Psychological violence in marital relationships: personal factors and opportunities for psychological correction

Statement of the problem. The institution of the family is in a socio-family crisis, which consists in a significant change in marriage and family ideology, the views of men and women on family life, the distribution of roles in the family, marital fidelity, the nature of relationships between generations. Long-term exposure to an unfavorable family environment causes severe psychological trauma, adversely affects all family members, including children, not only when they are the objects of violence, but also its witnesses, which leads to the formation of personal deformities and subsequent deviations in behavior. Psychological violence can be masked by the usual forms of interaction, outwardly look harmless, while causing significant harm to a person, destroying their self-esteem. In these conditions, there is a clear need to study psychological violence in the family as a complex phenomenon, determined by a combination of external (sociocultural), intrafamily and subjective factors, which will determine the most effective methods of psychological assistance to both victims and aggressors. The purpose of the article is to discuss the personal factors of spouses that contribute to psychological abuse in family relationships, and the possibilities of their psychological correction when working with a couple. The research methodology (materials and methods). The research methodology includes the analysis and generalization of the works of Russian and foreign researchers, which reveal the essence, causes and negative effects of the phenomenon of psychological violence (E.N. Volkov, D.Yа. Dmitrieva, I.A. Furmanov, E.P. Ilyin, Т.D. Chermashentseva, А.А. Mitina, V.V. Ryzhova, А.I. Chuloshnikov, М.А. Strays, F. Perles et al.). We adhere to the position of A.I. Chuloshnikov and consider psychological violence within the framework of a subject-activity approach. The sample included 20 married couples who agreed to voluntarily participate in the study on condition of anonymity (participants ranged in age from 21 to 47 years). Information about the study was published on social networks, and two district police stations in Norilsk were invited to take part in it as part of a domestic violence prevention program. To diagnose the level of psychological violence in the family, the following methods were used: A. Bass-A. Darki aggressiveness questionnaire; “Miscommunication or toxic relationship?” test (Department of Labor and Social Protection of the Population of Moscow); method of communication mindsets by V.V. Boyko; “Personal aggressiveness and conflict” method by E.P. Ilyina and P.A. Kovaleva; “Normative attitudes in the field of marital relations” questionnaire by E.V. Ioffe and I.S. Kletsina; scale of social representations of psychological violence in marital relations by D.J. Sonkin, modification by I.A. Furmanov; methodology for identifying the nature of spouses’ interaction in a conflict situation by Yu.A. Aleshina, L.Ya. Gozman, and E.M. Dubovskaya. Statistical processing was performed using primary descriptive statistics and Spearman correlation analysis, principal component factor analysis using varimax rotation, using SPSS 23.0 statistical package. Research results. The study highlighted and described the characteristics and manifestations of psychological violence in the family. The components of psychological violence of each component form significant correlations, confirming the correctness of the choice of an integrated approach in the process of working with couples. The behavioral and personal components are most significantly associated with others, forming the basis of a stereotype of behavior prone to the manifestation of psychological violence. The factor structure of psychological violence in marital relations describes stable connections between a man and a woman, leading to the manifestation of psychological aggression, manipulation, and destabilization. There are 7 factors most likely related to the manifestation of psychological violence in the family: 1) the rigidity of a husband’s thinking and the emotional instability of a wife; 2) the rational behavior of a wife and a husband’s objection to this; 3) a husband’s childhood trauma and a wife’s negative attitude; 4) a domineering wife and manipulative husband; 5) authoritarian-indifferent behavior of both spouses; 6) a possessive husband, feeling unprotected, and the mature personality of a wife; 7) both spouses are quiet aggressors. Indicators of rigidity of thinking, rational behavior, co-dependence of relationships, manipulative behavior are correlated with the cognitive model of aggressive behavior by L. Berkowitz. Indicators of emotional stability, feelings of insecurity, authority, indifference are associated with the emotional component, the rest are relate to the strategy of behavior in conflict situations.