Narrowed Family Spaces: Interlocking Couples in Intimate Partner Violence

Abstract

Starting from a presentation of the phenomenon of intimate partner violence and of its various possible forms, this paper presents an overview of the most recent theoretical contributions on the topic, the dynamics of abuse in the couple and the main psychodynamic aspects that explain the possible manifestations and peculiarities of the effects of violence, both from the point of view of the abuser and the victim. Through the analysis of a life story, using two different measures, the authors focus their attention on the particular interlocking relationship of the couple that makes it difficult for the victim to pull himself or herself out of the perverse relationship and on the mechanisms of repairing and redesigning oneself and allow the victim to leave the partner and begin again after being abused.