"Jag förstod aldrig varför man slår ett barn" : - En narrativ studie om sju individers berättelser om våldsutsatthet i barndomen och deras senare våldsutövning

Sammanfattning: The aim of this study was to analyze narratives of violence and explore how this relates to one's own violence. By means of the theory of differential associations and social learning theory, the development of violent behavior was understood and interpreted. Through a hermeneutic approach, seven life stories from the Stockholm Life-Course Project, were interpreted, where child maltreatment and own use of violence had occurred. The main results showed that the individuals experienced that the childhood had characterized their lives and that they developed a behavior of violence. The violence has been interpreted for strategic purposes but also of pure instinct. The results were problematized with the previous research. The study's conclusion is that exposure to child maltreatment constitutes a risk factor for developing violent behavior. However, the relationship is complex and no causal statements can be made based on our research method and our sample.