Who Likes to Be Beaten? A Psychoanalytic Perspective on Gender-Based Violence

Abstract

Based on Freudian trauma theory, it is observed that in many situations of gender-based violence, the victim has experienced psychic trauma; distinguishing psychic trauma from traumatic experience in general, the study proposes to analyze gender-based violence through the lens of traumatic neurosis; identifying in such situations the typical features of traumatic neurosis, it highlights its role in maintaining the relationship with the aggressor and in sustaining the so-called cycle of violence; the analysis reveals the psychic mechanisms and subjective positions that are established or predispose individuals to violence in gender relations; without disregarding the complexity of violence or minimizing socioeconomic and cultural factors, the study seeks to shed light on the subjective determinants that contribute to the persistence of violent situations; this approach broadens the understanding of the factors that hinder the victim’s ability to break free from the cycle of suffering, while also offering insights into conditions that may facilitate such an exit; finally, the identification of trauma in situations of violence reinforces that violence against women is embedded in a specific gender culture and a logic of domination, often subtle, which is present not only within abusive relationships but also in everyday language and across various social contexts.