ABSTRACT
Programs for men who batter have proliferated in the last three decades, with ensuing debate on how to best treat this population. Researchers, practitioners, and activists have researched this population in an attempt to both explain why men resort to violence in their relationships and to devise effective treatment programs. Research suggests that shorter-term, structured treatment models presented simultaneously with court monitoring offer the most promise in reducing partner violence (Edleson & Syers, 1991). More recently, Saunders (1996) found little difference between cognitive behavioral, psychodynamic, and profeminist models when looking at main effects, but detected an interaction effect such that men with dependent personalities did better in a psychodynamic group. This latter finding, suggests that men with attachment difficulties might benefit from examining their attachment struggles, in addition to confronting inequality and abuse of power in relationships (i.e. pro-feminist, education models), faulty appraisal and decision making in intimate interactions, and learning non-abusive conflict resolution skills (i.e. cognitive behavioral approaches).
