Polarized Masculinities: Divergent Pathways of Control, Vulnerability, and Redemption in Intimate Partner Violence

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is frequently explained through the concepts of patriarchy and male dominance; however, the lived experiences of offenders suggest more complex, fragmented, and contradictory identities. Using semi-structured in-depth interviews conducted with the male IPV prisoners in an Indian central prison and analyzed drawing on interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), the study investigates the polarized masculinities that structure pathways into violence. Findings highlight ambivalence where acceptance is opposed by denial of responsibility, love is understood as care opposed by love felt as control, family experienced as support versus as burden, and redemption. These contradictions highlight the movement between control and vulnerability, regret and rationalization, power and the quest for redemption. Awareness of these dynamics suggests interventions that can go beyond control and focus on accountability, affect regulation, and moral restoration.