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Battering Men

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Handbook of Prescriptive Treatments for Adults

Abstract

After many years of little recognition as a phenomenon worthy of empirical study, marital violence finally began to be investigated in the 1970s. Initially, incidence and prevalence estimates were reported. According to Straus’s (1977) data, 28% of couples in a nationally representative sample reported at least one episode of physical force over the course of their relationship. However, based on the idea that individuals underreport socially undesirable behavior, Straus (1980) estimated the true incidence of marital violence to be about 50 or 60% in the general population. Although it is undetermined how many battering men there actually are in the United States, it is generally accepted that most severe injuries and severe battering episodes are caused by male partners (Saunders, 1989). Even a conservative estimate would yield large numbers of men in need of intervention to prevent further violent episodes in their relationships.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, 29208, USA

    Diane R. Follingstad & Heather Breiter

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  1. Diane R. Follingstad
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  2. Heather Breiter
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Psychological Studies, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 33314, USA

    Michel Hersen

  2. Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15213-1499, USA

    Robert T. Ammerman

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Follingstad, D.R., Breiter, H. (1994). Battering Men. In: Hersen, M., Ammerman, R.T. (eds) Handbook of Prescriptive Treatments for Adults. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-1456-9_23

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