The Taming of the Shrew

Abstract

Constructing a life story is a need shared by all humans to give their lives meaning and coherence. This article explores some of the narrative devices that batterers use to achieve a sense of coherence when telling their stories and justifying their violent behavior. A central theme that emerged from these stories centered on the men's perception of their wives as the embodiment of their own emotions and inner world. Two narrative strategies were identified in this context: (a) The construction of a "couple narrative" that focused on an idealized marital relationship rather than "allowing" the wife her story and (b) constructing a story around the theme of "she's not the same woman I married," which portrays the wife as "a shrew" and the violence as an attempt to discipline her. The stories of 18 batterers were used for this analysis, and two narratives were used to illustrate these strategies.

Criminal Behavior, Criminal Mind

“…The existence of these themes within the life narratives contributed to the individuals’ chronic involvement in criminal behavior (Timor, 2001). In another example, Yassour Borochowitz’s (2008) phenomenological study of male batterers shows how their violence developed to fit a central narrative in each man’s life. The development of each personal narrative is associated with the deterioration into a chronic, violent criminal spin.…”