Current Controversies on Family Violence

Donileen R. Loseke is a Professor Emeritus in the department of sociology at the University of South Florida. She received her BA and MA in psychology (California State University, Dominguez Hills) and her PhD in sociology (University of California, Santa Barbara). Her books include Narrative Productions of Meanings: Exploring the Work of Stories in Social Life; Methodological Thinking: Basic Principles of Social Research Design, 2e; The Battered Woman and Shelters, which won the Charles Horton Cooley Award from the Society for the Study of Symbolic Interaction; and Thinking About Social Problems. She also is the editor of Current Controversies on Family Violence (with Richard Gelles) and Social Problems: Constructionist Readings (with Joel Best). Numerous journal articles and book chapters report the findings of her empirical research projects, which have been on a variety of topics including evaluation research, social problems, criminal justice, social service provision, occupations, emotion, identity, and narrative and have used a variety of data generation techniques including field experiment, written survey, in-depth interview, ethnography, and document analysis. Among her editorial positions include former editor of the Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, advisory editor for Social Problems and Deputy Editor for Social Psychology Quarterly.  She received the Mead Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society for the Study of Symbolic Interaction and was the Past- President of the Study of Social Problems as well as Past-President of the Society for the Study of Symbolic Interaction. 

Richard J. Gelles received his Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of New Hampshire.  He is the Dean of The School of Social Work at the University of Pennsylvania and holds The Joanne and Raymond Welsh Chair of Child Welfare and Family Violence in the School of Social Work at the University of Pennsylvania.  He is the Director of the Center for the Study of Youth Policy and Co-Director of the Center for Childrens Policy, Practice, and Research. His book, The Violent Home was the first systemat...

Introduction: "Understanding Controversies on Family Violence" SECTION I: CONTROVERSIES IN CONCEPTUALIZATION Introduction to Section Issue 1: Family Violence: What Type of a Problem is it? 1. Through a Psychological Lens: "Personality Disorder and Spouse Assault" - Donald G. Dutton and Mark Bodnarchuk 2. Through a Feminist Lens: "Gender, Diversity, and Violence: Extending the Feminist Framework" - Kersti A. Yllo 3. Through a Sociological Lens: "The Complexities of Family Violence" - Donileen R. Loseke SECTION II: CONTROVERSIES IN DEFINITION AND MEASUREMENT Issue 2: Women's Violence Toward Men: A Serious Social Problem? 4. Women's Violence Towrad Men is a Serious Social Problem - Murray A. Straus 5. "Men's Violence Toward Women is the Serious Social Problem" - Donileen R. Loseke and Demie Kurz Issue 3: Date and Acquaintance Rape: Exaggerated Problems? 6. "More Data Have Accumulated Supporting Date and Acquaintance Rape as Significant Problems" - Mary P. Koss and Sarah L. Cook 7. "Advocacy Research Overstates the Incidence of Date and Acquaintance Rape" - Neil Gilbert Issue 4: Spanking: Necessary and Effective? 8. "Proper Socialization Requires Powerful Love and Equally Powerful Discipline" - John Rosemond 9. "Children Should Never, Ever, Be Spanked No Matter What the Circumstances" - Murray A. Straus SECTION III: CONTROVERSIES IN CAUSE Introduction to Section Issue 5: Alcohol and Addictive Drugs: The Causes of Violence? 10. "Alcohol and Other Drugs are Key Causal Agents of Violence" - Jerry R. Flanzer 11. "Association is not Causation: Alcohol and Other Drugs Do Not Cause Violence" - Richard J. Gelles and Mary M. Cavanaugh Issue 6: Abused Elderly and Their Abusive Offspring: Who is Dependent? 12. "Elder Abuse is Caused by the Perception of Stress Associated with Providing Care" - Suzanne K. Steinmetz 13. "Elder Abuse is Caused by the Deviance and Dependence of Abusive Caregivers" - Karl Pillemer SECTION IV: CONTROVERSIES IN SOCIAL INTERVENTION Introduction to Section Issue 7: The Battered Woman's Syndrome: A Sensible Legal Defense? - Sue Osthoff and Holly Maguigan 14. The Self-Defense Claims of Battered Women - Sue Osthoff and Holly Maguigan 15. "Battered Woman's Syndrome: Tool of Justice or False Hope in Self-Defense Cases?" 14 - Donald A. Downs and James Fisher Issue 8: Child Sexual Abuse Education: Good Prevention? 16. "Child Sexual Abuse Prevention is Appropriate and Successful" - Carol A. Plummer 17. "Problems with Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Programs" - N. Dickon Reppucci, Jeffrey J. Haugaard, Jill Antonishak Issue 9: Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting: Too Much or Too Little? Issue 9: Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting: Too Much or Too Little? 18. Overreporting and Underreporting Child Abuse and Neglect are Twin Problems - Douglas J. Besharov 19. "The Main Problem is Underreporting Child Abuse and Neglect" - David Finkelhor Issue 10: Family Preservation: An Important Goal in Child Abuse Intervention? 20. "Family Preservation is the Safest Way to Protect Most Children" - Richard Wexler 21. "Protecting Children is More Important than Preserving Families" - Richard J. Gelles Conclusion: "Social Problems, Social Policies, and Controversies on Family Violence" Index Editor's Bio's Contributing Author Bios