After He Hits Her

Abstract

This study examines the interactional dynamics following woman battering, and specifically addresses the question of whether, as time goes on, male batterers are less likely to offer accounts or aligning actions (i.e., apologies, excuses, justifications, and dismissals) for acts of violence, and whether female victims are less likely to honor the men's accounts. Based on in-depth interviews with 50 white women who had come to a battered women's shelter, the study finds that abusers generally are not likely to stop accounting for their violent behavior but that shelter victims are progressively less likely to honor the accounts. It also is found that, as time goes on, men are more likely to blame their victims for the battering. Similarities and differences between these findings and the research results used to support Walker's (1979, 1984) cycle theory of violence are discussed. Implications for practitioners working with batterers and victims are outlined.

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