Women On The Couch

Female Violence and Crimes Against the Body

In this talk, Anna Motz will explore the development of female violence and its typical expression in acts of aggression directed towards the woman’s own body and those of her children. She will explore the societal resistance to confronting the disturbing reality of maternal abuse in the light of commonly held, cherished beliefs about femininity in general and motherhood in particular. The hidden nature of female violence, so often enacted in the private, domestic realm, is evident in the clinical case material presented but Anna will also look at more recent developments in female violence, including women’s roles in terrorizt activities. She will present a model of the psychology of female violence described as ‘crimes against the body’.