NCJ Number
193616
Journal
Journal of Trauma Practice Volume: 1 Issue: 1 Dated: 2002 Pages: 81-102
Date Published
2002
Length
22 pages
Annotation
This article examines the effect of politics and psychology on the battered woman's movement.
Abstract
The article describes the recent history of the battered woman's movement as an interesting study in social science politics--with various groups vying for the power to either "rescue," "reempower," or "remake" the woman. Less popular is the attempt at "attitude readjustment," "personality restructuring," "reordering the family structure," or simply "stopping" men's violent behavior. Professionals are often viewed by grassroots advocates as uncaring and poorly trained in domestic violence. In turn, professionals often regard grassroots advocates as zealots without adequate mental health training. Focus on the criminal justice system to provide services to battered women, batterers, and children exposed to domestic violence, began in the mid-1980's. At the same time that the politics of the battered woman movement were driving the establishment of services and legal remedies, the feminist revolution was making an impact on organized psychology and the mental health field in general. The past 30 years have seen the development of legal and psychological strategies to assist battered women in finding safety and healing from abuse. The article observes that, just when psychology has begun to deal seriously with the problem, advocates are becoming even more hostile towards mental health professionals. The politics of domestic violence continues to prevent collaboration between these two groups. References