Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

“Taking The Power Away”: An Autoethnographic Exploration Of Intimate Partner Violence, Social Support, And Survivorship, Darrian Pickett

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

This thesis is an autoethnographic exploration of my experience with same-sex intimate partner violence, the development of the abusive relationship itself, my journey to escape the abusive relationship, and the comfort that I found among my social networks after the abusive relationship ended. First, I provide a brief overview of intimate partner violence. Second, I describe autoethnographic methodology and my rationale for using narrative inquiry as a way to make sense of my experiences and to offer a concrete portrait into the lived experience of interpersonal violence and survivorship. In the narratives, I describe my experiences as a pastor’s kid, …