPV-sustaining discourses.
- Transformative discourse (22.7%) and IPV-sustaining discourse (18.2%) were also used independently.
Conclusions:
- The findings indicate an ideological conflict in men's post-program narratives, highlighting the persistence of IPV-sustaining discourse.
- This conflict suggests that IPV-sustaining discourse is deeply embedded within broader sociocultural structures and male paradigms.
- Intervention programs may need to more explicitly address and deconstruct these ingrained societal norms and discourses.