Current Perspectives on Men Who Batter Women-Implications for Intervention and Treatment to Stop Violence Against Women: Comment on Gottman et al. (1995)

The understanding and treatment of men who batter women has been dominated by the feminist political analysis of woman abuse that stresses abnormal power and control needs arising from sexist gender socialization. In this article, the author examines recent findings on psychological and physiological differences in batterers and places those findings within the context of what is known about battered women. In particular, comments are made on the Gottman et al. (1995) research that looks at the physiological similarities and differences of different types of batterers' anger, its expression, and its impact on intervention programs for those involved in battering relationships. Ethical concerns for the safety of battered women are discussed along with recommendations for a variety of different types of therapy programs.