Thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology.

This thesis explores and documents the science and process by which the Manawatu Men Against Violence collective's (MMAV) Stopping Violence programme works to stop men's violence to their partners. It also describes some of the changes in an individual that occur as a result of participation in the programme. The research employed three data collection methods: participant observation, semi-structured interviewing, and literature searching. Discourse analysis is the central research methodology, which unifies and connects all three phases of the research project. A post-structuralist critique of the social science theoretical literature surrounding wife abuse forms the first part of the study. Five discourses were found to be operating in and informing the field, between them affording a diverse array of theoretical accounts and intervention strategies. The five discourses were: pathology (where men's violence against their spouse is seen as 'abnormal' and understood as being 'symptomatic' of an underlying 'pathology'); violence as an expression of inner tension; violence as an instrumental power strategy; wife abuse as a consequence of the broader social system; and violence as a learned behaviour. The second phase of the study involved a participant observation strategy which explored how the MMAV works to stop men's violence in the community. Observations concerning the discursive content and structure to the programme were made. It was found that MMAV employed four of the five discourses identified in the scientific literature and omitted one - 'pathology'. Implications of this discursive structure to the programme are discussed. The third phase of the study explored how the MMAV programme impacts upon participant's subjectivity. Semi-structured interviews prior to and following participation in a MMAV Stopping Violence programme recorded narratives of the men as they accounted for their violence, the violence of others in the community, and described their intimate relationships. It was found a change had occurred as a consequence of their participation. The men demonstrated an enhanced self and social awareness whilst exhibiting a greater sense of self determination and control. The implications of such shifts and continuities are discussed and recommendations for future research are made.--AUTHOR'S ABSTRACT

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