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“Battered Women”: What Does This Phrase Really Mean?  


Author:  Julie Blackman, Ph.D..


Source: Volume 01, Number 03, Winter 2009 , pp.223-227(5)




Family & Intimate Partner Violence Quarterly

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Abstract: 

In previous decades, when professionals used the term “battered women,” they did not necessarily know what it meant. Even today, with much more public awareness, physicians, law enforcement officers, and mental health specialists may still have only a surface understanding of partner violence. And this surface view can influence their perceptions of the women involved and the interventions they recommend. Interestingly, women involved in abusive partnerships may also not find the term particularly helpful because they do not identify themselves as “battered women.” To be effective, professionals need a deeper and more accurate understanding of what happens in these relationships before they will be ready to help.

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Affiliations:  1: Julie Blackman & Associates, LLC.

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