Overcoming Obstacles
Neurodivergence and the Gaslighting of Rape: A Call for an Improved Societal Response
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Susy Ridout
Sexual assault is being given increased publicity this decade, but within this lies the unnerving questions as to: why victims fail to come forward at the time; the validity of accusations if it is one person’s word against another (with the onus of proof being in the hands of the victim), and possibly of more concern is the societal response to sexual assault making it difficult to report an incident in the first place, process information or even ask for and respond to help being offered. This talk presents my personal experience as a neuordivergent woman and of societal failure to respond appropriately to my repeated reports of acquaintance rape. The impact of this has undoubtedly made my survival more challenging, and it has been a truly telling experience in terms of the practitioners who have failed, the friends who have stood by me, and those who have turned their back. Given the prevalence of sexual assault, and therefore survival rates, I argue that in listening to the voicing of sexual assault and supporting survivors as community members, we need to adopt an improved methodology for all aspects of the narrative: the process of telling, the image produced, the audience we present to, the efficacy of the response to unexpected details, and discourse throughout. In so doing, I will draw on some of the methodologies that I use in my own work.
Experiences of Survivors of Domestic Violence Using Followership as a Framework: A Qualitative Focus Group Study
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Wendy Edmonds
Domestic violence is color-blind and disregards economic status, race, and religion. An average of twenty people experience intimate partner physical violence every minute in the United States. This qualitative study is designed to explore the leader-follower relationship as it relates to women survivors of domestic violence. Semi-structured interviews were designed to stimulate discussion to better understand the perceptions and attitudes of followers in toxic relationships. Using followership as the theoretical framework and a focus group methodology, this research explores the lived experiences of women who have been victims of a systematic pattern of dominance and control. Discussions of this nature are useful in capturing diverse opinions as they share their interpretation of life’s events. Interview transcripts are analyzed using Atlas.ti, a qualitative analysis software. This study illuminates follower perceptions and characteristics associated with follower tendencies in domestic violence relationships.
