“Witness” to violence? Psychological discourses of children in situations of domestic violence

Jane Callaghan; Judith Sixsmith

“Witness” to violence? Psychological discourses of children in situations of domestic violence

Jane Callaghan
, Judith Sixsmith

Research output: Contribution to Conference › Paper › peer-review

Abstract

This paper takes a critical discursive and feminist perspective on psychological accounts of children who experience domestic violence. Academic, popular and professional discourses around domestic violence (DV) tend to represent children and young people (CYP) as passive witnesses and victims - as individuals who watch, who suffer from and who are damaged by the violence (e.g. Rivett and Howarth, 2006; Spilsbury et al, 2007). We consider how constructs like ‘witness’, ‘trauma’ and ‘exposure’ operate in psychological and other health and social care discourses of children, exploring the implications of such constructions for young people’s identities. In particular we explore how such accounts constrain the articulation of more agentic and resistant subjectivities in children living with domestic violence

Original language	English
Publication status	Published - 8 Feb 2013
Event	Congress of Critical Social Psychology: Discourse, Materiality and Politics - Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain Duration: 8 Feb 2013 → … https://www.facebook.com/CongressCriticalSocialPsychology?fref=ts

Conference

Conference	Congress of Critical Social Psychology: Discourse, Materiality and Politics
Period	8/02/13 → …
Internet address	https://www.facebook.com/CongressCriticalSocialPsychology?fref=ts

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
SDG 5 Gender Equality
SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

Keywords

Domestic violence
agency
children
domestic abuse
mental health
resilience
resistance

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Callaghan20135273-abstractAccepted author manuscript, 0 bytes

Cite this

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abstract = "This paper takes a critical discursive and feminist perspective on psychological accounts of children who experience domestic violence. Academic, popular and professional discourses around domestic violence (DV) tend to represent children and young people (CYP) as passive witnesses and victims - as individuals who watch, who suffer from and who are damaged by the violence (e.g. Rivett and Howarth, 2006; Spilsbury et al, 2007). We consider how constructs like {\textquoteleft}witness{\textquoteright}, {\textquoteleft}trauma{\textquoteright} and {\textquoteleft}exposure{\textquoteright} operate in psychological and other health and social care discourses of children, exploring the implications of such constructions for young people{\textquoteright}s identities. In particular we explore how such accounts constrain the articulation of more agentic and resistant subjectivities in children living with domestic violence",

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AU - Sixsmith, Judith

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N2 - This paper takes a critical discursive and feminist perspective on psychological accounts of children who experience domestic violence. Academic, popular and professional discourses around domestic violence (DV) tend to represent children and young people (CYP) as passive witnesses and victims - as individuals who watch, who suffer from and who are damaged by the violence (e.g. Rivett and Howarth, 2006; Spilsbury et al, 2007). We consider how constructs like ‘witness’, ‘trauma’ and ‘exposure’ operate in psychological and other health and social care discourses of children, exploring the implications of such constructions for young people’s identities. In particular we explore how such accounts constrain the articulation of more agentic and resistant subjectivities in children living with domestic violence

AB - This paper takes a critical discursive and feminist perspective on psychological accounts of children who experience domestic violence. Academic, popular and professional discourses around domestic violence (DV) tend to represent children and young people (CYP) as passive witnesses and victims - as individuals who watch, who suffer from and who are damaged by the violence (e.g. Rivett and Howarth, 2006; Spilsbury et al, 2007). We consider how constructs like ‘witness’, ‘trauma’ and ‘exposure’ operate in psychological and other health and social care discourses of children, exploring the implications of such constructions for young people’s identities. In particular we explore how such accounts constrain the articulation of more agentic and resistant subjectivities in children living with domestic violence

KW - Domestic violence

KW - agency

KW - children

KW - domestic abuse

KW - mental health

KW - resilience

KW - resistance

UR - https://www.facebook.com/CongressCriticalSocialPsychology?fref=ts

M3 - Paper

T2 - Congress of Critical Social Psychology: Discourse, Materiality and Politics

Y2 - 8 February 2013

ER -

“Witness” to violence? Psychological discourses of children in situations of domestic violence

Abstract

Conference

UN SDGs

Keywords

Access to Document

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