Identity veiling: Theorizing identity gap negotiation post-intimate partner violence

Within the United States, 1 in 4 women and 1 in 10 men experience intimate partner violence (IPV): psychological aggression, sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking from an intimate partner. Although some studies highlight the complexity of post-IPV recovery, the role of communication in post-IPV recovery remains underexplored. This study employs Communication Theory of Identity (CTI) to analyze in-depth interviews with post-IPV adults. Analysis reveals how individuals negotiate post-IPV identity gaps between the personal-personal and personal-relational layers of identity. The forwarded concept of identity veiling explicates how IPV tactics cause the relational layer of identity to eclipse the personal layer in IPV relationships. Therefore, post-IPV recovery involves unveiling the personal layer of identity-communicatively (re)constructing self-image beyond the IPV relationship and the identity gaps it engendered. This study conceptualizes the role of violent communication in the construction of identity gaps and identity gap negotiation.

Automated summary

This study examines the role of communication in the recovery process of intimate partner violence (IPV) survivors. Using in-depth interviews and the Communication Theory of Identity (CTI), the analysis reveals the negotiation of identity gaps and the impact of violent communication on these gaps.