Men's violence: Narratives of men attending anti-violence programmes in Sweden

SynopsisThe efficacy of batterer-intervention programmes for men has frequently been questioned, inviting additional research and development. Men inclined to violence have multifaceted problems but are frequently squeezed into ‘one-size-fits-all’ programmes with high ambitions for change that often show little evidence of effectiveness. Some research even indicates that any changes in men's violent behaviour might result from factors not at all linked to the programmes.For this study, ten interviews were carried out with men who had attended anti-violence programmes within the Swedish Probation Service. The overall aim was to analyse gendered identity constructions in the narratives of men attending the programmes — how men articulate the course of violent events and in what way they talk about themselves and the programmes.According to our results, men defended themselves by making excuses, explanations and victim positions. Furthermore, the men's gendered identity constructions collided with the programmes' ambitions of changing men's conceptions and behaviour.