Abusive Personality: Violence and Control in Intimate Relationships

This influential book provides an innovative framework for understanding and treating intimate partner violence. Integrating a variety of theoretical and empirical perspectives, Donald G. Dutton demonstrates that male abusiveness is more than just a learned pattern of behavior--it is the outgrowth of a particular personality configuration. He illuminates the development of the abusive personality from early childhood to adulthood and presents an evidence-based treatment approach designed to meet this population's unique needs. The second edition features two new chapters on the neurobiological roots of abusive behavior and the development of abusiveness in females.

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Reviewer:Susan Richardson, MA, PsyD(Private Practice)
Description:This book describes the recent research on understanding and treating perpetrators of violence in intimate relationships. The first edition was published late in 2002.
Purpose:It seeks to explore the abusive personality from psychological and neurobiological developmental pathways, reviewing both theory and research data.
Audience:The book is intended for clinical professionals working with this type of perpetrator or their families. It also would be appropriate for graduate studies in personality and interpersonal relationships. The author has done a significant amount of research with this population and he reviews research by others from the earliest discussions on the subject.
Features:The fundamental areas of understanding, diagnosing, and treating this type of perpetrator are covered. The author begins his book by noting nothing was written on the topic of domestic violence until the 1970s, then presents all the relevant research and theory since then. Chapters cover theory, the cycle of violence, understanding the origins of rage, and, finally, treatment of this type of violence. Although the book is not comprehensive, it is certainly a well done offering on a somewhat neglected subject. Some readers may not agree with the object-relations theoretical focus, but that perspective is well supported with research.
Assessment:This book is well written and well researched, offering insight into an area that has only recently become the focus of clinical attention. The second edition highlights some neurobiological underpinnings to the disorder and also discusses female abusers based on recent research.

Donald G. Dutton, PhD, is Professor of Psychology at the University of British Columbia. In 1979 he cofounded the Assaultive Husbands Project, a court-mandated treatment program for men convicted of spousal assault. Dr. Dutton has published over 100 papers and four books, including Domestic Assault of Women; The Batterer: A Psychological Profile, which has been translated into French, Spanish, Dutch, Japanese, and Polish; and Rethinking Domestic Violence. He has frequently served as an expert witness in civil trials involving intimate abuse and in criminal trials involving family violence.