TY - SER AU - O'Neill, Damian TI - A post-structuralist review of the theoretical literature surrounding wife abuse T2 - Violence Against Women SN - 1077-8012 PY - 1998/// KW - FVC KW - CULTURAL ISSUES KW - DOMESTIC VIOLENCE KW - GENDER KW - LEGISLATION KW - PHYSICAL ABUSE KW - WOMEN KW - INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE N1 - Violence Against Women 4(4) 1998 : 457-90 N2 - This article examines the various ways that the social science community has understood partner abuse. The author takes a poststructuralist perspective when reviewing different theories that have been used to explain wife abuse. The paper identifies five discourses: pathology; expressive tension; instrumental power; social system; and learned behaviour. The author discusses each discourse and the implications each one has for policy and practice, pointing out that the definitions and implications of the different discourses are often incompatible, if not in conflict UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1077801298004004005 ER -