title: Women’s experience of emotional abuse in intimate relationships: a qualitative study

authors: Lammers, Marianne

abstract: This study investigated emotional abuse that occurs without physical abuse in the context of heterosexual, committed couple relationships. It examined the ways in which men abused women and the impact this had on women’s lives. This research was based on memory-work, a feminist technique that enables researchers to make explicit the ways in which human experiences and identities are socially constructed within specific socio-cultural settings. The seven participants wrote individual memories of experiences from their past relationships, triggered by cue words they had chosen, and they then theorized about the memories together. Similarities and differences were explored.

The women found that their partners saw themselves as superior to them and set the standards at home, thereby forcing, expecting, or manipulating women to take a subordinate position in the relationship. The misuse of gendered power in the relationships led to all seven women becoming depressed and resulted in lowered self-esteem for six out of seven women and diminished identity for two out of seven women. The only woman whose self-esteem was not negatively affected was aware of her partner’s unequal gendered practices, which seemed to have protected her somewhat from the severity of impact of the emotionally abusive behaviour. The degree to which a woman’s self-esteem was diminished by her partner’s behaviour seemed to be related to how covert and ambiguous his controlling behaviour was. 

Three forms of control emerged from the data. While all forms involved similar impacts, such as loneliness and lowered self-esteem, they also affected the women in different ways. Dominant men intimidated women into conforming through fear, while passive controllers expected women to conform to gendered norms, silently rejecting them for non-conformance by becoming cold and distant. Manipulative controllers undermined women in subtle, indirect ways, which made women compliant because increased uncertainty had made them dependent on their partners for their feelings of self worth.The first two forms of control were directly related to prescribed gendered roles, which men rigidly adhered to and demanded or explicitly expected of partners. The long-term effects were that women felt increasingly depressed, because gendered roles made women responsible for men’s needs while their own needs were not met in the relationship. Their self-esteem decreased because they felt unloved. The third form of control, the subtlest and most covert form of abuse, was not overtly related to traditional gendered roles, but these men still wanted to be the centre of attention and subtly undermined women's confidence by destabilizing and confusing them, in order to have better control.

This research may have extended the knowledge of emotional abuse by showing that social practices that are accepted as the norm can obscure the emotional abusiveness of gendered practices. The method of memory-work was useful in exposing socialized belief systems and gendered behaviour, but left a gap in knowledge that direct questioning may have answered.

text: Women’s experience of emotional abuse in intimate relationships: a qualitative study This study investigated emotional abuse that occurs without physical abuse in the context of heterosexual, committed couple relationships. It examined the ways in which men abused women and the impact this had on women’s lives. This research was based on memory-work, a feminist technique that enables researchers to make explicit the ways in which human experiences and identities are socially constructed within specific socio-cultural settings. The seven participants wrote individual memories of experiences from their past relationships, triggered by cue words they had chosen, and they then theorized about the memories together. Similarities and differences were explored.

The women found that their partners saw themselves as superior to them and set the standards at home, thereby forcing, expecting, or manipulating women to take a subordinate position in the relationship. The misuse of gendered power in the relationships led to all seven women becoming depressed and resulted in lowered self-esteem for six out of seven women and diminished identity for two out of seven women. The only woman whose self-esteem was not negatively affected was aware of her partner’s unequal gendered practices, which seemed to have protected her somewhat from the severity of impact of the emotionally abusive behaviour. The degree to which a woman’s self-esteem was diminished by her partner’s behaviour seemed to be related to how covert and ambiguous his controlling behaviour was. 

Three forms of control emerged from the data. While all forms involved similar impacts, such as loneliness and lowered self-esteem, they also affected the women in different ways. Dominant men intimidated women into conforming through fear, while passive controllers expected women to conform to gendered norms, silently rejecting them for non-conformance by becoming cold and distant. Manipulative controllers undermined women in subtle, indirect ways, which made women compliant because increased uncertainty had made them dependent on their partners for their feelings of self worth.The first two forms of control were directly related to prescribed gendered roles, which men rigidly adhered to and demanded or explicitly expected of partners. The long-term effects were that women felt increasingly depressed, because gendered roles made women responsible for men’s needs while their own needs were not met in the relationship. Their self-esteem decreased because they felt unloved. The third form of control, the subtlest and most covert form of abuse, was not overtly related to traditional gendered roles, but these men still wanted to be the centre of attention and subtly undermined women's confidence by destabilizing and confusing them, in order to have better control.

This research may have extended the knowledge of emotional abuse by showing that social practices that are accepted as the norm can obscure the emotional abusiveness of gendered practices. The method of memory-work was useful in exposing socialized belief systems and gendered behaviour, but left a gap in knowledge that direct questioning may have answered.

year: 2002

title: Characterizing the Catalytic Action of μ-Calpain on Myofibrillar Protein Structure

authors: Fraser-Smith, Emma Louise

subjects: Calpain

abstract: Solving the problem of inconsistent meat tenderness is a top priority of the meat industry. This requires a greater understanding of the processes that affect meat tenderness and the adoption of such information by the meat industry. It is essential that we understand the mechanism of meat tenderisation of which, the calpain protease system is believed to play a central role.
This thesis focuses on three aspects; characterisation of calpain activity, the effect of porcine μ-calpain on myofibril degradation and the effect of μ-calpain on specific proteins desmin and troponin-T.
To study the effect of calpain activity, fluorogenic assays were used to determine: μ-calpain concentration for optimal peptide cleavage; calcium requirements and the effect of chelating substances on the activity of μ-calpain. In addition, the affinity of μ-calpain for substrates CalS-I and CalS-III were assessed.
The effect of μ-calpain on myofibril degradation was evaluated through the use of myofibrillar fragmentation index and density marker beads. Myofibrils were digested at three different temperatures for varying time periods. Conflicting results were displayed and it was concluded that these methods are not accurate, thus further research should be conducted to ensure inconsistencies are eliminated.
Specific proteins desmin and troponin-T have previously been shown to exhibit degradation in the presence of calcium and μ-calpain. SDS-polyacrylamide electrophoresis, western blotting and densitometry measurements were utilized to investigate this effect. It was concluded that μ-calpain plays a significant role in the post mortem proteolysis of myofibrillar protein.
This thesis provides information and strives to give a better understanding of the proteolytic changes that occur within muscle. Understanding how these mechanisms affect meat on a cellular level, can help to control the influence they inflict on meat quality.

text: Characterizing the Catalytic Action of μ-Calpain on Myofibrillar Protein Structure Solving the problem of inconsistent meat tenderness is a top priority of the meat industry. This requires a greater understanding of the processes that affect meat tenderness and the adoption of such information by the meat industry. It is essential that we understand the mechanism of meat tenderisation of which, the calpain protease system is believed to play a central role.
This thesis focuses on three aspects; characterisation of calpain activity, the effect of porcine μ-calpain on myofibril degradation and the effect of μ-calpain on specific proteins desmin and troponin-T.
To study the effect of calpain activity, fluorogenic assays were used to determine: μ-calpain concentration for optimal peptide cleavage; calcium requirements and the effect of chelating substances on the activity of μ-calpain. In addition, the affinity of μ-calpain for substrates CalS-I and CalS-III were assessed.
The effect of μ-calpain on myofibril degradation was evaluated through the use of myofibrillar fragmentation index and density marker beads. Myofibrils were digested at three different temperatures for varying time periods. Conflicting results were displayed and it was concluded that these methods are not accurate, thus further research should be conducted to ensure inconsistencies are eliminated.
Specific proteins desmin and troponin-T have previously been shown to exhibit degradation in the presence of calcium and μ-calpain. SDS-polyacrylamide electrophoresis, western blotting and densitometry measurements were utilized to investigate this effect. It was concluded that μ-calpain plays a significant role in the post mortem proteolysis of myofibrillar protein.
This thesis provides information and strives to give a better understanding of the proteolytic changes that occur within muscle. Understanding how these mechanisms affect meat on a cellular level, can help to control the influence they inflict on meat quality.

year: 2006

title: Māori students and issues of hybrid identity: The response of one inner-city state school

authors: Johnson, Diane

subjects: New Zealand

abstract: As a result of a more liberal national migration policy than was the case in the past, school communities in Aotearoa /New Zealand are increasingly multi-cultural, with both students and teachers coming from a wide range of linguistic and cultural backgrounds. In these global village environments, managers and governors strive (with varying degrees of success) to acknowledge, value and accommodate the heritage of new-migrant groups and to address the particular educational needs, interests and aspirations of the individuals within them. While it is extremely important to be inclusive of those students who are newly-arrived in the country, another imperative is, of course to protect and enhance, within an increasingly global educational perspective, the special status of indigenous Māori students, particularly those in mainstream education, as they explore and shape the hybrid identity (part indigenous / part global citizen) that will undoubtedly characterize their lives in the 21st century. The purpose of this paper is to discuss some identity-building strategies which one central-city, state, single-sex secondary school has initiated to support its indigenous students. While the strategies discussed must be considered as part of an ongoing, evolutionary process, indications are that the approach adopted is having a significant impact on the personal, social and academic development of Māori students.

text: Māori students and issues of hybrid identity: The response of one inner-city state school As a result of a more liberal national migration policy than was the case in the past, school communities in Aotearoa /New Zealand are increasingly multi-cultural, with both students and teachers coming from a wide range of linguistic and cultural backgrounds. In these global village environments, managers and governors strive (with varying degrees of success) to acknowledge, value and accommodate the heritage of new-migrant groups and to address the particular educational needs, interests and aspirations of the individuals within them. While it is extremely important to be inclusive of those students who are newly-arrived in the country, another imperative is, of course to protect and enhance, within an increasingly global educational perspective, the special status of indigenous Māori students, particularly those in mainstream education, as they explore and shape the hybrid identity (part indigenous / part global citizen) that will undoubtedly characterize their lives in the 21st century. The purpose of this paper is to discuss some identity-building strategies which one central-city, state, single-sex secondary school has initiated to support its indigenous students. While the strategies discussed must be considered as part of an ongoing, evolutionary process, indications are that the approach adopted is having a significant impact on the personal, social and academic development of Māori students.

year: 2008