The objective of this study is to have an in-depth understanding of the changing process of divorced women due to domestic violence seen through the representative intervention model. To that end, we had
in-depth interviews with each of those women who experienced the reproduction of maltreatment
relationships from their growth period to marriage to divorce and thereafter. The surveyed data were
analyzed, revealing the findings of this study as follows.
First, self-representation change process progressed in the following order; self-abuse status making it
difficult to distinguish between the target and the self; being divided into the abusing-self and hopeful-self
but partially self-perceived status; having a center self; being partially connected to and integrated into the
center self, which led to the description of self-representation. Second, the five self-representation change
stages seen in the representative intervention model consisted of the divisive self-representation, impulsive
self-representation, defensive self-representation, differentiated self-representation, and integrated
self-representation, undergoing sequential and non-sequential changes alike. Change promotion factors
included the acquisition of distinction through exploration by the unit of target relationship, a lack of
resolution based on moral defense, center-self utilization and consistent self-description.
Thus, the representative intervention model for the examination of self-representation changes in divorced
women due to domestic violence was proved to be effective in distinguishing the divisive, confused
self-representation status, in connecting the target relationships by unit, and in integrating center self,
thereby reconstructing the self-representation. It was also found that the reconstructed self-representation
through the representative intervention model had to include the internalization process through the repeated
training in changing to a stable self-representation from the non-internalized self-representation.