Beliefs about romantic love and gender violence. A study with victims and aggressors in the prison population

Abstract

This study analyses the beliefs about romantic love as a means of influencing on gender-based violence. The research was conducted on a sample of 60 participants, 30 women and 30 men, inmates in Salamanca penitentiary center, and selected because they were taking part, at the time of the interview, on a treatment program for aggressors, the men, and for victims of gender-based violence, the women. The most remarkable results indicate higher cognitive distortions for men in relation to putt he needs, own wishes and interests against couple’s and thought anticipation to be necessary in romantic love, and for women highlight the need of jealousy and unique attraction to their couple to describe genuine love. This study shows the need to analyze the definition of romantic love, by men and women, to detect cognitive distortions more connected to gender-based violence.