The Abusive Personality: New Methods of Assessment and Treatment in Domestic Violence

New research has called into question older models of domestic violence. Domestic violence does not appear to be caused by "patriarchy" as women assault women and men at the same rates as men assaulting women. Both feminist and sociobiological models lead to predictions of violence rates that are much higher than those actually obtained. Now, newer models provide the empirical foundation to rethink both the focus and treatment implications lacking in the older models. An abusive personality exists and is well documented. This personality type seems to have an attachment disorder as part of its development. Surprisingly, when an abusive personality experiences trauma symptoms, it expects its' intimate partner to make these disappear. When this can't be accomplished, rage quickly develops. Neurobiological deficits which may themselves be a result of inadequate attachment, create a perpetrator who has impulsive aggression caused in part by faulty development of the brain and abnormal levels of neurotransmitters. The implications of the new model for treatment suggest a combination of drug treatment, cognitive behavioral treatment for anger/assault and dialectical behavior therapy for self-disturbance/borderline personality.

Workshop Content - Day 1 New Research which Contradicts Previously known "Facts" about Domestic Violence The Development and Expression of Intimate Abusiveness Profiles of Spouse Abusers: Overcontrolled, Instrumental, Impulsive (Cyclical) The Abuse Cycle: Dynamics, Behaviors and Thought Patterns The Developmental Triad: Witnessing Abuse, Shaming and Insecure Attachment The Abusive Personality and the Trauma Model of Intimate Abusivenessn Workshop Content - Day 2 Risk Assessment Assessment of Personality Pathology Special Treatment Considerations Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment with special components for the Abusive Personality Modifications for Borderline Traits and Attachment Disorders Integration of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy with Linahan's DBT for Abusiveness Outcome Success of Treatment Groups How to Accurately Assess Treatment Successt Workshop Objectives Describe the profiles of three major subtypes of male spouse assaulters Identify the research basis connecting abusiveness to Borderline personality organization Describe the empirical model which relates childhood trauma to adult violence List the best assessment techniques for The Abusive Personality Apply the techniques of integrating Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) with Attachment Disorder Therapy (ADT) and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)s

Presented by Donald Dutton, Ph.D. Donald Dutton, Ph.D., has long been considered to be one of the leading voices in the field of domestic violence. Nearly 30 years ago, he impacted the law enforcement and criminal justice response to spousal assault in British Columbia by advocating for a more aggressive response and subsequently training police in intervention techniques. In 1979, he co-founded the Assaultive Husbands Project, a court mandated treatment program for men convicted of spousal assault. His many years spent treating these men resulted in the development of a psychological profile of perpetrators of intimate abuse as portrayed in his 1995 book: The Batterer: A Psychological Profile. His first book, The Domestic Assault of Women, is thought by many to be the best book available on the topic. It recently came out in a new edition titled, ReThinking Domestic Violence, which challenges widely held beliefs about the assessment and treatment of domestic violence which previously dominated the field. Dutton's third book, The Abusive Personality (1998), has been a very popular best seller and it too was just introduced in a second edition. He recently released Intimate Violence: Contemporary Treatment Innovations, co-authored with Daniel Sonkin, Ph.D. Known as a premier researcher, Dr. Dutton has also produced over 100 papers in professional journals. He has presented talks and workshops around the world and remains on faculty at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Don frequently serves as an expert witness in civil trials involving domestic abuse and in criminal trials involving family violence, including his work for the prosecution in the O.J. Simpson trial of 1995.