Peter M. Jansson | Dalarna University (original) (raw)

Papers by Peter M. Jansson

Violence: An International Journal, 2024

Despite systematic reviews calling for more research to determine which batterer intervention pro... more Despite systematic reviews calling for more research to determine which batterer intervention programs (BIPs) work, the Swedish Prison and Probation Service (SPPS) officially claims that their CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy)-based programs are successful. In order to find a plausible explanation for the discrepancy between what the service claims and what is reasonable to claim, a qualitative content analysis of the SPPSs' use of evidence in the accreditation of BIPs and the treatment with these programs is conducted. The study first addresses the manifest content, which refers to the SPPS claims of scientific evidence that BIPs have a positive effect and the internal application of Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations (GRADE) for the accreditation of their programs. The results show that despite the SPPSs' efforts to keep up to date with research and public claims that treatment programs reduce recidivism, there is no independent scientific evidence that the treatment methods used are effective. The interpretative analysis of the latent content indicates that the concept of evidence is used rhetorically to convince the public that the activities are conducted successfully, scientifically and cost-effectively. The state of knowledge is uncertain, and a more realistic approach is required as the public has a right to know that treatment of IPV offenders is often based on uncertainty.

European Journal of Social Work, Sep 6, 2022

The aim of the present study is to deepen the understanding of over-indebtedpersons’ ways of desc... more The aim of the present study is to deepen the understanding of over-indebtedpersons’ ways of describing the causes of their debts and the part they and others played in the emergence of the problematic situation, in their written communications with public authorities with influence over the debt-reconstruction process. The method was a qualitative multiple-case-study design with a purposive, cross-sectional sample consisting of personal letters attached to debt reconstruction applications submitted to the Swedish Enforcement Agency. The results reveal three main ways thatapplicants present their cases: Attributing responsibility to oneself, Avoidingthe question of responsibility, and Attributing responsibility to others. The authors suggest that the results can be used in social work to help over-indebted people to understand and present their problems in a way that restores their vulnerable identity and allows them to counteract interpretations of them as having acted irresponsibly regarding their finances.

AbstractThere is a great need for more knowledge on how a pro-feminist masculinity that challenge... more AbstractThere is a great need for more knowledge on how a pro-feminist masculinity that challenges the normative hegemonic masculinity can be developed. To achieve this, it is important to gain mor ...

Working with emotions in social work practice. A pride-building model for institutional care of young people. , 2024

In this article we point out why social workers and treatment staff must have knowledge of how to... more In this article we point out why social workers and treatment staff must have knowledge of how to identify emotions, understand their own emotions and understand the emotions they elicit in others as a prerequisite for successful rehabilitation. In particular, the emotions of shame and pride play a crucial role in the interaction between social workers and clients. There is currently a need for empirically applicable models that facilitate social workers and therapists in institutional care to identify shame and pride in the interaction with clients. Here we provide a model that can be used to analyze the quality of the social bonds between treatment staff and young clients in institutional care. Institutionalized treatment of young people is often based on an asymmetrical power relationship and the transformation of deviant young people’s identity into normal ones. This is fraught with risks, as the power imbalance can preserve and reinforce deviant identities. To encourage the emergence of a normalized identity, the client's good qualities must form the basis of treatment. Greater understanding of the emotions evoked in a treatment situation is necessary for successful rehabilitation.

Europe from a Political Sociological Perspective. Jean Monnet Chair Online Textbook 2022, 2022

The chapter introduces the Swedish Social Democrats' use of social engineering and functionalist ... more The chapter introduces the Swedish Social Democrats' use of social engineering and functionalist science to steer welfare efforts in a direction that contributed to a social contract between the state and the individual. And how this social contract has become impossible to maintain in an increasingly globalized economy.

European Journal of Social Work, 2022

Partner Abuse, 2023

This explorative paper aims to take a step in the direction of a realist-oriented scientific desi... more This explorative paper aims to take a step in the direction of a realist-oriented scientific design that extends our knowledge of the requirements of a methodology that improves our ability to uncover the causal mechanisms behind men’s violence against women. Despite the great advances that have been made in individual research disciplines, our understanding of the complex causes is still insufficient and suffers from our inability to grasp the larger whole of the collaborative processes. As a first step towards the objective, an integration attempt is implemented that aims to highlight methodological issues that we have to overcome to explain men’s violence against women. The integration of psychological, social-psychological, and sociological theories aims to exemplify how contributing and counteracting factors interact with each other and form a complex mechanism that influences whether violence against women will take place or not. To leave room for the methodological dimension, the depth of each perspective has been reduced. The results of the integration attempt show both opportunities and difficulties in investigating the mechanisms behind men’s violence against women. However, there are still untapped knowledge potential in the explorative integration of theories, and the use of realist-oriented pluralistic research methodologies. Keywords: methodological pluralism, probabilism, critical realism, intimate partner violence, violence against women

Social Work and Social Sciences Review, 2022

Since Sweden has a reputation for having a pragmatic, technocratic approach to solving social pro... more Since Sweden has a reputation for having a pragmatic, technocratic approach to solving social problems, the question arises as to why the country uses different methods at the national and the local level for treating violent men. If studies show that one method is superior to others, we would expect both levels of government to use similar treatment methods. Despite the emphasis on pragmatic solutions, ideology plays an important role, as the Swedish government in recent decades has largely accepted the New Public Management approach to governance. However, because of differences in institutional arrangements, it becomes logically appropriate for the national level to utilize a different type of therapy (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) than the local level (Psycho Dynamic Therapy among others). Thus, a combination of an ideological shift to New Public Management and institutional differences can explain the differences in therapeutic approaches, rather than reliance on scientific stu...

Journal of Applied Social Science, 2022

This explorative paper aims to test a model of operationalized subindicators that allows for a si... more This explorative paper aims to test a model of operationalized subindicators that allows for a simplified analysis of the social bond between therapists and clients in violence therapy. A theoretical premise of this work is that a stable social bond is a prerequisite for the client’s building a positive self-image and becoming reintegrated into society as nonviolent. The research entails the comparison of two different therapy treatments. A psychodynamic therapy against men’s violence, undertaken voluntarily and frequently used in Nordic countries, is compared to a compulsory cognitive behavior therapy used for men in correctional settings. Although the therapists in both treatments attempt to balance the relationship between themselves and the clients, both therapies tend to alienate the parties from each other, thereby preventing the development of a stable social bond of solidarity. For both treatments, an awareness is needed of those parts of the therapy that evoke shame and pri...

Avhandlingens overordnade syfte ar att utforska mojligheterna for ett integrerat forskningsperspe... more Avhandlingens overordnade syfte ar att utforska mojligheterna for ett integrerat forskningsperspektiv pa mans vald samt exemplifiera hur sadan forskning kan bedrivas. Det konkreta syftet ar att oka ...

The intergenerational transmission of violence theory has until recently mostly considered the ma... more The intergenerational transmission of violence theory has until recently mostly considered the male child’s witnessing of violence between their parents and the learning of violence as the main cau ...

Våldets onda cirklar. En explorativ undersökning av mäns barndoms upp levelser, maskuliniteter, k... more Våldets onda cirklar. En explorativ undersökning av mäns barndoms upp levelser, maskuliniteter, känslor, våld samt terapeutiska interventioner mot våld.

Forskningen visar entydigt att personer som utsatts for vald, krankningar, overgrepp och fornedri... more Forskningen visar entydigt att personer som utsatts for vald, krankningar, overgrepp och fornedringar i barndomen ar mer skambenagna an andra. Kansligheten ar storst for handelser i vuxenlivet som ...

Socialvetenskaplig tidskrift, 2018

Jansson, P.M. Thesis: The vicious circles of violence (2016) - An explorative investigation of th... more Jansson, P.M. Thesis: The vicious circles of violence (2016) - An explorative investigation of the relationship between men´s childhood experiences, masculinities, emotions and their violence and therapeutic interventions against violence. The overarching purpose of the study is to explore the potential for an integrated research perspective on male violence and to exemplify how such research could be conducted. The specific objective is to increase awareness about how childhood experiences, socialization, constructions of masculinity and emotions among violent men relate to their violence against other men, women and themselves, as well as how to analyze and further develop therapeutic interventions aimed at violence in light of such knowledge. Using theoretical scientific points of departure taken from critical realism and ecological methodology, this study compares research from various schools of thought: a) psychological: childhood experiences and socialization, b) social psychological: emotions and interactions and c) sociological: social class, gender power structures and hegemonic masculinity. This approach will provide access to knowledge about the interaction between various factors associated with male violence. Studies I and II explore the potential to examine the social bonds between therapist/therapy and clients within therapeutic treatment of violence. Study I operationalizes indicators of emotions such as pride and shame, while study II tests these on therapists in a CBT-oriented therapy setting. Study III examines men in different masculinity positions, where one group is selected from the population of men sentenced to therapy for violence and abuse, and the other from the population of men who are organized and actively working for gender equality and against violence toward women. The study compares the attitudes of the two groups toward factors that earlier research has related to violence and to violence against women. Study IV examines the pathways taken by men convicted for violence up to the point of their current standing as violent criminals, in order to gain knowledge concerning the interactions between factors that in various situations lead to such violence against other men, women and themselves. All empirical studies use qualitative methods for data collection and analysis. Study IV uses individual interviews and biographical analysis, while studies II and III use group interviews as well as deductive content analysis. Prior sociological and social psychological theory formation serve as the empirical basis of the theoretical review article explored in study I. The thesis shows both the advantages and disadvantages of an overarching perspective compared with perspectives primarily based on a psychological, relational or structural level. Studies that transcend levels are complicated by more complex methodology that must address interactions between factors

Masculinity constructions and acceptance of violence against women among men convicted of violent... more Masculinity constructions and acceptance of violence against women among men convicted of violent crimes and men in a pro-feminist network opposing men's violence in Sweden

Masculinities & Social Change, 2020

This explorative study aimed to develop an understanding of how a sample of two groups of men, co... more This explorative study aimed to develop an understanding of how a sample of two groups of men, considered to be situated at different ends of Connell’s masculinity continuum, construct their masculinity, and how these constructions relate to their proximity to violence against women (VAW). One group consisted of five men incarcerated for violent crimes (MIVC) that had previously used VAW. The other included five participants in the pro-feminist group Men Against Violence (MAV), without prior VAW. An abductive approach, using qualitative interviews, was employed. Results show that the MIVC participants appeared ambivalent, unreflective, and inconsistent in their masculinity constructions, and used VAW as part of their problem-solving repertoire. The MAV participants appeared to have a reflexive stance towards gender equality and consistently adopted inclusive ways of enacting masculinity and preventing VAW. The study can only provide some support to the postulated relationship betwee...

Socialvetenskaplig tidskrift, 2018

Deviant Behavior, 2018

ABSTRACT This study explored new ways of finding knowledge about violent men’s pathways toward th... more ABSTRACT This study explored new ways of finding knowledge about violent men’s pathways toward their status as violent criminals and the mechanisms that underlie their violent behavior. The empirical data were gathered through biographical interviews with 10 men sentenced to therapy against violence and drugs at a Swedish treatment center. The men who had experienced violence and childhood maltreatment tended to bypass shame with uncontrolled anger and violence when reliving childhood traumas. Conversely, men without extreme childhood experiences seemed to exhibit more controlled violence mechanisms. Two men who had experienced brutal physical school bullying might have been expected to bypass shame with immediate violence; however, these men described their violence as controlled, suggesting that they had learnt to take cognitive control over their bypass mechanisms in order to escape the bullying.

Journal of Psychology & Clinical Psychiatry, 2017

Violence: An International Journal, 2024

European Journal of Social Work, Sep 6, 2022

Working with emotions in social work practice. A pride-building model for institutional care of young people. , 2024

Europe from a Political Sociological Perspective. Jean Monnet Chair Online Textbook 2022, 2022

European Journal of Social Work, 2022

Partner Abuse, 2023

Social Work and Social Sciences Review, 2022

Journal of Applied Social Science, 2022

Socialvetenskaplig tidskrift, 2018

Masculinities & Social Change, 2020

Socialvetenskaplig tidskrift, 2018

Deviant Behavior, 2018

Journal of Psychology & Clinical Psychiatry, 2017

VIII SEMINARIO INTERNACIONAL SOBRE EL CONFLICTO INTERNO ARMADO EN COLOMBIA: Los Retos de la Paz Total en Colombia y las Enseñanzas de la Experiencia Comparada 18-20 octubre 2023 Universidad Surcolombiana, 2023

, es director de la fundación Asociación de Jóvenes en cambio en Quindío y emprendedor social en ... more , es director de la fundación Asociación de Jóvenes en cambio en Quindío y emprendedor social en el área de trabajo social y sostenibilidad. Trabaja con círculos de estudio partiendo de la comunicación no violenta y la Agenda 2030.

Translated doctoral thesis Jönköping University, 2016

The overall aim of the thesis is to explore the possibilities for an integrated research perspect... more The overall aim of the thesis is to explore the possibilities for an integrated research perspective on men's violence and to exemplify how such research can be conducted. The specific purpose is to increase knowledge about how violent men's childhood experiences, socialization, masculinity construction and emotions can be related to their violence against other men, against themselves and against women, and how therapeutic interventions against violence can be analyzed and developed in correspondence with this knowledge. With epistemological starting points drawn from critical realism and ecological methods, the study relates research from different schools of thought to each other; - psychological: on childhood experiences and socialization, social psychological: on emotions and interaction and sociological: on social class, gender power structures and hegemonic masculinity. This is done to gain access to knowledge about how different factors interact in men's violence. Studies I and II investigated the possibilities of examining the social bonds between therapist/therapy and client in therapeutic treatments against violence. In study I, indicators of the emotions pride and shame were operationalized and in study II these were tested on therapists in a CBT-oriented therapy. Study III examined men in different positions of masculinity, where the sample for one group was drawn from the population of men sentenced to therapy for violence and abuse and the other from the population of men who organized for equality and against violence against women. The study compared the two groups' attitudes to factors related to violence and violence against women in previous research. Study IV examined the careers of men convicted of violence up to their current position as violent criminals in order to increase knowledge of the interplay of factors that in different situations lead to their violence against other men, themselves and women. All empirical studies used qualitative methods for data collection and analysis. Study IV used individual interviews and biographical analysis, Studies II and III used group interviews and deductive content analysis. In Study I, the theoretical review article, sociological, social psychological and psychological theories were empirical. The thesis shows that there are more advantages than disadvantages to a multi-level perspective. Level-integrating studies are hampered by the fact that they require a complex methodology to deal with the interaction between factors behind violence at different levels, but on the other hand provide a more holistic understanding of the phenomenon in question. The results show that integrative perspectives can reduce the risk of ecological fallacies and 5 increase the understanding of complex interactions between factors behind men's violence, which may contribute to the development of knowledge in the field of violence therapy. The theoretical review article (Study I) exemplified how theoretically and methodologically driven research on social bonds can be made pragmatically applicable by therapists in violence treatment. The applied study of a CBT therapy (Study II) provided examples of how operationalized indicators of pride and shame can be used practically to determine the quality of the social bond between therapist and client. As expected, the CBT therapy studied contained both shame- and pride-creating elements, which constitute valuable starting points for further research. The comparison between men in ideally opposite positions of masculinity (study III) showed that both the group of men who work against violence against women and the men sentenced to treatment for violence carry ambivalent attitudes towards violence and violence against women. The comparison further showed that the groups' constructions of masculinity and attitudes towards violence correspond to the groups' different access to economic, social and cultural resources. The biographically focused qualitative study of men in violence treatment (Study IV) explored exploratively how the career path to becoming a violent offender may look like and how childhood experiences, socialization, masculinity and emotions of individual violent men may have interacted with each other when violence takes place. The results showed that the men who testify to exposure to serious violence in childhood are more shame-prone and, when offended by others, tend to react unconsciously and without prior feelings of shame immediately with aggression and violence against both sexes. Other men were indeed shame-prone but described a more controlled violent reaction. Two men who had been brutally physically bullied in primary school reported more controlled violence. A preliminary hypothesis is that the men may have learnt to cognitively take control of the process of replacing shame with aggression in order to escape further bullying. The parents' personal problems, together with their lack of social control and care, were hypothesized to be associated with several of the men's school problems, their association with deviant youth, their later difficulties in earning a living by conventional means, and their violent careers.