Recollections of psychological abuse - A collective case study of how young women manage and make sense of their memories of psychological abuse in romantic relationships
Author
Bach, Tine Marie
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2019
Submitted on
2019-01-03
Pages
79
Abstract
Denne afhandling undersøger, hvordan unge kvinder i Danmark håndterer og forstår minder om psykologisk partnervold. Med en kulturpsykologisk tilgang placeres disse erindringer i en bredere social og kulturel sammenhæng. Særligt ser jeg på, hvordan erindringerne kan forstås som vitale minder – forløb af konkrete episodiske minder, der er centrale for den nuværende selvforståelse, kræver vedvarende arbejde, formes af de kulturelle ressourcer, der er til rådighed, og tager form efter de situationer og praksisser, de fortælles i. Undersøgelsen bygger på et kollektivt casestudie med tre semistrukturerede kvalitative interviews med tre unge kvinder, der identificerer sig som ofre for psykologisk vold i et tidligere parforhold. Materialet er analyseret ud fra idéen om vitale minder og suppleret med andre teorier, der ser erindring som en fleksibel og situationsafhængig proces. Jeg sammenligner på tværs af de tre cases for at drøfte fælles temaer i måderne, hvorpå kvinderne håndterer og skaber mening i deres fortid. Analysen peger på, at disse erindringer kan behandles som vitale minder. Kvinderne kæmper fortsat med tvetydighed og ambivalens i forhold til, hvem der har handlekraft og ansvar; i nogle tilfælde bliver denne tvivl dog en ressource, fordi den åbner for refleksion over egne evner og moralsk karakter. Resultaterne viser også, at erindringerne formes og formidles gennem konkrete sammenhænge, praksisser og kollektive rammer, og at psykologiske og psykiatriske kategorier hjælper kvinderne med at give struktur og mening til fortiden. Deres arbejde med minderne er desuden flettet sammen med kulturelt formede forestillinger om, hvad det vil sige at være en voldsramt kvinde. Ved at placere de svære og smertefulde minder i en bredere social og kulturel kontekst peger afhandlingen på en ikke-patologiserende måde at forstå erindringer om psykologisk vold.
This thesis examines how young women in Denmark manage and make sense of memories of psychological partner abuse. Using a cultural psychological approach, it situates these memories within a wider social and cultural context. In particular, it explores the idea of vital memories – series of episodic recollections that are central to one’s current sense of self, require ongoing effort to organize and live with, are shaped by available cultural resources, and are mediated by the settings and practices in which they are told. The study is a collective case study based on three semi-structured qualitative interviews with three young women who identify themselves as victims of psychological abuse in a former romantic relationship. The material was analyzed through the lens of vital memories and other perspectives that view remembering as a flexible, situation-dependent process. Comparisons across the three cases are used to discuss shared themes in how the women manage and find meaning in their past. Findings suggest that these recollections can indeed be treated as vital memories. The women continue to grapple with ambiguity and ambivalence about agency and responsibility; in some cases, however, this uncertainty becomes a resource that opens space to reflect on personal capacities and moral character. The analysis also indicates that their memories are shaped and conveyed through particular settings, practices, and collective frameworks, and that psychological and psychiatric categories help them give structure and meaning to the past. Moreover, their meaning-making is intertwined with culturally shaped stereotypes of what it means to be an abused woman. By situating difficult and painful memories in a broader social and cultural context, the thesis proposes a non-pathological way of understanding recollections of psychological abuse.
[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]
Keywords
Documents