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Numerous theories classify distinct subtypes of men who perpetrate violence against female partners. These theories contend that a large portion of these men possess antisocial characteristics that may increase risk for violence. Affectively, these men have been found to externalize their emotions, including shame and guilt, and it has been suggested that this process contributes to the perpetration of partner violence. Therefore, this study sought to examine the role of shame and guilt in the association between antisociality and partner violence perpetration (i.e., psychological, physical, and sexual). Based on a sample of 423 undergraduate men, this study found that shame moderated the association between antisociality and partner violence perpetration such that as shame increases, the associations between antisociality and all three types of partner violence perpetration increase. These findings contribute to the theoretical understanding of typological models of partner violence and have clinical implications for batterer intervention programs.
Keywords: antisocial personality disorder; antisociality and shame; shame and aggression; antisociality and intimate partner violence
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a prevalent social problem affecting marital as well as dating relationships. Highlighting the pervasiveness of IPV in dating relationships, nationally representative surveys suggest that nearly one in three female college students will experience at least one act of physical aggression perpetrated by their intimate partners (White & Koss, 1991). Although research indicates that men and women perpetrate IPV at roughly similar rates (e.g., Archer, 2000; O'Leary et al., 1989), women are more likely than men to suffer severe physical injuries and adverse mental health consequences (see Holtzworth-Munroe, Smutzler, & Sandin, 1997, for review). To better understand male-to-female partner violence, researchers have suggested that the most productive empirical approach might be to focus on the characteristics that distinguish partner-violent males from nonviolent males (Hotaling & Sugarman, 1986; Holtzworth- Munroe & Stuart, 1994).
Several typological theories, stemming from Makepeace's (1981) seminal investigation nearly 30 years ago, have been developed to classify distinct subtypes of the heterogeneous group of men that perpetrate partner violence (e.g., Dutton, 1988; Holtzworth-Munroe & Stuart, 1994; Johnson, 1995; Saunders, 1992). Dutton, Bodnarchuk, Kropp, Hart, & Ogloff (1997) proposed the "trimodal array of personality disorders" to unite these disparate but overlapping models. This trimodal theory delineated between the overcontrolled (avoidant/schizoid), generally violent (antisocial), and emotionally...