Read chapters 3, 4, and 5 of Dangerous Women and answer the following questions.
Number each response.
1. Read the following quote from chapter 3:
“The decisions a woman makes in an abusive relationship are based on her perceptions of the patterns of the abuse and possible alternatives. Battered women often spend years trying to understand what went wrong, hoping that once they comprehend it, they can fix it. Sadly, a woman’s attempts to live with a violent and unpredictable mate may eventually result in her committing an act of violence.”
Choose one of the women depicted in this chapter: Loretta Fontaine, Karen Fritz, or Mary Winkler. Discuss what decisions, based upon her perceptions of the patterns of abuse and possible alternatives, may have contributed to the act of murder. How does this quote apply to her?
2. Review the cases of Melissa Markley, Silvia Carmona, Judy Masters, Helen Jordan, and Karen Montana in chapter 4. What psychological, circumstantial, or biological themes emerged that are common to all four? For example, was there a common theme of abandonment, mental illness, substance abuse, success, educational level, abuse, geographical location, family dynamics, etc? What do the four women have in common and how do you think it contributed to each of their outcomes?
3. In chapter 4 the case of Lisa Marie Nowak is intriguing, as she is a very highly educated woman without some of the risk factors present in other cases that we have examined. How do you account for her actions? Do you think she experienced a brief psychotic episode and had some psychological issues at the time she attempted to attack Captain Colleen Shipman, or do you think her actions were the result of pure jealousy and resentment? Support your stance.
4. In chapter 5, Rock-a-Bye Baby, the case of Andrea Yates is presented. Discuss the family dynamics and whether the actions or inactions of her husband contributed to this horrific set of circumstances. Should her husband have seen this coming and intervened, or is it unfair to place blame upon him for not being there when she drowned their children? Did they have a healthy relationship?
