Violence against women--the myth of masochism

Malignant Self-Regard: Overview and Future Directions

Malignant self-regard (MSR) is a self-representation that encompasses the shared features of depressive personality disorder, masochistic/self-defeating personality disorder, depressive-masochistic personality, and vulnerable narcissism. In this review we begin by describing the construct's historical precursors, which begin in early psychoanalytic/dynamic theory, and then trace its development across iterations of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Special attention is paid to differentiating MSR from vulnerable narcissism. We then consider MSR's place within transdiagnostic, transtheoretical, and dimensional models of personality pathology. We focus heavily on MSR's impact on various personality systems (e.g., thought and affect systems) and also on overall personality functioning. The empirical research on MSR in relation to these systems is thoroughly reviewed and largely supports its psychometric properties and clinical significance. We suggest that MSR may map onto the distress subfactor in the hierarchical taxonomy of psychopathology (HiTOP) and that MSR seems to occupy the shared internalizing space across the neurotic and borderline level of personality organization in Kernberg's model of personality disorders. We also identify four major directions for future research: the possible benefits of self-defeating tendencies that involve pathological narcissism and self-esteem; MSR's relationship to overall health and well-being; depressive states and MSR severity; and how MSR fits within the Alternative Model for Personality Disorders and the personality disorder framework of the International Classification of Diseases.

Going Forward with #MeToo Movement: Towards a Safer Work Environment

Introduction: The volcanic eruption of the #MeToo movement shows that the problem was there for long and was simmering on. The movement was initiated with the aim of knowing the magnitude of the problem and has now spread worldwide. The cases of the Me Too sexual wave are recent and have not yet attracted much scientific attention, though literature on sexual harassment is widely available and the psychological mechanisms implicated in this movement can be understood and examined through it.

Objectives: This article aims to attract attention of the medical fraternity to update themselves of this issue which is essential for better understanding of the movement which has potentially good, bad, and ugly undercurrents. We will call attention to these aspects perusing the literature both at national and international levels. This would also be subjected to an analysis of the established concepts and principles of human psychology and behavior.

Conclusion: It is amply clear that the time for sweeping things under the carpet is over and the catharsis that flooded the social media, print media, and TV just show how important it is to make the future workplace fair to both genders.

The Roots of Resistance to Women's Self-Defense

Those who teach or research women's self-defense often encounter significant resistance from others. In this article, the author discusses three major types of resistance to women's self-defense (and to women's resistance to violence more generally): the belief that women's resistance is impossible, that it is too dangerous, and that it risks blaming the victim. The author argues that one source of these reactions is people's taken-for-granted beliefs about gender, which limit their ability to understand the research on women's resistance and self-defense—and, indeed, prevent them from being able to conceptualize women as strong and competent social actors.

Battering in a population of adolescent females

The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of battering in a population of adolescent females, to gain information regarding the impact of battering on their health, and to test a portion of the Campbell and Humphreys (1984) framework, which states that our patriarchal society and the resulting machismo attitudes toward women are the cause of battering. If the framework is correct, partners who batter would possess characteristics indicative of machismo. The sample for this descriptive study consisted of a convenience sample of 59 females from a shelter for displaced teens. The subjects provided information on themselves and 92 male partners via interviews. Of 59 subjects, 69% had been battered before the age of 18 and 41.5% had been battered during pregnancy. Health care problems were frequent in all the subjects, especially depression and suicidal ideation. The nonbattered and battered subjects as well as their partners were compared with respect to several demographic variables. There was a statistically significant higher rate of reported qualities of machismo among batterers when compared with nonbatterers. Recommendations include suggestions for further research.

Comparison of gender and victim response to violence in popular movies

The overwhelming statistics of crime against women affect their perceptions and quality of life. The media have a significant effect on both perceptions and behavior. The manner, therefore, in which fictional victims are portrayed could affect perceptions of control in real-life women fearing victimization and in their potential assailants. Popular crime-drama movies and the difference between male and female behaviors were examined in this pilot study. A total of 65 responses were evaluated from a random sample of film videos. Active attempts to gain control were exhibited by 81% of the male responses, whereas only 17% of the women did so, chi 2 (1, N = 65) = 28.99, p less than .001. The relationship of results and myths concerning women as victims is discussed.

BATTERED WOMEN and the MYTH of MASOCHISM

Domestic violence is a major health issue. Research on this problem is just in its infancy. It remains a problem because there has been widespread acceptance of violence in our culture as a means of solving and dealing with problems. Women have been the targets. Waites admonishes health professionals to stop using the concept of masochism as an explanation for abusive behavior. She asks instead for us to look at female motivation in terms of the actual choices that are available and the realistic consequences of these choices. Perhaps only then will health professionals become able to break the cycle of violence and intervene in a way that stops the woman from becoming another homicide statistic.

Relations between Hand Test variables and the psychological characteristics and behaviors of battered women

Battered and nonbattered women were administered the Hand Test to determine which psychological test variables could distinguish between these groups. Compared to the nonbattered group, the battered group produced substantially more fear responses. We also found significant positive relationships between the amount of fear responses produced and frequency of abuse, number of previous visits to a battered women's shelter, and medical treatment sought following an abusive incident. We discuss these results in the context of previous findings and their implications for the personality of battered women. We speculate that lowered environmental interest might be a personality factor that prolonged the abuse and that fear is a basic reaction to anticipated bodily harm.

Female alcoholics: IV. The relationship between family violence and outcome 3-10 years after treatment

In a long-term follow-up study of 44 female alcoholics, the women's childhood history of family violence was found to be related to violence in partner relationship as an adult and to outcome of treatment. The number of violent relations experienced during childhood was significantly related to a repetitive pattern of violent partnerships after treatment, which added to a poor outcome. The small number of selected women studied limits the generalization of data. However, treatment intervention in violent partner relationships of female alcoholics probably would benefit long-term outcome.

Dangerous people or dangerous situations? Some implications for assessment and management

An attempt is made to define dangerous behaviour in a social and environmental context. Some ethical issues are discussed and guidelines are suggested for the assessment and management of dangerous or potentially dangerous offenders. The importance of the therapist ‘knowing himself’ is also stressed.

The etiology of violent behavior. An overview

Society often considers violent people to be mentally ill, and a significant number of patients exhibit violent behavior. For the assessment of violent individuals, a thorough understanding of the complex biopsychosocial causes of violence is required. This paper critically reviews recent investigations of the multiple causes of violence to clarify those aspects that can be helpful to clinicians in their inquiries.