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: A Feminist Poststructural Discourse Analysis of the Discursive Complexities of Intimate Partner Violence and Abuse in Bisexual Cisgender Women’s Lives

Abstract

Intimate partner violence and abuse (IPVA) is an established area of research in psychology and counselling. However, its application to sexually diverse populations has been limited and within these populations, bisexual cisgender women have been further marginalised from the discussion. Adopting a feminist poststructural epistemology, this research explores how bisexual cisgender women construct their abusive intimate relationship(s) and how they can negotiate different relational subject positions. Moreover, it aims to investigate how language is used, and how different discursive resources are adopted or rejected to construct this relational dynamic. Firstly, a genealogically informed analysis of IPVA and bisexual practices from the turn of the twentieth century was conducted. This found that a number of significant conceptualisations of IPVA have been generated by psychology which are reflected in various knowledges such as psychoanalytic theory, feminist thought and sexually diverse theories. Following this, nine bisexual cisgender women were interviewed about their experiences of one or more previous intimate relationships which they considered to be abusive. A feminist poststructural discourse analysis (FPDA) was then conducted which demonstrated that these bisexual cisgender women construct their relationships in complex, multiple and sometimes contradictory ways, often utilising or distancing themselves from dominant discourses. The analysis also suggests that bisexual cisgender women subsequently position themselves in relation to their sexuality and sexual practices in the relationship in complicated and unstable ways. These findings are discussed in relation to counselling psychology practice, especially in terms of the implications of discursive norms and the role of the practitioner. Furthermore, the methodology and method employed to reach these findings are critiqued. Overall, it is argued that this research increases counselling psychologist’s (CoP’s) awareness of the issue and urges them to consider the ways in constructions of IPVA are often resourced by various taken-for-granted knowledges which may lead to the oversimplification of this complex phenomenon.

Date of Award	14 Nov 2024
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Roehampton
Supervisor	Paul Dickerson (Director of Studies) & Orla Parslow-Breen (Co-Supervisor)