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Growing up with violence: discourses of childhood in situations of domestic abuse

Callaghan, J. and Sixsmith, J. (2013) Growing up with violence: discourses of childhood in situations of domestic abuse. Paper presented to: The British Psychological Society Psychology of Women Section (POWS) Annual Conference 2013, Cumberland Lodge, Windsor, 10-12 July 2013. (Unpublished)

Item Type: Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
Abstract: This paper takes a critical discursive and feminist perspective on psychological accounts of children who live in situations of domestic violence. Academic, popular and professional discourses around domestic violence tend to represent children and young people 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). This paper considers 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. This paper presents an analysis of images used in UK domestic violence campaigns, exploring the representation of children in these campaigns. We explore how children are represented, highlighting their recurrent positioning as damaged, vulnerable and passive, and consider the possible future selves represented for young people in such images
Subjects: H Social Sciences > HQ The family. Marriage. Women > HQ767 Children. Child development
B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology > BF712 Developmental psychology > BF723 Child psychology
H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare. Criminology > HV6001 Criminology > HV6251 Crimes and offences > HV6626 Family violence
Creators: Callaghan, Jane and Sixsmith, Judith
Funders or Sponsors: European Commission (Daphne III)
Grant Reference Number: JUST/2012/DAP-AG-3461
Faculties, Divisions and Institutes: University Faculties, Divisions and Research Centres - OLD > Research Centre > The Centre for Children and Youth
University Faculties, Divisions and Research Centres - OLD > Research Group > Mental Health and Counselling Research Group
University Faculties, Divisions and Research Centres - OLD > Research Group > Social and Cultural Research in Psychology Group
University Faculties, Divisions and Research Centres - OLD > School of Social Sciences (to 2016)
University Faculties, Divisions and Research Centres - OLD > Faculty of Health & Society > Psychology
Faculties > Faculty of Health & Society > Psychology
Research Centres > Centre for Psychology and Social Sciences
Date: 10 July 2013
Date Type: Presentation
Event Title: The British Psychological Society Psychology of Women Section (POWS) Annual Conference 2013
Event Dates: 10-12 July 2013
Event Location: Cumberland Lodge, Windsor
Event Type: Conference
Language: English
Status: Unpublished
Refereed: Yes
Related URLs:
URI: http://nectar.northampton.ac.uk/id/eprint/5571

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