The role of gender in working with male perpetrators of violence: Health professionals’ affects and representations

Abstract

Working on the men’s violence against women has recently shifted its focus from the woman victim of violence to the male perpetrator. This paradigm shift has led to the implementation of treatment programs addressed to male perpetrators and to the commitment of male professionals in preventing violence. The current study aims to explore affects and representations in 7 health professionals (3 men and 4 women) engaged in psychologically treating male perpetrators, with a specific focus on gender. The quali-quantitative semiotic analysis applied to semi-structured interviews that were analyzed through the software T-Lab allowed to individuate the presence of 5 clusters: 1) Recognition of emotions; 2) Gender placement; 3) Work skills; 4) Perception of the relationship between genders; and 5) Relationship with work. Results confirm that the gender which professionals belong to plays a key role in the work experience with male perpetrators.