CAHSS Faculty Articles
An Ecosystemic View of Family Violence
Publication Title
Family Therapy: The Journal of the California Graduate School of Family Psychology
ISSN
0091-6544
Publication Date
1989
Abstract
Family therapists have been criticized by some feminist theorists for their orientation toward spouse and child abuse. It has been asserted that a relational understanding of family violence results in the abused being blamed for acts which are clearly the responsibility of the abuser. This paper argues that while we surely must avoid the trap of "blaming the victim," we must also beware the lure of simply blaming the "victimizer." Both views separate abuser and abused within a dichotomous logic of attribution. An epistemology which separates self and other is a breeding ground for exploitation and engenders solutions of dismemberment. Connective contextual solutions require an ecosystematic approach that pays heed to the recursive nature of the relationship.
Volume
16
Issue
1
First Page
1
Last Page
10
NSUWorks Citation
Flemons, D. G. (1989). An Ecosystemic View of Family Violence. Family Therapy: The Journal of the California Graduate School of Family Psychology, 16 (1), 1-10. Retrieved from https://nsuworks.nova.edu/shss_facarticles/14