Browsing by Author "Finch, Lester Fairfax"

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1

Selected men's linguistic representations of violent relationships in families and their readiness for change : a thesis submitted to Massey University in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Linguistics & Second Language Teaching
(Massey University, 1999) Finch, Lester Fairfax
The thesis provides an overview of the literature relevant to current practice of those working with violent men. Four men, identified by the court as having been violent in their families, are interviewed and their use of language while giving an account of their experience of family violence is analysed. The results of the linguistic analysis are related to the change process and implications for changing behaviour from violence to non-violence are presented. This research confirms the work done particularly by Adams (1995) in recent years in describing how men can justify, camouflage and maintain positions of dominance in relationships with women, and provides a reference for assisting with increased understanding of the functions of the linguistic forms used by these men. Building on the work done by those in medical and therapeutic fields, a model has been developed which provides a reference for mapping men's readiness for change and their progress through the change process.