It is argued in this article that theoretical explanations of domestic violence act as powerful discourses that shape our understanding of social reality; that is, they act as social practices that have real (material) effects. This study uses Q methodology to explore subjective variability in the use of the term domestic violence. From the 40 participants' completed Q sorts, five interpretable factors emerged that suggest that domestic violence should be seen as an arbitration of connected discourses predicating social practices rather than an act whose causes are psychologically clear.
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