Type:	Non-Fiction
Title:	Rethinking domestic violence
Authors:	Dutton, Donald G
Keywords:	Theories of violence;Men as victims
Year:	2006
Publisher:	UBC Press
Notes:	General Overview: :This book from the United States is critical of feminist understandings of domestic violence. The author argues that women are as violent as men and that individual and couples therapy should be more widely used. Discussion: :Dutton criticises the feminist understanding of domestic violence, which he defines as “the notion that domestic violence is primarily a culturally supported male enterprise and that female violence is always defensive and reactive”. He argues that this understanding is not supported by research, particularly by large scale victim surveys which, he claims, show that women are as violent as men. Dutton notes that women are injured more than men but that men are sometimes seriously injured and should not be denied protection from social services and criminal justice. Dutton explains domestic violence by reference to social psychology, arguing that most violence against intimate partners is related to attachment disorder, personality disorder and chronic trauma. He examines studies regarding the effectiveness of arrest and prosecution in preventing domestic violence and suggests that the criminal justice system is ineffective. The book concludes with a discussion of risk assessment and treatment policies. Dutton is highly critical of Duluth style interventions which address patriarchal beliefs and require male batterers to take responsibility for their violence. He prefers individual and couple therapy, including Intimate Abuse Circles. The AFDVC database also holds three reviews of Dutton’s book: DeKeseredy and Dragiewicz (2007), DeKeseredy (2007) and Burgess-Proctor.
URI:	https://anrows.intersearch.com.au/anrowsjspui/handle/1/11465
ISBN:	9780774813044
Physical description:	xii, 415 p. ; 24 cm.
Appears in Collections:	Books

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