The Abusive Personality: Violence and Control in Intimate Relationships (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Perhaps the most enlightening chapter for many readers is the chapter on psychotherapy with abusive men, which serves as a brief treatment manual....This book is state-of-the-art in its information, from a man whose resume includes having been an expert witness in the O. J. Simpson case....An informed and valuable work on a subject of great current interest." --Cleveland Psychological Association

"Provides a sweeping examination of research and theory with an eye toward intervention and change....This volume contains a wealth of very useful material, including schematic diagrams illustrating points and hypothesized relationships, clear tables, copies of measurement instruments, ten pages of references, and endnotes. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals." --Choice

"Dutton makes his book interesting by telling us how his theory evolved as he conducted his research. The story about how a researcher goes about testing and refining theories is one that would be very educational for graduate and serious undergraduate students....This book will be of interest to those who study wife assault regardless of theoretical persuasion. Dutton's research is summarized well in this volume and his findings need to be accounted for in any theory." --Canadian Psychology

"Promises to have a wide influence on practice and research with domestic violence perpetrators....Makes an important contribution to our understanding of domestic violence. It provides an integrative and theoretically rich perspective on the not-so-obvious psychological aspects of domestic violence perpetrators." --Contemporary Psychology

"In this comprehensive, theoretically and empirically sound book, Donald Dutton expands on the leading models of domestic abuse by focusing on the personality structure of male batterers." --Journal of Marriage and the Family

"...by far the best study of the male abuser in print. It is startling in the depth of understanding it displays of one particular type of male batterer, the puzzling man who abuses his domestic partner but appears to have no difficulty controlling his anger with others. Dutton's current understanding of the abusive personality is informed by prodigious research of his own, informed appreciation of the work of others, and a personal intellectual journey of discovery....this is an important book that can be of real value to all professionals concerned with the problem of domestic violence." --Families In Society

"The treatment chapter is an excellent demonstration of the application of the author's research findings to a group intervention for male batterers....This is a very readable book that would be useful as a text in a wide range of both undergraduate and graduate courses. Research methods, including statistical analysis, are explained very clearly and simply, and the author presents each of the study instruments in its entirety. Likewise, figures are generously employed to delineate theoretical relationships among variables....this book is an impressive contribution to our understanding of the origins, development, and occurrence of male aggression toward female intimates. The findings, grounded in the broader psychology and psychiatric literature, provide a developmental profile that should enhance prevention, intervention, and treatment efforts. In addition, this volume would seem to be an essential resource for other practitioners and policymakers interested in domestic violence, as well as those who research the topic." --Journal of Social and Personal Relationships
-- Review

Review

"Who says there is no progress in social science, especially in predicting who is likely to become chronically violent? Distilling 20 years of research on men who assault their female partners, Dutton has produced a seminal paradigm for understanding the origins, development, and occurrence of intimate aggressive behavior. Among only a handful of books of similar influence in the field of applied social psychology, I predict this work will guide thinking and research in this emerging area for some time to come."--Ehor Boyanowsky, PhD, School of Criminology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

"By far the best text on the male batterer written to date. Dutton's conceptualization of the psychology of male batterers is firmly grounded in the broader clinical psychology and psychiatric literature as well as his 20 years of extensive domestic violence research and clinical work. This book is a ¿must read' for any clinician working with perpetrators or victims of violence. I am convinced that this book will stand the test of time and is destined to be a classic text on this issue." --Daniel Jay Sonkin, PhD, Psychotherapist, Sausalito, California, author of Learning to Live without Violence: A Handbook for Men

"Perhaps the most enlightening chapter for many readers is the chapter on psychotherapy with abusive men, which serves as a brief treatment manual....This book is state-of-the-art in its information, from a man whose resume includes having been an expert witness in the O. J. Simpson case....An informed and valuable work on a subject of great current interest." --Cleveland Psychological Association

"Provides a sweeping examination of research and theory with an eye toward intervention and change....This volume contains a wealth of very useful material, including schematic diagrams illustrating points and hypothesized relationships, clear tables, copies of measurement instruments, ten pages of references, and endnotes. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals." --Choice

"Dutton makes his book interesting by telling us how his theory evolved as he conducted his research. The story about how a researcher goes about testing and refining theories is one that would be very educational for graduate and serious undergraduate students....This book will be of interest to those who study wife assault regardless of theoretical persuasion. Dutton's research is summarized well in this volume and his findings need to be accounted for in any theory." --Canadian Psychology

"Promises to have a wide influence on practice and research with domestic violence perpetrators....Makes an important contribution to our understanding of domestic violence. It provides an integrative and theoretically rich perspective on the not-so-obvious psychological aspects of domestic violence perpetrators." --Contemporary Psychology

"In this comprehensive, theoretically and empirically sound book, Donald Dutton expands on the leading models of domestic abuse by focusing on the personality structure of male batterers." --Journal of Marriage and the Family

"...by far the best study of the male abuser in print. It is startling in the depth of understanding it displays of one particular type of male batterer, the puzzling man who abuses his domestic partner but appears to have no difficulty controlling his anger with others. Dutton's current understanding of the abusive personality is informed by prodigious research of his own, informed appreciation of the work of others, and a personal intellectual journey of discovery....this is an important book that can be of real value to all professionals concerned with the problem of domestic violence." --Families In Society

"The treatment chapter is an excellent demonstration of the application of the author's research findings to a group intervention for male batterers....This is a very readable book that would be useful as a text in a wide range of both undergraduate and graduate courses. Research methods, including statistical analysis, are explained very clearly and simply, and the author presents each of the study instruments in its entirety. Likewise, figures are generously employed to delineate theoretical relationships among variables....this book is an impressive contribution to our understanding of the origins, development, and occurrence of male aggression toward female intimates. The findings, grounded in the broader psychology and psychiatric literature, provide a developmental profile that should enhance prevention, intervention, and treatment efforts. In addition, this volume would seem to be an essential resource for other practitioners and policymakers interested in domestic violence, as well as those who research the topic." --Journal of Social and Personal Relationships

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 214 pages
• Publisher: The Guilford Press; 1 edition (August 6, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572303700
• ISBN-13: 978-1572303706
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #817,519 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Abusive Personality by Donald G. Dutton, November 21, 1999

By	"merbeth" (Brunswick, Georgia USA) - See all my reviews

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

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must read book for avocate and professional alike!, September 4, 2000

By	Linda Lund (CA) - See all my reviews

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.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent addition to our cache of literature on abuse, October 22, 2004

By	Josephine Thompson "Torn From the Inside Out" (Oklahoma, U.S.A.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Abusive Personality: Violence and Control in Intimate Relationships (Paperback)

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.