The Abusive Personality, Second Edition

”‘A ‘must read.’…Dutton goes beyond social stereotypes and superficial explanations to compassionately and eloquently describe the complex relationship among biological, developmental, psychological, and social factors contributing to the development of the abusive personality. With a solid foundation in the etiology of violent behavior, readers also learn about Dutton’s highly effective perpetrator intervention program.‘” - Daniel J. Sonkin, in private practice, Sausalito, California, USA “‘Dutton’s formulations are the product of a first-rate scientific mind informed by decades of empirical research. He brings scientific rigor and intellectual clarity to his writing, which is both scholarly and compelling. With this second edition, Dutton solidifies his position as one of the world’s most eminent domestic violence researchers.’” - Reid Meloy, Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, USA “‘What sets this book apart from others is that Dutton goes to the core of partner violence by addressing individual psychopathology. He convincingly argues that abusive men have significant personality problems with origins in their early development, and he uses object relations and attachment theory to provide excellent clinical descriptions of how an individual becomes an abuser. This is important reading for any clinician or researcher interested in the psychology of battering.’” - K. Daniel O’Leary, Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, USA “‘I’ve been using this text for several years in my course on theories of domestic violence. I especially like it because I find Dutton’s view of early attachment difficulties as the core cause of later partner abuse to be right on the mark.’” - Davina M. Brown, Department of Psychology, Franklin Pierce University, USA

Donald G. Dutton, PhD, is Professor of Psychology at the University of British Columbia. In 1979he 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.