I want to respectfully but strongly disagree with Kathy Wright's contention that "low self esteem is the poison that keeps women...in the roles of being battered." Certainly the experience of being battered has a negative effect on a woman's self esteem, as do other experiences of abuse, disrespect, and the devaluing impact of sexism. But it doesn't *cause* the abuse. I could have the lowest self esteem in the world, for any number of reasons...but if my partner chooses not to abuse me, I'm not a battered woman. Battering results from conscious choices made by the perpetrator, NOT from the victim's failure to have a strong enough self esteem to "prevent" or "stop" it.
I do not argue that battered/formerly battered women can benefit from programs/services/counseling to help them build or re-build their self esteem. Such efforts are crucial and necessary. But care must be taken when making such statements as "with our bolstered self esteem and group support we have not repeated the cycle of battering/violence in our lives," in order not to send the victim-blaming message that victims are responsible for preventing their own abuse. In Solidarity, Mary Krueger **************************************************************************** Mary Krueger, Ph.D. 419-372--7227 Director, BGSU Women's Center 419-372-6030 (fax) Affiliated Faculty, Women's Studies www.bgsu.edu/offices/women 108 Hanna Hall Bowling Green, OH 43403 ***End-violence is sponsored by UNIFEM and receives generous support from ICAP*** To post a message, send it to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. In the 1st line of the message type: subscribe end-violence OR type: unsubscribe end-violence Archives of previous End-violence messages can be found at: http://www.edc.org/GLG/end-violence/hypermail/
