ABSTRACT
Few topics are so perfectly poised for examination through the lens of the dark side as intimate partner violence and aggression. Not only has there been extensive focus of research on the topic, but the very extremity suggested by the terms seems to recommend a consideration of their darker implications. The dark side perspective, however, requires a recognition that darkness is in large part defined by its relationship to the brightness, and a comprehensive understanding of the phenomena of violence and aggression require a recognition of both their normative and functional aspects. Such a recognition may well trespass on sacred shibboleths and ideological commitments of entrenched interests, and from a dark side perspective, this is precisely one of the values of such an inquiry.
