Abstract
The present study investigated personality and family-of-origin differences among three groups of domestically violent men and a nonviolent comparison group, matched for age and education. The domestic violence groups consisted of male batterers referred for treatment (agency identified batterers) who were alcoholic (n=38) or nonalcoholic (n=61), and a third group who were identified through community sampling as maritally violent (n=28 community batterers). Multivariate analyses of variance of the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI) showed that, compared to nonviolent controls, alcoholic and nonalcoholic batterers showed higher levels of borderline characteristics. Furthermore, alcoholic batterers showed the highest MCMI elevations, followed by nonalcoholic batterers. Community-identified batterers showed no predicted significant differences from the nonviolent controls. On measures of family-of-origin pathology and disruption, only alcoholic batterers differed significantly from nonbatterers on report of both experienced and witnessed abuse victimization.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
American Psychiatric Association (1980).Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (third edition), Washington, DC: Author.
Bryer, J. B., Nelson, B. A., Miller, J. B., & Krol, P. A. (1987). Childhood sexual and physical abuse as factors in adult psychiatric illness.American Journal of Psychiatry, 144, 1426–1430.
Burgess, A. W., Hartman, C. R., & McCormack, A. (1987). Abused to abuser: Antecedents of socially deviant behaviors.American Journal of Psychiatry, 144, 1431–1436.
Caesar, P. L. (1988). Exposure to violence in the families of origin among wife abusers and maritally nonviolent men.Violence and Victim, 3, 49–64.
Dutton, D. G. (1988). Profiling of wife assaulters: Preliminary evidence for a trimodal analysis.Violence and Victims, 3, 5–29.
Dutton, D. G., & Strachen, C. E. (1987). Motivational needs for power and spouse-specific assertiveness in assaultive and nonassaultive men.Violence and Victims, 2, 145–156.
Edelson, J. L., Eiskovits, Z., & Guttman, E. (1985). Men who batter: A critical review of the evidence.Journal of Family Issues, 6, 229–247.
Goldstein, D., & Rosenbaum, A. (1985). An evaluation of the self-esteem of martially violent men.Family Relations, 34, 425–428.
Gondolf, E. W. (1988). Who are those guys? A typology of men who batter based on shelter interviews.Violence and Victims, 3, 187–203.
Hamberger, L. K., & Hastings, J. E. (1988). Characteristics of male spouse abusers consistent with personality disorders.Hospital and Community Psychiatry, 39 (7), 763–770.
Hamberger, L. K., & Hastings, J. E. (1987). The male batterer and alcohol abuse: Differential personality characteristics. Paper presented at meeting of the Western Psychological Association, Long Beach, CA.
Hamberger, L. K., & Hastings, J. E. (1986). Personality correlates of men who abuse their partners: A cross-validation study.Journal of Family Violence, 1, 323–341.
Hamberger, L. K., & Lohr, J. M. (1989). Proximal causes of spouse abuse: Cognitive and behavioral factors. In P. L. Caesar and L. K. Hamberger (Eds.),Theory and Practice and Therapeutic Interventions with Wife Beaters. New York: Springer.
Hastings, J. E., & Hamberger, L. K. (1988). Personality characteristics of spouse abusers: A controlled comparison.Violence and Victims, 3, 31–48.
Herman, J. L., Perry, J. C., & van der Kolk, B. A. (1989). Childhood trauma in borderline personality disorder.American Journal of Psychiatry, 146, 490–495.
Hershorn, M., & Rosenbaun, A. (1985). Children of marital violence: A closer look at the unintended victims.American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 55, 260–266.
Hotaling, G. T., & Sugarman, D. B. (1986). An analysis of risk markers in husband to wife violence: The current state of knowledge.Violence and Victims, 1, 101–124.
Locke, H. J., & Wallace, K. M. (1957). Short marital adjustment and prediction tests: Their reliability and validity.Journal of Marriage and Family Living, 21, 255–255.
Maiuro, R. D., & Wood, L. (April, 1988). An eclectic-multi-modal approach to treatment of domestic violence. Paper presented at the meeting of the Western Psychological Association, Burlingame, CA.
Martin, D. (1987). The historic roots of domestic violence. In D. J. Sonkin (Ed.).Domestic Violence on Trial: Psychological and Legal Dimensions of Family Violence. New York: Springer.
Mederos, F. (1987). Theorizing continuities and discontinuities between “normal” men and abusive men: work in progress. Presented at the National Family Violence Research Conference, Durham, NH.
Millon, T. (1983).Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory Manual. Minneapolis, MN: Interpretive Scoring Systems.
Millon, T. (1985). The MCMI provides a good assessment of DSM-III disorders: The MCMI II will prove even better.Journal of Personality Assessment, 49, 379–391.
Novaco, R. W. (1975).Anger control: The development and evaluation of an experimental treatment. Lexington, MA: Lexington Books.
Pagelow, M. (April, 1988) Discussion. L. K. Hamberger (Chair),Theory and Practice in Marital Violence Intervention. Symposium presented at the meeting of the Western Psychological Association, Burlingame, CA.
Resnick, H. S., Foy, D. W., Miller, E. N., & Donahoe, C. P. (August, 1988). Antisocial behavior and post traumatic stress disorder in Vietnam veterans. Paper presented at the meeting of the American Psychological Association, Atlanta, GA.
Rosenbaum, A., & O'Leary, K. D. (1981). Marital violence: Characteristics of abusive couples.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 48, 63–71.
Saunders, D. G. (July, 1987). Are there different types of men who batter? An empirical study with possible implications for treatment. Paper presented at the Third National Conference for Family Violence Researchers, Durham, NH.
Straus, M. (1979). Measuring intrafamily conflict and violence: The Conflict Tactics Scale.Journal of Marriage and the Family, 41, 75–88.
Van Hasselt, V., Morrison, R. I., & Bellack, A. A. (1985). Alcohol use in wife abusers and their spouses.Addictive Behaviors, 10, 127–135.
Widiger, T. A., Williams, J. B., Spitzer, R. L., & Frances, A. (1985). The MCMI as a measure of DSM-III.Journal of Personality Assessment, 49 (4), 366–391.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hamberger, L.K., Hastings, J.E. Personality correlates of men who batter and nonviolent men: Some continuities and discontinuities. J Fam Viol 6, 131–147 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00978715
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00978715