The empowerment dilemma: The dialectic of emancipation and control in staff/client interaction at shelters for battered women

Abstract

This study investigated the dialectic of emancipation and control in the relationship between staff and clients at shelters for battered women. Accounts from shelter workers indicated that the power structure of their relationship with clients is characterized by four properties: a circumstantial dichotomy, contrasting experiences, asymmetrical roles, and resource control. Additionally, the workers discussed four contradictory aspects of the shelter worker/shelter client relationship (their relationship with clients, the shelter environment, the clients' options, and the amount of time the client spends at the shelter) which reflected the existence of the dialectic of emancipation and control in their interaction with clients. Findings are discussed in terms of domestic shelters, shelter worker/shelter client relationships, and dialectical theory.