Love and Violence: Gender Paradoxes in Volatile Attachments

It is argued that abusive relationships exemplify, in extremis, the stereotypical gender arrangements that structure intimacy between men and women generally.

Abstract

This article presents a multidimensional, theoretical model for the understanding of relationships in which men are violent toward women. It argues that abusive relationships exemplify, in extremis, the stereotypical gender arrangements that structure intimacy between men and women generally. Moreover, it proposes that paradoxical gender injunctions create insoluble relationship dilemmas that can explode in violence. A multifaceted approach to treatment, which incorporates feminist and systemic ideas and techniques, is described.