L'agressivité et les violences au sein du couple sont très répandues. Elles semblent même habiter les couples comme leur ombre, malgré les tentatives renouvelées de les traquer et de les déraciner. Il est donc nécessaire que l'on approfondisse la compréhension du phénomène. L'ambition de cette publication est double : d'une part développer des tentatives d'explications, et d'autre part rendre compte de certaines approches cliniques psychothérapeutiques et psychanalytiques.

Le second volume, sous-titré “Pour mieux intervenir dans la clinique” propose les contributions de six psychanalyste et de six cliniciens d'orientations diverses : D. Bastien, M.-C. Corvisier, A. Courtois, P. De Neuter, N. Frogneux, P. Jamoulle, C. Labaki

As domestic violence continues to be a focus of social and psychological concern, two basic contradictory viewpoints endure: one rooted in male power dynamics, the other maintaining that both genders use and are victimized by violence. Although both sides have their merits, neither has adequately answered the crucial question: What causes conflict to escalate into violence? Partner Violence: A New Paradigm for Understanding Conflict Escalation adds a third, escalation-focused paradigm to the debate, addressing the limitations of the two dominant perspectives in a comprehensive scholarly approach. This concise yet comprehensive volume examines key gender- and non-gender-related violence issues and sets out a compelling behavioral argument that using violence to control others is a rational choice. Its theoretical and empirical foundations support an in-depth study of escalating aggression in violent relationships, both throughout periods of chronic conflict and in single violent episodes. This analysis promotes a broader and deeper understanding of partner violence, suitable to developing more finely targeted, effective, and lasting interventions. Among the key topics featured are: Gender differences in aggressive tendencies. Dominance, control, and violence. Partner violence as planned behavior. The process leading to partner violence. Partner conflict dynamics throughout relationship periods and within conflicts. Gender differences in escalatory intentions. Partner Violence is an important volume for researchers, graduate students, and clinicians/professionals across various disciplines, including personality and social psychology, criminology, public health, clinical psychology, sociology, and social work.

This practical text offers professional guidance on stopping domestic violence in couples and families and promoting healing and safety in its aftermath. Rich in theoretical diversity (attachment, trauma, feminist, narrative) and inclusive of family structures and forms of violence, the coverage takes an approach to understanding both complex circumstances and intervening with families. The tasks of healing, from reestablishing trust to fostering positive coping, are clearly linked to effects of abuse such as unresolved loss, blunted trauma responses, poor emotion regulation, and damaged relational esteem. And because sustained safety is crucial to well-being, the authors extend their concepts of safety to include professionals’ own experience, security, and self-care. Among the topics covered: · Living with violence in the family: retrospective recall of women’s childhood experiences. · How to help stop the violence: using a safety methodology across the life span. · Helping couples separate safely: working towards safe separations. · Healing and repair in relationships: working therapeutically with couples. · Working systemically with parents, children, and adult survivors when the abuse stops. · Supervision and consultation with practitioners who intervene with families and trauma. Intervening After Violence: Therapy for Couples and Families is an essential resource for social workers and mental health professionals engaged in clinical practice seeking strategies for working therapeutically and systematically with couples and families coping with physical and emotional violence.