ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents closing thoughts of key concepts discussed in the preceding chapters of this book. The book emphasizes intimate partner violence is a very common problem, despite the shame and stigma associated with it. It focuses on the development of violence and aggression within couples and the mental states that accompany it, describing the particular roles played by each partner. The book addresses how destructive relationships can be altered, and how participants and witnesses to domestic violence can be helped. It explores how early identification, advocacy, treatment and preventative measures can be taken to reduce the risk of intimate partner violence reoccurrence, and how social, psychological and criminal justice responses can support those who have been harmed by domestic abuse. The book demonstrates through clinical illustrations and empirical data, that domestic violence needs to be understood as a hugely destructive phenomenon, affecting all individuals within the family, including children, and that its roots are developmental, as well as societal.
