Year: 1993
Type: article
Abstract: Interviews were conducted with eight Spanish-speaking women from Latin America living in Toronto. All eight women were physically and psychologically abused by their partners in the past. Using a qualitative grounded-theoretical method of analysis, a hierarchical structure of categories was developed. This methodology generated the core category of Immobilization which, in turn, was characterized by four distinct phases: Denial, Socialization, Ignorance, and Social Isolation. These intra-psychic and social factors all converge, developmentally, to provide a new moral domain for these women. Two competing moral premises are then engaged: the moral mandate that “good women provide a strong family base for their children,” and the conflicting mandate that “people should not harm those they love.” The “Turning Point” is a point in this convergence when the women begin to privilege the second moral premise: namely, that self-respect and self-care are the moral right of every women. During this developmental process, a key point of awareness is the availability of social support systems.
Author: Judith Elizabeth Pilowsky
Language: English
Subfield: Health
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W2258770078