This powerful book recounts the process of a study that examines personal narratives of abuse survivors by assessing the relationship between narration and teller empowerment.

Lori L. Montalbano-Phelps is Assistant Professor of Communication and Women's Studies at Indiana University Northwest.

Preface	p. ix
Introduction to the Study	p. 1
Sharing Personal Narratives	p. 4
Teller's Willingness and Ability to Narrate	p. 4
The Context of the Telling	p. 8
Teller-Listener Interaction	p. 11
Personal Narratives and Change	p. 13
Narrative Meaning	p. 14
Narration and the Teller's Self Concept	p. 17
Narrative Empowerment	p. 19
Methodological Procedure	p. 23
Introduction	p. 23
Methodological Assumptions and Precautions	p. 23
Assumptions	p. 23
Entitlement	p. 24
Transformative Possibilities	p. 25
Biological Sex of the Narrator	p. 26
The Convergence of Race, Class and Gender	p. 26
Research Precautions	p. 28
Performance as a Method of Inquiry	p. 30
Methodology	p. 32
The Interview Environment	p. 33
Participants in the Study	p. 34
Clients of Haven House	p. 34
Self-Selected Volunteers	p. 34
Conducting the Interviews	p. 34
Procedure	p. 36
Coding the Narratives	p. 38
Coding	p. 38
Analysis	p. 40
Themes of Disempowerment Which Perpetuate Silence	p. 40
Traditional Roles	p. 40
Relational Loyalty	p. 41
Social Construction of an Abuse Victims	p. 42
Perceived Power Dynamics	p. 43
Economic Insecurity	p. 44
Threat of Injury or Loss	p. 45
Lack of Recourse	p. 46
Attachment to the Abuser	p. 46
Self-Destructive Behavior	p. 47
Themes of Empowerment Which Can Facilitate Change	p. 48
Responsibility to Dependents	p. 49
Reconceptualization of the Experience	p. 49
Support of a Social Network	p. 51
Assessing the Costs of the Relationship	p. 51
Personal Achievement	p. 52
Confronting Uncertainty	p. 53
Emphasizing Alternative Roles	p. 53
Rejecting Constraints	p. 54
Discussion	p. 55
Consistencies Found With Research on Domestic Violence	p. 55
Conformity to Roles	p. 56
False Hope	p. 56
Social Construction of Victimization	p. 56
Consistencies Found with Research on Personal Narratives	p. 57
Future Story	p. 57
Context	p. 57
Persuasion and Believability	p. 58
Personal Narratives and Change	p. 61
Narrative Sensemaking	p. 61
Survivor Discourse	p. 62
Use of Themes	p. 68
The Nature of the Discourse	p. 73
Emphasis of Dramatic References	p. 73
The Meta-Critique	p. 74
Failure to Act	p. 75
Negative Coping Strategies	p. 76
Victim Blame	p. 77
Discussion	p. 78
Performance Strategies	p. 79
Characterization: Positioning the Players	p. 80
Positioning the Narrator	p. 81
Positioning the Abuser	p. 82
Positioning the Audience	p. 84
Convincing Story Line	p. 87
Setting the Stage for Transcendence	p. 91
Discussion	p. 94
Understanding Personal Narratives Through Re-Performance	p. 96
Introduction	p. 96
Performance Objectives	p. 97
Inclusivity	p. 97
Expression of Common Themes	p. 98
Implicating the Audience	p. 99
Preserving the Teller's Voice	p. 99
Accountability to the Other	p. 100
Narrative Performance and Teller Empowerment	p. 102
Pursuing Performance Objectives	p. 103
Responding Personally to the Script-in-Process	p. 104
Staging Performance Text	p. 105
Theoretical Issues: Performing Patriarchy	p. 105
Staging Hierarchies	p. 106
Minimizing Context	p. 107
Representing the Victim	p. 109
Performance and Re-Performance: Areas of Convergence And Performance Knowledge Gained	p. 109
Discussion	p. 113
Conclusions	p. 115
Narrative Risk and the Telling of Abuse Survivor Narratives	p. 116
The Impact of the Telling	p. 119
Narrative Sensemaking	p. 119
Performance Strategies	p. 121
Re-Performance of Survivor Narratives	p. 122
Discussion	p. 123
Implications for Future Research	p. 124
Bibliography	p. 127
Index	p. 133
Table of Contents provided by Rittenhouse. All Rights Reserved.

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Taking Narrative Risk The Empowerment of Abuse Survivors

9780761829140

0761829148

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