Are you sitting comfortably? Discomfort as pedagogical strategy with perpetrators of domestic abuse

Bibliographic Data

ID15749047
AuthorsNathan Eisenstadt (0009-0003-6045-4899, University of Bristol, corresponding author), Kàren Morgan (0000-0001-6193-1747, University of Bristol), Chris Newman (0000-0002-9284-6526, Prison Advice and Care Trust), Kate Iwi (Prison Advice and Care Trust), Helena Päivinen (0000-0001-8382-9057, University of Jyväskylä), Helen Cramer (0000-0001-5989-2638, University of Bristol)
Year2025
Pages1-20
Publication date2025-07-24
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Gender-Based Violence (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2398-6808 • E-ISSN: 2398-6816
PublisherPolicy Press (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1332/23986808y2025d000000084
OpenAlexW4412619417
LanguageEN
References cited30

Through analysis of video data from the REPROVIDE Pilot (Cramer et al, 2024b) – a 23-week domestic abuse perpetrator programme (DAPP) for men – this article identifies discomfort as a pedagogical strategy for behaviour change group work. Discomfort as pedagogical strategy has been advanced in and through anti-racist pedagogy (Zembylas, 2015) but has not been brought to bear on perpetrator work, where the focus has tended to be on ‘resistance to treatment’ (Levesque et al, 2008), a framing which itself may set up an unhelpful opposition between ‘client’ and ‘therapist’ (Jenkins, 1990). In this article we argue that a degree of psychological discomfort is a necessary component in transformative learning and thus in behaviour change, however, as we demonstrate empirically, discomfort is not always embraced. Men are sometimes ‘rescued’ from their discomfort, either by fellow participants or by facilitators before, it would seem, a transformative realisation is able to take hold. Yet not all discomfort is ‘good discomfort’ – that is, not all is a potential catalyst for the kind of transformation DAPPs seek to enable. Psychological discomfort may also precipitate withdrawal from programmes, and if not skilfully ‘held’ within the session, may heighten risk to victims. To elucidate these complexities this article offers a novel schematic for mapping types of psychological discomfort (from ‘conducive with’ to ‘challenging to’, the aims of the group programme) against responses to discomfort (from embracing to avoiding)

Domestic violence · Medical emergency · Poison control · Sitting · Suicide prevention · Children's Rights and Participation · Gender Roles and Identity Studies · Medicine · Outdoor and Experiential Education · Psychology

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