Abstract

Starting from the empirical data collected during a research project on the Social Representations of Violence against Women, the essay tackles the controversial theme of the profile of the abusive man, around which originate stereotypes and social fears; however, its knowledge is an indispensable element to tackle, with all due “analytical detachmentµ, the phenomenon of violence against women, while avoiding exorcising drifts or dangerous paternalistic mistakes, which are both pathologising and moralising. The central question is “howµ this social representation of the abusive man is constructed, focusing on the judicial perspective and studying the way in which the definitions coming from trials interact with those elaborated by experts, mass media, political organisms, and public opinion. The aim is to contribute to the deconstruction of the prejudices associating violence against women with situations of pathology, shedding light upon the “normalityµ of the abusive man in view of the application of preventive policies.