Strengthen Our Sisters • Experts Question Usefulness of Therapy for Batterers

Some experts question the usefulness of standard psychotherapy for husbands who batter their wives or girlfriends, suggesting the some therapies are futile for many batterers.

A landmark study has found that many of the most vicious batterers -- those who regularly punch, kick or otherwise beat up their wives or threaten them with knives or guns, become calmer physiologically while arguing with their victims. As anger mounts, their heart rate drops and their attention sharpens, making their violence an act of calculated terrorism meant to control their victims through instilling fear.

This paradoxical physiological pattern contrasts with a prevailing view that batterers become more physically upset as their anger mounts and erupts in violence out of frustration, as a lapse in impulse control.

While psychotherapy and group counseling may help the more impulsive batterers, those whose brutality is more calculated are probably beyond help from such intervention, said Dr. Neil S. Jacobson, a marital therapist at the University of Washington in Seattle who was the main author of a study published in "The Journal of Clinical and Consulting Psychology".

The therapies most commonly used in treating batterers assume that among their major problems are managing their anger and controlling violent impulses. But the data suggests that for many of the worst offenders, violence is not impulsive, and their fury is paired with a cool control.

Not all batterers are alike, and psychologists are now focusing on identifying the main types. "Each type may have very different causes, and so require different treatment," said Dr. Amy Holtzworth-Munroe, a psychologist at Indiana University.

Based on an extensive review of existing studies, Dr. Holtzworth-Munroe concluded that the majority of men who strike their victims, are violent only once -- or very infrequently. "These men are very dependent on their wives, and fear being rejected," she said. "Their fears can lead to intense arguments, but if they become violent, it does not escalate, and they feel remorseful afterward."

Such men could benefit from ordinary couples therapy, with a focus on learning to handle their anger. "They don't want to be violent," Dr. Holtzworth-Munroe said.

Another psychological pattern common among batterers involves those who are "hypersensitive to signs of abandonment, and become very jealous and preoccupied with their wives or girlfriends," said Dr. Holtzworth-Munroe. "Any sign that she'll abandon him triggers violence," she said. These men frequently attribute hostile intentions to what are actually innocent acts on the victim's part. If the wife or girlfriend is at a party and has been laughing and talking with an attractive man, her batterer will think, "she's trying to make me mad", and will feel justified in going over and yelling at her. "That's enough - we're going home!" Dr. Holtzworth-Munroe said that such men need intensive therapy to change deep-seated jealousy and abandonment fears.

For a third type, battering is part of a larger pattern of aggression and law breaking. Dr. Holtzworth-Munroe believes that no therapy is effective for such antisocial personalities.

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	<< Previous Article Return to Articles page Next Article>> Experts Question Usefulness of Therapy for Batterers Some experts question the usefulness of standard psychotherapy for husbands who batter their wives or girlfriends, suggesting the some therapies are futile for many batterers. A landmark study has found that many of the most vicious batterers -- those who regularly punch, kick or otherwise beat up their wives or threaten them with knives or guns, become calmer physiologically while arguing with their victims. As anger mounts, their heart rate drops and their attention sharpens, making their violence an act of calculated terrorism meant to control their victims through instilling fear. This paradoxical physiological pattern contrasts with a prevailing view that batterers become more physically upset as their anger mounts and erupts in violence out of frustration, as a lapse in impulse control. While psychotherapy and group counseling may help the more impulsive batterers, those whose brutality is more calculated are probably beyond help from such intervention, said Dr. Neil S. Jacobson, a marital therapist at the University of Washington in Seattle who was the main author of a study published in "The Journal of Clinical and Consulting Psychology". The therapies most commonly used in treating batterers assume that among their major problems are managing their anger and controlling violent impulses. But the data suggests that for many of the worst offenders, violence is not impulsive, and their fury is paired with a cool control. Not all batterers are alike, and psychologists are now focusing on identifying the main types. "Each type may have very different causes, and so require different treatment," said Dr. Amy Holtzworth-Munroe, a psychologist at Indiana University. Based on an extensive review of existing studies, Dr. Holtzworth-Munroe concluded that the majority of men who strike their victims, are violent only once -- or very infrequently. "These men are very dependent on their wives, and fear being rejected," she said. "Their fears can lead to intense arguments, but if they become violent, it does not escalate, and they feel remorseful afterward." Such men could benefit from ordinary couples therapy, with a focus on learning to handle their anger. "They don't want to be violent," Dr. Holtzworth-Munroe said. Another psychological pattern common among batterers involves those who are "hypersensitive to signs of abandonment, and become very jealous and preoccupied with their wives or girlfriends," said Dr. Holtzworth-Munroe. "Any sign that she'll abandon him triggers violence," she said. These men frequently attribute hostile intentions to what are actually innocent acts on the victim's part. If the wife or girlfriend is at a party and has been laughing and talking with an attractive man, her batterer will think, "she's trying to make me mad", and will feel justified in going over and yelling at her. "That's enough - we're going home!" Dr. Holtzworth-Munroe said that such men need intensive therapy to change deep-seated jealousy and abandonment fears. For a third type, battering is part of a larger pattern of aggression and law breaking. Dr. Holtzworth-Munroe believes that no therapy is effective for such antisocial personalities. << Previous Article Return to Articles page Next Article>> IMPORTANT SAFETY ALERT! Computer use can be monitored and is impossible to completely clear. If you are afraid your internet and/or computer usage might be monitored, please use a computer at your local library or other location. Or call our local hotline at 1-800-767-9470, and/or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.
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