A lifetime of vigilance : understanding change in abusive men
| dc.contributor.author | MacKenzie-Cooper, William John | en_US |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2024-08-14T22:33:32Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2024-08-14T22:33:32Z | |
| dc.date.copyright | 1996 | en_US |
| dc.date.issued | 1996 | |
| dc.degree.department | Department of Psychological Foundations in Education | |
| dc.degree.department | Department of Educational Psychology and Leadership Studies | |
| dc.degree.level | Master of Arts M.A. | en |
| dc.description.abstract | The purpose of the study was to explore what brings about change in abusive men. Eighteen men who had been through phase one or beyond of the Victoria Family Violence Project (VFVP) were participants in the study. The critical incident technique, a qualitative method, was used to collect and analyze the data. A semi-structured interview guideline was used to carry out the interviews. The participants were asked to discuss specific incidents that initiated a change in them and their abusive behavior. A total of 76 incidents, an average of 4.2 per participant, comprised the categorization scheme. There were seven categories and nine subcategories. The largest category was Learning About Self. In this category the participants developed an awareness of themselves or their lives through two processes. The first was an experiential process that resulted in new awarenesses or changed perceptions. The second was a more cognitive process in which the men absorbed information that enhanced their self-awareness. The subcategories were (1) structured experiential events, (2) spontaneous experiential events, (3) feedback, (4) listening to others, and (5) reading. The second largest category was Abuse. This category refers to the participants being abusive either physically, psychologically, emotionally, or verbally to either their partners or to someone else. The abusive incidents brought an awareness to the men that there was a problem. Many participants realized that they had gone too far with their behavior. Others felt their behavior was out of control, indicating to them that something was wrong. Once the men had developed this awareness they had to rectify the problem. The subcategories were (1) abuse of partners, and (2) abuse of others. The third category was Experiencing Limits. This category consisted of incidents in which the participants experienced a limit being set on them by their partners or those with delegated authority. The subcategories were (1) authorities, and (2) partners. The fourth category was Assessment. The participants were involved in a structured assessment at the VFVP. The fifth category was Change in Lifestyle. It refers to incidents that changed the participant's lifestyle in various ways. The sixth category was Conflict. This refers to the participants experiencing conflict with others. The seventh category was Acknowledging Abuse. In this category the participants acknowledged their abuse to others outside the program. Changes in the participants included affective, cognitive, and behavioral changes. Two change processes were found. One was a four-stage change process. The other was referred to as quantum change. Factors involved in facilitating changes included experiential exercises, experiencing intense emotions, modelling, cognitive dissonance, feedback, reading, development of self awareness, learning life skills, and the crystallization of discontent. Implications of the results of the study are discussed. | |
| dc.format.extent | 131 pages | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/1828/18805 | |
| dc.rights | Available to the World Wide Web | en_US |
| dc.title | A lifetime of vigilance : understanding change in abusive men | en_US |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_US |
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