Adolescent Intimate Partner Violence: Personality Characteristics & Treatment Implications Anthony F. Tasso, Ph.D. Fairleigh Dickinson University

Abusiveness in Adolescent Relationships  Jealousy  Possessiveness  Splitting  Violence towards non-dating family/peers  Rush into relationships  Blame  Forced isolation  Abusiveness ranges from one-time incident to repeated violence  Physical, verbal, and sexual abuse

Abusive Characteristics (Dutton, 1998)  Overcontrolled vs. Undercontrolled  Impulsive vs. Instrumental  Undercontrolled & Instrumental – psychopathic traits  Undercontrolled & Impulsive – Borderline traits  Overcontrolled & Impulsive or Instrumental – Avoidant or psychopathic traits

Typologies of Adolescent Dating Violence (Foshee et al., 2007) Adolescent females  Type 1: Patriarchal terrorism response  Type 2: Anger response  Type 3: Ethic enforcement  Type 4: First-time aggression response Adolescent males  Type 1: Escalation prevention  Remaining: disparate abusive subtypes

Typologies of Adolescent Dating Violence, cont. Conclusions  Highlights the range of abusive proclivities, motives, patterns  Suggests non-gender specific abusive perpetration Limitations  Self-reporting  Lack of “patriarchal terroristic” male abusers  Implications: no “typical” adolescent perpetrator

Developmental Antecedents of Abusive Personalities  Psychological Factors  Societal Factors

Origins of Rage (Dutton, 1998)  Melanie Klein & Joan Riviere (1964) – Love, Hate, and Reparation -rage due to extreme ambivalence following protracted frustration resulting in defensive projection, splitting, denial, and omnipotence Eugene Monick (1991) – Castration and Male Rage: The Phallic Wound -rage due to “castration” from father, mother, and/or society

Attachment Rage (Dutton, 1998)  John Bowlby (1963) and Mary Ainsworth (1978)  Attachment’s 3 principles: 1) alarm activates attachment behavioral system activates attachment behavioral system 2) when activated need physical contact 3) prolonged activation causes anger *Unhealthy attachment results in sense of shame

Attachment Rage-Anger Born Out of Fear (Dutton, 1998) Response to protracted separation  Protest  Despair  Detachment

Shame and Anger (Wallace & Nosko, 2002) (Lewis, 1971, 1987; Morrison, 1989; Nathanson, 1987, 1989, 1992; Kohut, 1978; Miller, 1981) -Piers & Singer (1953) “behind the feeling of shame stands not the fear of hatred but fear of contempt which, on and even deeper level of the unconscious, spells the fear of abandonment” - Erich Fromm (1956) – “the awareness of human separation, without the reunion by love, is the source of shame” - Erich Fromm (1956) – “the awareness of human separation, without the reunion by love, is the source of shame”

Societal Factors  Objectification  Socialization  Generational/Cyclical  Media (television, video games, print, etc.)  “Tough Guise” (Katz, 2000)

Treatment/Intervention - Goals  Accountability (intrinsic vs. extrinsic)  Emotional Regulation  Education of Dynamics of DV  Proactive Problem Solving

Treatment (Sonkin & Dutton, 2002) - Client/patient feels safe for personal exploration - Explore current relations with attachment figures - Explore current relations with attachment figures - Explore transference w/ therapist

Treatment, cont.  Recreation of genuine social settings  “Group mandated” accountability  Group cohesion  Emotional/affective/behavioral contagion  “Vicarious detoxification” of shaming experiences  Some confrontation needed

Contact Information Anthony F. Tasso, Ph.D. Department of Psychology Fairleigh Dickinson University 285 Madison Ave (M-AB2-01) Madison, NJ Phone: (973) Fax: (973)