'n Ekologiese perspektief op geweld teenoor vroue in saamwoon-en huweliksverhoudings

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Date
1999-11
Authors
Schoeman, Hendrik Pieters
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Publisher
University of the Free State
Abstract
English: A literature study, complemented by an empirical investigation during which both quantitative questionnaires and qualitative interviews with female victims of violence are utilised, is conducted to explore and describe violence against women in cohabiting and marital relationships from an ecological perspective, in order to tune in scientifically founded social work service rendering to the phenomenon. During the investigation, there is moved away from a linear approach to violence to a more comprehensive, holistic perspective, which brings about an assessment of social problems and needs in interactional terms, namely that violence is a result of maladjustment in the person and environmental relationship. The phenomenon is approached as a symptom of disfunctioning in the ecological system and as a result of the mutually influencing interactional processes that take place between the individual system and the ecological context. A variety of multifactoral, circular causal factors are identified by analysing four levels of the ecological system, namely the individual level, the family level, social structural level and the sociocultural level, but also of the levels' mutual influence upon one another. At the individual level, an analysis takes place of psychopathologies and characteristics associated with female victims and violent males. The ways in which their families of origin influence the concerned persons' current behaviour and purport regarding their situations are analysed, whilst the role of power in violent behaviour, the relation between the use of alcohol and chemical substances and violence and factors influencing female victims' decision making about the violent relationships, are also explored and described. Two circular theoretical frameworks, namely the structural approach of Salvador Minuchin and the multigenerational approach of Murray Bowen, are utilised for an analysis of family systems disfunctioning where violence against women in cohabiting and marital relationships occur. Due to the structural approach's emphasis on the disfunctioning of the family system where symptomatic behaviour occurs and its focus on the function of the symptomatic behaviour for the maintenance of a rigid, non-progressive family systems equilibrium, a meaningful structural exploration of violence prone family systems is made possible. The application of concepts from Bowen's theory on violence prone family systems, is especially useful for the exploration of the involved persons' emotional reactivity, triangulation both inside and outside of the family system and for the multigenerational recurrence of violent behaviour through various generations. During the analysis of social structural aspects that allegedly contribute to the establishment and maintenance of violence against women in cohabiting and marital relationships, the focus is on the influence of economic realities (illiteracy, unemployment and poverty) in the unique South African context. An analysis of service rendering initiatives, structures and professions involved in the prevention and treatment of the phenomenon and how female victims of violence experience these services and structures, is also done. Sexism, sex role stereotyping, norms regarding marriage and the family, the general acceptance of violence and myths related to violence against women in cohabiting and marital relationships, are contributing and maintaining factors focused on during an analysis of the sociocultural level of the ecological system. These factors possibly contribute to a elirnate/socio culture in which females are regarded as inferior to and as the property of men and where men are allowed to rule them, while the general acceptance of violence, gives rise to community desensitisation regarding the phenomenon. Due to the comprehensive nature of the ecological perspective, it not only serves as a directionindicator to the social work profession, but also to other professions and service rendering structures for continued research and for the pro- and reactive development and implementation of preventative and treatment programmes regarding the phenomenon.
Afrikaans: 'n Literatuurstudie, aangevul deur 'n empiriese ondersoek, waartydens van sowel kwantitatiewe vraelysimplementering as kwalitatiewe onderhoudvoering met vroulike slagoffers van geweld gebruik gemaak word, word benut om geweld teenoor vroue in saamwoon- en huweliksverhoudings vanuit 'n ekologiese perspektief te verken en te beskryf, ten einde wetenskaplik-gefundeerde maatskaplikewerkhulpverlening op die verskynsel te kan afstem. In die ondersoek word wegbeweeg van 'n liniêre benadering tot geweld na 'n meer omvattende, holistiese perspektief, wat meebring dat 'n assessering van maatskaplike probleme en behoeftes in interaksionele terme moontlik gemaak word, naamlik dat die geweld 'n resultaat is van wanaanpassing in die mens-en-omgewingverhouding. Die verskynsel word benader as 'n simptoom van disfunksionering in die ekologiese sisteem en dus as die resultaat van die wedersyds-beïnvloedende interaksionele prosesse wat plaasvind tussen die individuele sisteem en die ekologiese konteks waarbinne gefunksioneer word. 'n Verskeidenheid multi-faktorale, sirkulêre kousaliteitsfaktore word geïdentifiseer deurdat 'n analise gedoen word van vier vlakke in die ekologiese ontledingsisteem, te wete die individuele vlak, die gesinsvlak, die sosiaalstrukturele vlak en die sosio-kulturele vlak, maar ook van die wedersydse beïnvloeding van die vlakke ten opsigte van mekaar. Op die individuele vlak vind 'n ontleding plaas van psigopatologieë en karaktereienskappe wat geassosieer word met vroulike slagoffers en manlike geweldenaars. Voorts word die wyse waarop die betrokkenes se gesinne-van-oorsprong hulle huidige gedrag en betekenisgewing aan hulle situasies beïnvloed geanaliseer, terwylook die rol van mag in gewelddadige optrede, die verband tussen alkohol- en chemiese substansgebruik en geweld en faktore wat vroulike slagoffers se besluitneming oor die gewelddadige verhoudings beïnvloed, verken en beskryf word. Twee sirkulêre teoretiese raamwerke ten opsigte van gesinsfunksionering, te wete die strukturele benadering van Salvador Minuchin en die multigeneratiewe benadering van Murray Bowen, word benut vir 'n analise van gesinsistemiese disfunksionering waar geweld teenoor vroue in saamwoon- en huweliksverhoudings voorkom. Weens die strukturele benadering se beklemtoning van die disfunksionering in die gesinstruktuur waar simptoomgedrag voorkom en die fokus op die funksie van die simptoomgedrag vir die handhawing van 'n rigiede, nieprogressiewe gesinsistemiese ekwilibrium, word 'n betekenisvolle strukturele verkenning van geweldgekenmerkde gesinsisteme moontlik gemaak. Die toepassing van konsepte uit Bowen se teorie op geweldgekenmerkde gesinsisteme, is veral waardevol vir 'n verkenning van die betrokkenes se emosionele reaktiwiteit, driehoekvorming sowel binne as buite die gesinsisteem en vir die multigeneratiewe herhaling van gewelddadige gedrag oor gesinsgenerasies heen. Tydens die analise van sosiaal-strukturele aspekte wat vermeend aanleiding gee tot die totstandkoming en instandhouding van geweld teenoor vroue In saamwoon- en huweliksverhoudings, word gefokus op die invloed van ekonomiese realiteite (ongeletterdheid, werkloosheid en armoede) in die unieke Suid-Afrikaanse konteks. Voorts word 'n analise gedoen van dienslewerende inisiatiewe, strukture en professies wat gemoeid is met sowel die voorkoming as behandeling van die verskynsel en van hoedat vroulike slagoffers van geweld hierdie dienslewering en strukture beleef Aspekte soos seksisme, geslagsrolstereotipering, norme met betrekking tot die huwelik en die gesin, die algemene aanvaarding van geweld en mites met betrekking tot geweld teenoor vroue in saamwoon- en huweliksverhoudings, is aanleidende en instandhoudende faktore waarop gefokus word tydens 'n analise van die sosio-kulturele vlak van die ekologiese ontledingsisteem. Hierdie faktore dra waarskynlik by tot die skepping van 'n klimaat / sosio-kultuur waarbinne vroue beskou word as minderwaardig aan, en as die besittings van mans waaroor as't ware geheers mag word, terwyl die algemene aanvaarding van geweld, aanleiding gee tot samelewingsdesensitisering ten opsigte van 'n verskynsel soos geweld teenoor vroue. Vanweë die omvattende aard van sodanige ekologiese perspektief, dien dit nie alleen vir die maatskaplikewerkprofessie nie, maar ook vir ander professies en dienslewerende strukture as rigtingwyser vir voortgesette navorsing en vir die pro- en reaktiewe ontwikkeling en implementering van voorkomings- en behandelingsprogramme ten opsigte van die verskynsel.
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Keywords
Wife abuse, Family violence, Interpersonal relations, Circular causality, Ecological perspective, Cohabiting relationships, Family functioning, Female victims, Individual characteristics, Male perpetrators, Marital relationships, Socio cultural influences, Socio structural dynamics, Violence, Women, Thesis (Ph.D. (Social Work)))--University of the Free State, 1999
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