Social networks are usually considered as positive sources of social support, a role which has been extensively studied in the context of domestic violence. To victims of abuse, social networks often provide initial emotional and practical help as well useful information ahead of formal institutions. Recently, however, attention has been paid to the negative responses of social networks. In this article, we advance the theoretical debate on social networks as a source of social support by moving beyond the distinction between positive and negative ties. We do so by proposing the concepts of relational ambivalence and consistency, which describe the interactive processes by which people, intentionally or inadvertently, disregard—or align with—each other’s role‐relational expectations, therefore undermining—or reinforcing—individual’s choices of action. We analyse the qualitative accounts of 19 female victims of domestic violence in Sweden, who described the responses of their personal networks during and after the abuse. We observe how the relationships embedded in these networks were described in ambivalent and consistent terms, and how they played a role in supporting or undermining women in reframing their loving relationships as abusive; in accounting or dismissing perpetrators’ responsibilities for the abuse; in relieving women from role‐expectations and obligations or in burdening them with further responsibilities; and in supporting or challenging their pathways out of domestic abuse. Our analysis suggests that social isolation cannot be considered a simple result of a lack of support but of the complex dynamics in which support is offered and accepted or withdrawn and refused.

中文翻译：

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矛盾和一致的关系：个人网络在家庭暴力案件中的作用

社交网络通常被认为是社会支持的积极来源，这一作用已在家庭暴力的背景下得到广泛研究。对于虐待的受害者，社交网络通常会在正式机构之前提供初步的情感和实际帮助以及有用的信息。然而，最近，人们开始关注社交网络的负面反应。在本文中，我们超越了正面和负面联系之间的区别，推进了关于社交网络作为社会支持来源的理论辩论。我们通过提出关系矛盾和一致性的概念来做到这一点，这些概念描述了人们有意或无意地忽视或对齐彼此的角色关系期望的交互过程，因此会削弱或加强个人的行动选择。我们分析了瑞典 19 名家庭暴力女性受害者的定性描述，她们描述了她们个人网络在虐待期间和之后的反应。我们观察到嵌入在这些网络中的关系是如何用矛盾和一致的术语来描述的，以及它们如何在支持或破坏女性将她们的爱情关系重新定义为虐待方面发挥作用；计算或免除肇事者对虐待的责任；减轻女性的角色期望和义务，或让她们承担更多责任；并支持或挑战他们摆脱家庭虐待的途径。