Analysis of justification and moral disengagement cognitive processes amongst alleged perpetrators of intimate partner violence depending on offense recognition

摘要

The cognitive mechanisms of moral disengagement contribute to delinquency, and allow the reiteration of intimate partner violence. These mechanisms can be understood through the implicit theories developed by the perpetrators about transgressive behavior, the link between the action and its effects, or the ways the partner is perceived. This study analyzed the first police hearing of 69 alleged perpetrators of intimate partner violence in total, partial or no confession in order to determine whether or not preferential mechanisms of justification and moral disengagement appeared according to the recognition of the offense. The analysis grid of the hearing was based on Ward & Keenan model, which was adapted to intimate partner violence. 268 corpora of justification were generated and grouped according to themes, to which an additional category was added in order to apprehend all corpora.%Les auteurs de violences conjugales présentent régulièrement un désengagement moral face aux implications de leurs comportements. Les discours de justification sont le reflet de théories implicites (Tl) constituées de croyances et de représentations à propos de leur partenaire, d'eux-mêmes et de leur légitimité à se comporter violemment. Au départ des premières auditions policières d'auteurs présumés de violences conjugales, l'étude analyse dans quelle mesure la reconnaissance ou non des faits influence le choix des Tl comme moyen de justification et de désengagement moral. L'analyse des Tl est basée sur le modèle de Ward et Keenan (1999) que nous avons adapté à la problématique des violences conjugales.