The Moral Judgments of Battered and Non-battered Women
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Noel Busch
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School of Social Work
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University of Texas at Austin
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1925 San Jacinto Blvd.
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Austin TX 78712
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512/471-3198
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FAX: 512/471-9600
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nbusch@mail.utexas.edu
Purpose: It is popular belief that battered women who remain in
violent relationships are culpable for the violence they experience (Gelles,
1997). Because violence is considered to be culturally immoral a common
conclusion that follows is that battered women must be morally underdeveloped.
However, there is little empirical investigation of the moral development
of battered women.
Methods: This paper reports the findings from a comparison of
battered and non-battered women (N = 97) on the Defining Issues Test (DIT).
The study examined the relationships between a dependent variable, level
of moral development and two independent variables, history of domestic
violence and relationship status (separated or joined).
Results: Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) revealed no significant
differences between the moral development of battered and non-battered
women. This finding seems plausible given recent research that documents
the complexity of stay/leave decisions for battered women (Baker, 1997;
Brandwein, 1999). It appears that battered women’s moral dilemmas extend
beyond their definitions of "right" and "wrong" in regard to their stay/leave
decisions.
Implications: Social workers need to be better informed about
battered women’s decision-making processes and how such thinking influences
their behaviors. This knowledge has implications for both direct service
practitioners and administrators in regard to policy development.
References
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Baker, P. L. (1997). And I went back: Battered women's negotiation of choice.
Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, 26(1), 55 - 74.
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Brandwein, R. A. (Ed.). (1999). Battered women, children, and welfare reform:
The ties that bind. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
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Gelles, R. J. (1997). Intimate Violence in Families (3rd ed.). Thousand
Oaks, CA: Sa