Battered women versus male batterer typologies: Same or different based on evidence-based studies?

Abstract

Domestic violence research has made great strides in understanding patterns of violence by examining typologies or categories of male batterers. Examining classifications of batterers allows for more targeted interventions and policies that address the particular risks and needs of each batterer subtype. Despite great advancement in our understanding of batterer typologies, little work has been done to examine what these typologies mean for battered women and whether battered women are easily classified into similar typologies useful for service provision. This article reviews the most common and empirically supported batterer typologies and then compares these typologies to Roberts’ [Roberts, A. R. (2007). Domestic violence continuum, forensic assessment, and crisis intervention.] The continuum of the duration and severity of woman battering is adapted from Roberts and Roberts' (2005) Ending Intimate Abuse: Practical Guidance and Survival Strategies, New York: Oxford University Press. The battered-women typology, however, introduces women's degree of independence as a factor important in battered-women classification but often ignored in batterer typologies. Making these comparisons raises several questions regarding the focus of future classificatory and typological research on intrapersonal, interpersonal, and environmental factors. The implications for practice with battered women in different types of violent relationships are discussed.