Introduction 1. Woman's Place in Man's Life Cycle 2. Images of Relationship 3. Concepts of Self and Morality 4. Crisis and Transition 5. Women's Rights and Women's Judgment 6. Visions of Maturity References Index of Study Participants General Index

In a Different Voice. Psychological Theory and Women’s Development. Cambridge, MA (Harvard University Press) 1982.

This article tackles two distinct types of couple violence occurring within families in the US and other Western countries. A review of data from a large sample survey and of qualitative and quantitative data collected from womens shelters indicates that some families suffer from occasional display of violence from either husbands or wives (common couple violence) while other families are terrorized by systematic male violence (patriarchal terrorism). Findings of national survey also reveal the incidences of spouse abuse perpetrated by either the husband or the wife in contrast to the reports received in shelter homes with high incidence of women abuse. The differences in the gender pattern of violence between the national surveys and the statistics collected by public agencies are due to their nonoverlapping of variables. Further discussed are per couple frequency patterns of behavior in terms of escalation and reciprocity and initiation of violence. Arguments are presented regarding the validity of two radically different descriptions of the nature of couple violence in the US. Finally the study emphasized that the difference between common couple violence and patriarchal terrorism is important due to its implications for the establishment of public policy the development of educational programs and intervention strategies and the development of theories of interpersonal violence.

Patriarchal terrorism and common couple violence: two forms of violence against women

This article reviews literature on the prevalence of mental health problems among women with a history of intimate partner violence. The weighted mean prevalence of mental health problems among battered women was 47.6% in 18 studies of depression, 17.9% in 13 studies of suicidality, 63.8% in 11 studies of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), 18.5% in 10 studies of alcohol abuse, and 8.9% in four studies of drug abuse. These were typically inconsistent across studies. Weighted mean odds ratios representing associations of these problems with violence ranged from 3.55 to 5.62, and were typically consistent across studies. Variability was accounted for by differences in sampling frames. Dose-response relationships of violence to depression and PTSD were observed. Although research has not addressed many criteria for causal inferences, the existing research is consistent with the hypothesis that intimate partner violence increases risk for mental health problems. The appropriate way to conceptualize these problems deserves careful attention.

Intimate Partner Violence as a Risk Factor for Mental Disorders: A Meta-Analysis

People who are sensitive to social rejection tend to anxiously expect, readily perceive, and overreact to it. This article shows that this cognitive-affective processing disposition undermines intimate relationships. Study 1 describes a measure that operationalizes the anxious-expectations component of rejection sensitivity. Study 2 provides experimental evidence that people who anxiously expect rejection readily perceive intentional rejection in the ambiguous behavior of others. Study 3 shows that people who enter romantic relationships with anxious expectations of rejection readily perceive intentional rejection in the insensitive behavior of their new partners. Study 4 demonstrates that rejection-sensitive people and their romantic partners are dissatisfied with their relationships. Rejection-sensitive men's jealousy and rejection-sensitive women's hostility and diminished supportiveness help explain their partners' dissatisfaction.

https://www.ffri.hr/~ibrdar/komunikacija/seminari/Downey,%201996%20-%20Rejection%20Sensitivity%20for%20intimate%20relationsh.pdf

Implications of rejection sensitivity for intimate relationships.

This article analyzes data derived from the first detailed long‐term follow‐up of a sample of serious adolescent female delinquents and similarly situated males. Neither marital attachment nor job stability, factors frequently associated with male desistance from crime, were strongly related to female or male desistance. A symbolic‐interactionist perspective on desistance is developed as a counterpoint to Sampson and Laub’s theory of informal social control, and life history narratives are used to illustrate the perspective. This cognitive theory is generally compatible with a control approach but (a) adds specificity regarding underlying change mechanisms, (b) explains some negative cases, and (c) fits well with life course challenges facing contemporary serious female (and more provisionally male) offenders.

/pdf/gender-crime-and-desistance-toward-a-theory-of-cognitive-4gncgys1w2.pdf

Gender, Crime, and Desistance: Toward a Theory of Cognitive Transformation

The third edition of the \"Battered Woman Syndrome\" integrates new research findings about the Battered Woman Syndrome and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder together with the findings from thirty years ago when Walker first proposed such a syndrome. Six criteria have been found to constitute the Battered Woman Syndrome. These include the three groups of symptoms found in all who have developed PTSD such as reexperiencing the trauma, high levels of anxiety and arousal, and high levels of avoidance behaviors through depression, denial and minimization of the harm women are exposed to. The next three groups are specific to battered women. These include disrupted interpersonal relationships because of the isolation, power and control by the batterer, distorted body image and physical health, and sexual issues.Using data collected from multiple countries around the world, this new edition looks at attachment issues for battered women and the men who batter them, the relationship with substance abuse and risk factors for further abuse. The impact these issues have on the psychological health of battered women and treatment programs that can help women heal are also provided in this new edition. A special section is on working with women involved in the criminal justice system including battered women who kill their abusive partners in self-defense.

The Battered Woman Syndrome

The Future of Marriage J S Bernard New York: Bantam Books 1972 Rereading Jessie Bernard's The Future of Marriage almost 30 years after its original publication is much like returning for a visit to one's hometown You are now looking at markers from an earlier time with more informed, more experienced eyes Elementary school seems much smaller than you remember it, the parks aren't as beautiful, the houses more plain and crowded together Seeing these landmarks differently points out how much your world view has shifted and expanded More important than realizing how much your perception of things has changed, the trip home reminds you where you came from and what, from that earlier time, you still carry with you You can see which aspects of that past experience are part of who you are, still structuring your identity So, in a professional way, is the return visit to The Future of Marriage for me Thus, I approach the challenge of reviewing the impact of Bernard's book much as I would approach reviewing my hometown, making an effort to offer an "objective" assessment, while recognizing that I am the offspring of that which I am assessing The initial temptation with a book that makes predictions is to look at the accuracy of the predictions to assess the impact of the book How accurate was Bernard in her vision of how marriage would look today? By this standard, Bernard had some hits and some misses For example, she was on target in predicting a decline in the marriage rate, with alternative forms of intimate relationships filling in the gap The move away from nuclear households to "nuclear fusion" and cooperative households that she predicted has not widely manifest itself, however But to focus on the accuracy of predictions misses the point Bernard herself acknowledged that the business of looking into the future is fraught with peril as many unforeseen forces and random events can wreak havoc on well-grounded predictions The appropriate yardstick for measuring the impact of a scholarly book, I believe, is to ask the question, "How is the scholarly discourse different than it might have been without such a book?" How have the questions we asked, the way we ask them, and what we do with the answers been influenced by this book? The most obvious influence of this book was in directing the attention of scholars and society at large to gender differences and inequity in the experience of marriage Although Bernard and others had written for years about the differential mental health advantage of marriage for men over women, it was not until this book that the scholarly case for the potentially debilitating effects of marriage and parenthood for women was so articulately made Not only did Bernard cite the outcome data as many had done for years, she delved into the societal, interactional, and-to some extent-psychological factors contributing to women's plight That is, she moved beyond the traditional focus on gender differences to focus on the underlying dynamics giving rise to the gender differences Evidence of the impact of this book is seen in the way in which social science research began to pay attention to the construction of gender, to move away from the assumption of uniform experience in families (eg, concepts such as family well-being), and to examine in more detail women's experiences in families Such moves were not without controversy and backlash, but this book was a large part of the impetus that gave voice and direction to feminist researchers as they charted new courses of scholarly inquiry Interestingly, not only did Bernard build the case for the different experience of marriage, but she also provided the language for us to talk about it Terms such as "two marriages" (p 3) and 'his' and 'her' marriage" (p 5) have reached the level of common cultural knowledge both within and outside of academic circles …

The Future of Marriage

Using a sample of 60 two-income couples, this study examines the role of gender in taking responsibility for children, testing the effect of spouses' employment hours, wife's relative income, and couple's employment profile. Results indicate that women carry a larger share of the responsibility for children than do men. Only one characteristic of women's employment, the number of hours they are engaged in paid work, affected their level of responsibility, with no couple characteristics contributing to this pattern. Implications of these findings for the strain experienced in the parental role are discussed.

Responsibility for Children The Role of Gender and Employment

In light of the growing number of interracial marriages in this country, the present study set out to examine the relative strength of one's racial identity, social support, and experience of discrimination in predicting interracial marriage quality. A total of 76 interracial couples (52 African American male/White female and 24 African American female/White male) participated in the study by completing mail surveys. Results revealed that for African American partners, and to a lesser extent White partners, racial identity was the strongest predictor of marital quality. Partners who had pride in their race but were also accepting of other races and cultures experienced higher marital quality. These findings are discussed in light of the literature that suggests interracial couples often minimize the relevance of race in their relationships.

Marital quality of African American and white partners in interracial couples

What information do young adults convey to their parents about their dating partners and their dating relationships? How, in turn, do parents behave toward their children on the basis of such information? Further, how do parents' actions affect the subsequent course of those relationships? These questions were addressed in afour-month longitudinal study of 159 college students. During the fall, information was obtained from respondents on theirfeelings of closeness to theirparents, their stage of relationship involvement with their dating partner, and the extent and nature of their own and their parents' attempts to influence each others' thinking about their dating relationships. Approximately four months later, participants were again contacted to determine their level of involvement in their dating relationships. Results indicate that young adults monitor the information they provide their parents about their dating relationships and that the more committed the young adult is to the relationship, the more likely he or she is to inform the parents of the relationship and to try to influence their opinion of it. Parents, in turn, are more likely to support relationships in which their offspring are highly involved. However, the amount of support provided by parents did not predict change in the stage of premarital relationship involvement. These findings are discussed from a systems perspective that suggests the importance of viewing young adults' relationship development not only within a context of interpersonal influence but also in light of the young adults' socialization history.

Leigh A. Leslie

Papers

The Battered Woman Syndrome

The Future of Marriage

Responsibility for Children The Role of Gender and Employment

Marital quality of African American and white partners in interracial couples

Parental Reactions to Dating Relationships: Do They Make a Difference?.