  Social networks are usually considered as positive sources of social support,
a role which has been extensively studied in the context of domestic violence.
To victims of abuse, social networks often provide initial emotional and
practical help as well useful information ahead of formal institutions.
Recently, however, attention has been paid to the negative responses of social
networks. In this article, we advance the theoretical debate on social networks
as a source of social support by moving beyond the distinction between positive
and negative ties. We do so by proposing the concepts of relational ambivalence
and consistency, which describe the interactive processes by which people,
intentionally or inadvertently, disregard or align with each other role
relational expectations, therefore undermining or reinforcing individual
choices of action. We analyse the qualitative accounts of nineteen female
victims of domestic violence in Sweden, who described the responses of their
personal networks during and after the abuse. We observe how the relationships
embedded in these networks were described in ambivalent and consistent terms,
and how they played a role in supporting or undermining women in reframing
their loving relationships as abusive; in accounting or dismissing perpetrators
responsibilities for the abuse; in relieving women from role expectations and
obligations or in burdening them with further responsibilities; and in
supporting or challenging their pathways out of domestic abuse. Our analysis
suggests that social isolation cannot be considered a simple result of a lack
of support but of the complex dynamics in which support is offered and accepted
or withdrawn and refused.
