Incorporation rather than recovery: Living with the legacy of domestic violence

SynopsisConcepts of recovery dominate academic and popular understandings of the post-relationship experiences of survivors of domestic violence. However, we argue that using a recovery framework may be problematic and ultimately counter-productive whereas the concept of incorporation is better for understanding the experiences of survivors of domestic violence. This argument is based on an in-depth study of 134 survivors of domestic violence at least 12months after leaving the abusive relationship in Melbourne, Australia. 134 women participated in a survey and 48 women took part in additional follow-up interviews. Recovery is unlikely because the effects of domestic violence usually continue to impact on the lives of survivors particularly where ongoing contact with perpetrators is necessary. We discuss the implications of using the concept of incorporation instead of recovery for academics, service providers and ultimately for survivors themselves.