CHAPTER 6: RESEARCH CONCLUSIONS, METHODOLOGICAL LIMITATIONS, STRENGTHS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
6.2 Research conclusions
The current study found that battered women in the study started to experience abuse within five years of their marriage or cohabitation with their partners. The abuse was both psychological and physical and in some cases sexual, especially after a battering episode.
Alcohol use and infidelity were both quoted as the cause of the abuse they were experiencing or subjected to. The participants understood that both physical and psychological abuse were abusive behaviours but, although some reported physical abuse, still stayed in the relationships. This may be because of denial and not willing to acknowledge the psychological and physical abuse as woman battering. Some battered women in the study took action and reported the abuse to the police but withdrew the cases and stayed with their partners. This is very likely a result of Learned Hopefulness as the women hope that their partners will change and stop the abuse although they had no basis for this belief. This irrational thinking is an element of Learned Helplessness.
Cultural ideologies whereby a woman is raised to be submissive and not to question the authority of her husband also had an influence on the way the participants saw themselves in their abusive relationships. Traditional African patriarchal and tribal values had a great influence on their behaviour. They felt guilty and blamed themselves for the abuse and some believed that violence is part of marriage, as they had witnessed abuse of their mothers by their fathers. Participants who witnessed or experienced violence as children see violence as a norm hence they are able to tolerate and rationalise it. The results of the study show that participants were aware of the negative effect that the abuse had on their children but regardless of this they still remained in the abusive relationships because they felt that their children need a father. Regardless of their childhood experiences of abuse they were unable to see the link between their own experiences, the abuse they endure with the effect it has on
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their children. This is a result of learned behaviour. The women have maladaptive cognitive functioning because their learned behaviour makes them unable to objectively assess the situation which is part of Learned Helplessness. The battered women in the study also have low educational qualifications. Some were unemployed and were financially dependent on their husbands and could not see any way of coping without their partners. This can also be seen as culturally learned behaviour as in traditional patriarchal African culture men are seen as providers of the family. This adds to their Learned Helplessness.
Battered women in the study used different coping mechanisms to cope with the abuse. Most came from religious Christian backgrounds and prayer was used as a way of coping which they stated kept them going. This made them accept abuse as part of their relationship which also caused them to be passive (as in not taking action) because they were waiting for their partners to change. Avoidance and distancing are other coping mechanisms that were used.
The women kept themselves busy and occupied themselves with other things in order to avoid dealing with the abuse they were experiencing. Suppressing their feelings and not thinking about the abuse made it less painful. The participants also indicated that they felt guilty and blamed themselves. This can be the result of the suppressed feelings and their failed attempts to make the relationship work which is also supports the theory of Learned Helplessness.
The study revealed various factors that compel battered women to remain in abusive relationships. It shows that cultural factors play an important role in the women’s decision to remain with their abusive partners. In African cultures males are seen as providers of the family and women are expected to be compliant. As a result women in the study adhered to the cultural standards and their partners used this as an excuse to inflict physical punishment on them. This tolerance of abuse by participants was also, as noted, due to the fact that the majority witnessed and experienced abuse as children (63%). The participants’ support system also played role in this regard, they lacked sufficient support systems from their friends and family and were encouraged to remain in their marriages and endure the abuse.
Payment of lobola also had an effect on battered women in the study. The women tended to remain with their partners because lobola has been paid and their husbands saw their wives as their property and had a right to do whatever they want with them. This was underpinned by participants’ families who encouraged their daughters and/or sisters to stay in their abusive
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relationships as they were told it was the right thing to do as lobola had been paid and it was the correct thing to do in accordance with their cultural and/or religious beliefs.
A key finding in the current study is that participants were severely psychological affected by the battering that they experience. They indicated that the abuse affected them emotionally and they felt powerless to stop the abuse. Depression was a consequence of this and this caused them to think in maladaptive way in terms of Learned Helplessness. They also avoided dealing directly with their situations by avoiding their partners and suppressing their feelings of anger. Regardless of their experiences, participants were committed to their marriages and wanted things to work out for the better. They expressed undying hope that someday their partners will change and stop the violence despite the years of abuse they experienced. This is also influenced by their partners’ promises to change after a battering episode (cycle of violence). This is also an element of Learned Helplessness because they do not acknowledge the fact that their partners are unlikely to change.
Cognitive dissonance is another important psychological factor the emerged from the study results. Before the abuse, participants described their partners as caring and loving but once the abuse started it resulted in confusion and at the same time they tried to justify their husbands’ abusive behaviour. Participants’ beliefs regarding their partners’ behaviour(s) did not match up with reality, that is, what they were experiencing in their abusive relationships.
This caused them psychological stress and discomfort. However, the cognitive dissonance they experienced did not allow them to fully understand that the wonderful men they married were now abusive, domineering thugs. Cognitive dissonance also adds to psychological illnesses such as depression as the women are unable to process what they believe from the reality they experience. The study participants also indicated that that many of them felt that they could not continue without their partners. Some also believed that should they leave their abusive relationships they will be unable to find love. This is indicative of low self- esteem and no confidence which is a result of years of battering. Their partners’ degrading remarks and abusive treatment has worn these women down. Fundamentally, they believe that they deserve to be battered. Their low self-esteem causes them to think irrationally (cultural factors also play a role), make them feel that they are the problem or that they are not doing enough as wives which leads them to behave in a manner consistent with Learned Helplessness.
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The sample consisted of eight participants, as a result, the researcher cannot generalise the results of the study because it is not a representative of the whole population under study.
The study was conducted in a rural area therefore the findings of the study may not be applicable to battered women in urban areas.
The results are based on the experiences of the participants and what was discussed during data collection. Some participants may not have been completely open during the interviews and could have withheld some of their experiences.
Bias, the researcher had her own opinion with regard to the subject under study, however, precautions were taken to minimize this bias (See 4.8).