L’amore come istituzione totale. Un modello interpretativo della violenza contro le donne

(Love as a Total Institution. A Theoretical Model for Understanding Violence against Women)

Abstract

Even if Italy, in a comparative perspective, does not seem to be a highly violent country, domestic violence is a widely spread problem. Statistical data show that, on average, domestic violence is higher than in other Western European countries. The author proposes to analyze it by using a complex, three-dimensional theoretical model: a microsocial level, in which concrete situations eliciting violence and types of face-toface interaction are taken into account; a mesosocial level, where elements such as identity, roles and power are considered; and a macrosocial level, incorporating the perception and role of bystanders and the community, as well as the representation of love and its consequences. As the vast majority of violent relationships were, at the beginning, relations of love, we must ask ourselves what kind of love can potentially become a total, coercive and torturing institution. Women become victims as a result of a sometimes long process, they are not born as such. An accurate and thick description of this process can help us understand violence against women in contemporary society, and it contributes to shape effective policies to prevent it.