| The current study was an attempt to further establish the empirical link between cognitive styles and socialized attitudes of domestic violence perpetrators by replicating an Israeli study (Eiskovits, et al., 1991) with U.S. subjects. The study examined the possible differences in cognitions and attitudes regarding domestic violence between men in an offender group who were participating in domestic violence treatment and men in a non-offender group who reported no history of domestic violence; possible differences regarding locus of control and self-control skills between men in these two groups; and possible relationships between the use of physical violence by offenders and attitudes regarding wife abuse, locus of control, self-control skills, and rational cognitions.;General findings of the present study indicated differences between offenders and non-offenders regarding levels of irrational cognition, self-control skills, external locus of control, attitudes toward battered women, and use of physical assault, psychological aggression and sexual coercion. Within the offender group, study results failed to support the existence of a relationship between the use of physical assault and negative attitudes toward battered women. The study results also indicated that attitudes toward battered women, self-control skills, and lower levels of rational cognition have some predictive value in determining the use of physical violence.;Currently, the majority of treatment programs for offenders tend to be psycho-educational in nature. These programs are based on cognitive-behavioral theory and principles. The focus of treatment is on changing the cognitions and/or socialized attitudes of offenders. However, empirical evidence supporting the contributions of cognitive styles and socialized attitudes to domestic violence have not been firmly established. A criticism of the current treatment strategies is that they do not adequately address individual differences among perpetrators of domestic violence or additional variables that may contribute to the use of violence, as likely evidenced by the high rates of recidivism in treatment programs. The current pervasiveness and cost of domestic violence in U.S. society make it imperative to develop treatment programs that are maximally effective at reducing the incidence of domestic violence in the U.S., hence the need for increased understanding of contributing variables. |
