Attitudes and motivation in the treatment of IPV : a case study of two intimately violent men

Abstract

This case study used qualitative content analysis to examine the cases of two intimately violent men. Both participated in a group intervention but experienced dramatically different outcomes. In the case of "Henri", the intervention was especially successful, but in the case of "Mikael" it was unsuccessful. The data of this study consisted of the video tapes of the men’s therapy sessions, and of the interviews of their spouses. The research questions were the following: 1) Were there changes in the men’s attitudes toward a) women, b) masculinity and c) violent behavior?, 2) How high was the men’s motivation for treatment and making changes in themselves? and 3) Did their attitudes and motivation differ from one another?

Studying Henri’s therapy sessions revealed that his attitudes toward women, masculinity and violence changed during the treatment in a way that seemed to support non-violent behavior. In addition, he expressed high motivation for the treatment and for making changes in himself. In Mikael’s case, the therapy sessions revealed no significant changes in his attitudes toward women, masculinity or violence. Especially his attitudes toward women were very restrictive and he also tried to use these attitudes to justify his violent behavior. In addition, Mikael expressed low motivation for the treatment and for changing his behavior.

In this study, intimate partner violence is viewed as a gendered phenomenon. The results offer preliminary evidence that men’s attitudes toward women, masculinity and violence are relevant factors to consider in the treatment of intimately violent men. In addition, it is argued that the participants' motivation for changing their violent behavior has a significant effect on the outcome of the treatment.