Adolescent Intimate Partner Adolescent Intimate Partner Violence: Personality Violence: Personality

Characteristics & Treatment Characteristics & Treatment ImplicationsImplications

Anthony F. Tasso, Ph.D.Anthony F. Tasso, Ph.D.

Fairleigh Dickinson UniversityFairleigh Dickinson University

Abusiveness in Adolescent Abusiveness in Adolescent RelationshipsRelationships

JealousyJealousy PossessivenessPossessiveness Splitting Splitting Violence towards non-dating family/peersViolence towards non-dating family/peers Rush into relationshipsRush into relationships BlameBlame Forced isolationForced isolation Abusiveness ranges from one-time incident to Abusiveness ranges from one-time incident to

repeated violencerepeated violence Physical, verbal, and sexual abusePhysical, verbal, and sexual abuse

Abusive Characteristics Abusive Characteristics (Dutton, 1998)(Dutton, 1998)

Overcontrolled vs. UndercontrolledOvercontrolled vs. Undercontrolled Impulsive vs. Instrumental Impulsive vs. Instrumental Undercontrolled & Instrumental – Undercontrolled & Instrumental –

psychopathic traitspsychopathic traits Undercontrolled & Impulsive – Undercontrolled & Impulsive –

Borderline traitsBorderline traits Overcontrolled & Impulsive or Instrumental Overcontrolled & Impulsive or Instrumental

– Avoidant or psychopathic traits– Avoidant or psychopathic traits

Typologies of Adolescent Dating Typologies of Adolescent Dating Violence Violence (Foshee et al., 2007)(Foshee et al., 2007)

Adolescent femalesAdolescent females Type 1: Patriarchal terrorism responseType 1: Patriarchal terrorism response Type 2: Anger responseType 2: Anger response Type 3: Ethic enforcementType 3: Ethic enforcement Type 4: First-time aggression response Type 4: First-time aggression response Adolescent malesAdolescent males Type 1: Escalation preventionType 1: Escalation prevention Remaining: disparate abusive subtypesRemaining: disparate abusive subtypes

Typologies of Adolescent Dating Typologies of Adolescent Dating Violence, cont.Violence, cont.

Conclusions Conclusions Highlights the range of abusive proclivities, Highlights the range of abusive proclivities,

motives, patterns motives, patterns Suggests non-gender specific abusive Suggests non-gender specific abusive

perpetrationperpetrationLimitationsLimitations Self-reportingSelf-reporting Lack of Lack of ““patriarchal terroristicpatriarchal terroristic”” male abusers male abusers

Implications: no Implications: no ““typicaltypical”” adolescent perpetrator adolescent perpetrator

Developmental Antecedents of Developmental Antecedents of Abusive PersonalitiesAbusive Personalities

Psychological Factors Psychological Factors

Societal FactorsSocietal Factors

Origins of RageOrigins of Rage(Dutton, 1998)(Dutton, 1998)

Melanie Klein & Joan Riviere (1964) – Melanie Klein & Joan Riviere (1964) – Love, Love, Hate, and ReparationHate, and Reparation

-rage due to extreme ambivalence following -rage due to extreme ambivalence following protracted frustration resulting in defensive protracted frustration resulting in defensive projection, splitting, denial, and omnipotenceprojection, splitting, denial, and omnipotence

Eugene Monick (1991) – Eugene Monick (1991) – Castration and Male Castration and Male Rage: The Phallic WoundRage: The Phallic Wound

-rage due to -rage due to ““castrationcastration”” from father, mother, from father, mother, and/or societyand/or society

Attachment RageAttachment Rage(Dutton, 1998)(Dutton, 1998)

John Bowlby (1963) and Mary Ainsworth John Bowlby (1963) and Mary Ainsworth (1978)(1978)

AttachmentAttachment’’s 3 principles: 1) alarms 3 principles: 1) alarm

activates attachment behavioral system activates attachment behavioral system

2) when activated need physical contact 2) when activated need physical contact

3) prolonged activation causes anger3) prolonged activation causes anger

*Unhealthy attachment results in sense of *Unhealthy attachment results in sense of shame shame

Attachment Rage-Anger Born Out Attachment Rage-Anger Born Out of Fear of Fear (Dutton, 1998)(Dutton, 1998)

Response to protracted separationResponse to protracted separation Protest Protest Despair Despair Detachment Detachment

Shame and AngerShame and Anger(Wallace & Nosko, 2002)(Wallace & Nosko, 2002)

(Lewis, 1971, 1987; Morrison, 1989; Nathanson, (Lewis, 1971, 1987; Morrison, 1989; Nathanson, 1987, 1989, 1992; Kohut, 1978; Miller, 1981)1987, 1989, 1992; Kohut, 1978; Miller, 1981)

-Piers & Singer (1953) -Piers & Singer (1953) ““behind the feeling of behind the feeling of shame stands not the fear of hatred but fear of shame stands not the fear of hatred but fear of contempt which, on and even deeper level of the contempt which, on and even deeper level of the unconscious, spells the fear of abandonmentunconscious, spells the fear of abandonment””

- Erich Fromm (1956) – - Erich Fromm (1956) – ““the awareness of the awareness of human separation, without the reunion by love, human separation, without the reunion by love, is the source of shameis the source of shame””

Societal FactorsSocietal Factors

ObjectificationObjectification SocializationSocialization Generational/CyclicalGenerational/Cyclical Media (television, video games, print, etc.)Media (television, video games, print, etc.) ““Tough GuiseTough Guise”” (Katz, 2000) (Katz, 2000)

Treatment/Intervention - GoalsTreatment/Intervention - Goals

Accountability (intrinsic vs. extrinsic)Accountability (intrinsic vs. extrinsic) Emotional Regulation Emotional Regulation Education of Dynamics of DVEducation of Dynamics of DV Proactive Problem SolvingProactive Problem Solving

Treatment Treatment (Sonkin & Dutton, 2002)(Sonkin & Dutton, 2002)

- Client/patient feels safe for personal - Client/patient feels safe for personal explorationexploration

- Explore current relations with - Explore current relations with attachment figuresattachment figures

- Explore transference w/ therapist- Explore transference w/ therapist

Treatment, cont.Treatment, cont.

Recreation of genuine social settings Recreation of genuine social settings ““Group mandatedGroup mandated”” accountability accountability Group cohesion Group cohesion Emotional/affective/behavioral contagionEmotional/affective/behavioral contagion ““Vicarious detoxificationVicarious detoxification”” of shaming of shaming

experiencesexperiences Some confrontation neededSome confrontation needed

Contact InformationContact Information

Anthony F. Tasso, Ph.D. Anthony F. Tasso, Ph.D. Department of Psychology Department of Psychology Fairleigh Dickinson UniversityFairleigh Dickinson University285 Madison Ave (M-AB2-01)285 Madison Ave (M-AB2-01)Madison, NJ 07940Madison, NJ 07940Phone: (973) 443-8094Phone: (973) 443-8094Fax: (973) 443-8562Fax: (973) 443-8562Email: atasso@fdu.eduEmail: atasso@fdu.edu