NCJ Number
225100
Journal
Journal of Family Violence Volume: 23 Issue: 7 Dated: October 2008 Pages: 665-660
Date Published
October 2008
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article is a theoretical summary that focuses on the necessity of understanding male batters’ attributions to prevent domestic violence.
Abstract
This article reviews the literature regarding the importance of taking into account male batters’ attributions in order to understand and to curtail their violence. Findings suggest that most violent men live in stressful and unsatisfying marriages. They attribute the responsibility for their marital difficulties, for their violent behavior, and the marital stress to uncontrollable situations, such as society, their bosses, and their wives. Only those treatment programs which target change of these attributions will be effective in curtailing violence; effective therapy should target battering men’s attributions and change them. Therapy must result in the man’s assumption of responsibility for his behavior and for stopping it. A therapist who does not accept the batter’s responsibility for violence and change cannot be effective in helping the client make the necessary changes. More research is needed to determine the efficacy of a treatment program that places emphasis on these treatment goals, and in comparison with the addition of these treatment goals to existing treatments. References