Rethinking Domestic Violence
Rethinking Domestic Violence is the third in a series of books by Donald Dutton critically reviewing research in the area of intimate partner violence (IPV). The research crosses disciplinary lines, including social and clinical psychology, sociology, psychiatry, affective neuropsychology, criminology, and criminal justice research. Since the area of IPV is so heavily politicized, Dutton tries to steer through conflicting claims by assessing the best research methodology. As a result, he comes to some very new conclusions.
These conclusions include the finding that IPV is better predicted by psychological rather than social-structural factors, particularly in cultures where there is relative gender equality. Dutton argues that personality disorders in either gender account for better data on IPV. His findings also contradict earlier views among researchers and policy makers that IPV is essentially perpetrated by males in all societies. Numerous studies are reviewed in arriving at these conclusions, many of which employ new and superior methodologies than were available previously.
After twenty years of viewing IPV as generated by gender and focusing on a punitive "law and order" approach, Dutton argues that this approach must be more varied and flexible. Treatment providers, criminal justice system personnel, lawyers, and researchers have indicated the need for a new view of the problem -- one less invested in gender politics and more open to collaborative views and interdisciplinary insights. Dutton’s rethinking of the fundamentals of IPV is essential reading for psychologists, policy makers, and those dealing with the sociology of social science, the relationship of psychology to law, and explanations of adverse behaviour.
This comprehensive book does an extraordinary job of reviewing the literature regarding all aspects of domestic violence ... Dutton provides an in-dept theoretical discussion that gives the reader an overview of research (both practical and applicable) on offending and victim behaviour. He also assesses policy implications and provides a range of risk assessment tools, information that is critical for working with this population. But what sets this book apart from other resources is Dutton’s skill at offering a meta-analysis approach that is accessible. Everyone interested in domestic violence issues or treating domestic violence problems should read this book.
Wow! What a breath of fresh academic air! Canadians, once informed by this truly remarkable study, will never be able to view their 1982 Charter of Rights and Freedoms the same way. Finally, an intellectually rigorous, superbly comprehensive, and lucidly written analysis of the Cabinet’s, the Department of Justice’s, the Supreme Court’s, and Parliament’s coordinated governance concerning all Charter rights.
Dutton's analysis of domestic violence research and discourse is comprehensive, refreshing, and enlightened. He has gathered the latest work from multiple disciplines to create a volume that will surely be a cornerstone of a radical, distinctly feminist, rethinking of domestic violence practice.
This book is a must for every psychologist and other social scientists investigating the nature of violence. Advocates and social policy workers in the field should read this book; in fact, they ignore it at their peril.
Preface
Acknowledgments
1 The History of Spouse Assault
2 Nested Ecological Theory
3 Measurement and Incidence of Abuse
4 Theories of Wife Assault: Psychiatric Contributions
5 Feminist and Sociobiological Explanations for Intimate-Partner Violence
6 The Gender Debate and the Feminist Paradigm
7 The Domestic Assault on Men
8 Victims, Causes, and Effects
9 The Social Psychology of the Perpetrator
10 Subtypes of Perpetrators
11 The Cycle of Violence and the Abusive Personality
12 Relationship/Interactionist Explanations
13 The Failure of Criminal Justice Intervention Policy
14 Risk Assessment
15 Treatment Policy Issues
16 Treatment: The Next Step
17 Rethinking the Response to Domestic Violence
Notes
Index
