Victimized Self Analysis

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According to chapter 8 notes, “victimized self refers to a change from rationalizing the (abuser’s) behavior to seeing it as problematic and threatening.” On the other hand, a person with non-victimized self tries to rationalize violent behavior and take the blame to justify the abusive behavior. The assigned reading for Chapter 8 The Victimized Self: The Case of Battered Women, discusses how battered women emotionally deal with domestic violence. The study discusses the feelings of women prior to developing the victimized self, the feelings during the transition stage, which the author calls the “turning point” and the feelings that are developed once the victimized self has developed and women are able to find an escape from the violence …show more content…
The authors of the article describe the victimized self as a “complex mixture of feelings and thoughts” that arise from an individual’s experiences of being exploited and physically, verbally or emotionally wronged by another person. The authors use the example of battered women to explain the process of the development of the victimized self. Battered women try to rationalize the actions of their abusive partners in many ways prior to developing the victimized self. They do this by trying to maintain a belief that they are in a positive and acceptable marriage. Some women take away the blame from their husbands/ partners and hold external factors such as unemployment, mental illness or alcohol abuse as the cause for the violence, while others may even hold themselves responsible for provoking their partners to become violent Some women just accept the violence as a part of the male domination in the society or associate it with religion. These rationalizations help the battered women carry on with their marriages and abusive relationships for a lifetime, unless they develop the sense of a victimized …show more content…
The first catalyst is the sudden change in the level of severity. If a battered woman realizes suddenly that her life is in danger due to the violence of her husband, she would definitely give up the rationales to protect her relationship/marriage and seek refuge or at least try to look for a way out. The second catalyst described by the authors is the change in the visibility. This means that when the violence and abuse becomes very evident to outsiders such as family members and friends and is no longer a private matter between the husband and wife, people may show concern for the safety of the woman and help her realize that she is victimized. However, if a third person expresses disbelief and does not show sympathy for the woman, it might encourage her to continue rationalizing the violence. The third catalysts is the change in resources. This means that when a battered woman sees the availability of resources such as shelters or a support system, she will try to escape the abusive marriage. According to the authors, battered women do not recognize themselves as victims or delay steps to protect their life mainly because of having no alternative and nowhere to go. When resources become available, the victimization process is accelerated and the woman starts seeing herself as a victim in need of