The Typology of Femicide and Scenarios
The typology of femicide includes uxoricide, a situation that describes the murders of women at the hands of their partners or ex-partners. It’s a very serious social problem. Many entities are already addressing this framework of gender violence. Mainly, the goal is to raise awareness and create education, prevention, and treatment policies.
Also, psychology is developing more and better studies on the typology of femicide. All of these efforts focus on eradicating the type of violence we’ll discuss here today.
In this sense, it’s clear that therapeutic treatments in abusive men haven’t been effective. Thus, this article resorted to the research study of psychologist and criminologist Raúl Aguilar Ruiz, published in the digital edition of the General Council of Psychology of Spain, Infocop, in October 2018.
This valuable study reveals four femicide profiles and typologies. Also, its characteristics and the possible therapeutic approaches one can apply in each case. This research provides valuable data for improving the results of therapeutic interventions.
The study on the typology of femicide
This study analyzed 237 femicide sentences. The men who committed the selected murders suffered from various mental disorders when they committed the heinous act.
In addition, the study also considers the relationship between mental disorders and the degree of psychic impairment. Also, it talks about the possible link between suicidal behavior and the breakdown of a relationship. The results of the study offered four femicide profiles or typologies.
The typology of femicide
Typology 1 – mental illness
These men suffer from a mental disorder but without apparent previous warnings of criminal danger. Among the observed disorders, psychotic symptoms were common, along with bipolar or delusional disorders. These men had no history of violence outside their family bond and they didn’t have any marital conflicts. There were no complaints from the women they attacked in the year before the crime against them happened. It seems that the murders were the consequence of acute crises in the men’s psychopathology. They had nothing to do with jealousy or break-ups.
Typology 2 – antisocial/coercive behavior
These types of men had a history of previous violence and consumed a lot of alcohol and narcotics. Also, they had a history of violence inside and outside their family environment. In addition, they seemed to be suffering from narcissistic and dissocial personality disorders, although they didn’t seem to have symptoms of depression or anxiety. These types tend to react violently to abandonment or jealousy, which turns into violent and unpredictable attacks.
Typology 3 – normalized/fearful behavior
These types display severe symptoms of depression and anxiety before leaving or ending a romantic relationship. Despite not having important alcohol or drug abuse habits, they do have a history of violence against their partners. There are records of numerous conflicts and frequent complaints from the victim during the year prior to their murder. Also, there are accounts of their multiple suicide threats. These suicide threats coincide with the abandonment of their partners and not with the complaints filed.
Typology 4 – moderate/jealous/antisocial personality
What seems to affect this type of man most isn’t the act of abandonment, as he’s only violent when the woman leaves him for another man. His motivation seems to be mainly jealousy. The mental disorders associated with this femicidal typology are usually mood disorders and neurotic disorders.
Therapeutic intervention
The report also shows various intervention strategies for the treatment of each femicidal typology.
- For typology 1, the mentally ill, these men could follow treatments focused on the positive symptomatology of psychoses.
- Anti-social/coercive abusers of femicidal typology 2 could respond well to therapies based on impulse control and anger. Also, it’s necessary to include effective treatment for their addiction problems.
- For typology 3, the normalized ones, stress and anxiety control techniques could be effective. It also helps them in the management of the separation.
- In the case of typology 4, the moderate/jealous antisocial, it’s advisable to follow treatments that help them confront pathological jealousy and substance abuse.
Future research on the typology of femicide
Future research tends to focus primarily on femicidal typology 3, the normalized one. It’s mainly because this group has aspects and characteristics that are more similar to conventional men than to the violent profile of a criminal.
Studies based on typology 3 will help better understand the psychosocial factors that lead to the murder of a woman. This way, they could take further steps by adjusting the detection of violence and potential homicide and also improve the therapeutic interventions pertaining to femicide.