Date of Award
5-2009
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Rhetoric & Comm Studies
First Advisor
Dr. Archana Pathak Bhatt
Abstract
Verbal abuse occurs in college relationships, but this form of abuse lacks a clear definition and definitive characteristics. I studied the dialogue that surrounds verbal abuse. I was interested in how verbal abuse was discussed instead of the specific details of the experiences. Verbal abuse was purposely studied separately from physical abuse. Prior research and legal statutes were reviewed before conducting this study. Through the use of focus groups, one-on-one interviews and key informant interviews a broader perspective of verbal abuse was gained. The six salient themes to emerge were (1) how to protect one’s identity, (2) characteristics of the victim, (3) rationalizing the behavior, (4) the tipping point, (5) outside perspective and (6) breaking the pattern.
Recommended Citation
Moore, Christina L., "Communicative violence in romantic relationships" (2009). Honors Theses. 676.
https://scholarship.richmond.edu/honors-theses/676