Customer Reviews

The Abusive Personality: Violence and Control in Intimate Relationships

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What an excellent book! It goes step by step into what leads up to an abusive personality. I was also impressed by his mentioning that a battering relationship is like a hostage relationship, and the dynamics of that. I learned a lot. I feel that this would be a wonderful textbook. Easy to read, simple and to the point, and a lot of information in a fairly short book

The Abusive Personality is simply the best book written on domestic violence perpetrators and one of the best on the entire field of psychology. Dutton has integrated a variety of psychological perspectives (attachment theory, object relations, social learning theory, trauma reactions) into a compelling and well reasoned profile of the development and behavior of abusive men. Dutton was the Prosecution expert in the OJ Simpson trial. If you read this book, you'll wish he had taken the stand.

Learned behavior truly IS only part of the recipe for making an abuser. Attachment has been known to be crucial to social development and quality of relationships for many years (from Ainsworth and Bowlby to the present), so it is wonderful for one book to tie in the research. Wonderful asset for all counselors.

This book has excellent qualities and well-developed research is included within. This book is excellent for domestic violence counselors and those in the criminal justice field. It is an excellent asset for any library--and it has been quite an asset for my thesis!

Dr. Dutton presents a new perspective to working with abusive personalities. As a forensic social worker, I found his ideas fresh and thought provoking.

Mr Dutton does a beautiful job of sorting through the complicated social theories of abuse with out getting stuck in the feminist politics that often ensnare researchers on this topic. He uses his research skillfully and is through in the points he makes. I believe this book is a must read for anyone working with this population. I've read the first book and plan to read the revision.

Excellent as an additional resource, but not a stand alone reference textbook. Should be in every therapists office!

Your topic is great , it gives reise to a sickness in Amrican culturers, that goes beyond gender and color, or socioeccnomic and other demographics, and I find it refeshing that the subject is open for review and discussion Evelyn T. Woodson Valrico Florida Victim Services.