Why does he do that?

Psychology

Print length: 408 pagesBerkley Books, 2003

Description

Drawing on his counseling work with abusive men, Lundy Bancroft examines how control and devaluation operate in relationships. The book discusses early warning signs, abusive thinking, common myths about abusers, and several abusive personality patterns. It also considers the role of drugs and alcohol while distinguishing between changes a partner can make and conduct only an abusive person can choose to change. Addressed principally to women dealing with controlling or abusive partners, its practical focus includes recognizing harmful patterns, finding a safe way out of an abusive relationship, and recovering control of one’s life.

Reading profile

About this profile

Collected’s assessment, not reader ratings. Complexity runs from 1 (least demanding) to 5 (most demanding).

Writing: How much attention the sentences and language require.
Ideas: How much interpretation or abstract reasoning the book asks of you.
Structure: How much you need to keep track of speakers, timelines and connections.
Background knowledge: Prior knowledge needed to follow the book, beyond what it explains.
Emotional intensity: Emotional pressure, from gentle (1) to intense (5). Separate from difficulty.

Writing style

Conversational · Direct

Pace

Measured

Tone

Dark · Earnest · Hopeful

Structure

Argumentative · Reference

Focus

Argument · Ideas · Information

Emotional intensity

5 / 5

Reading complexity

1–5 · higher means more demanding

Writing: 2 / 5
Ideas: 3 / 5
Structure: 3 / 5
Background knowledge: 1 / 5

Themes

FreedomGenderLoveOppressionPowerTrauma

About Lundy Bancroft

Lundy Bancroft is an author, workshop leader, and consultant whose work on domestic abuse grew from counseling abusive men and training judges, probation officers, and other court personnel. His nonfiction uses that case experience to describe abuse as a pattern of entitlement, coercive control, manipulation, and retaliation, rather than treating it chiefly as anger or poor relationship skills. Written largely for survivors as well as professionals, his books examine how abusive people maintain control, evade accountability, and respond to pressure to change. Bancroft also extends his analysis beyond couples, considering effects on children, post-separation parenting, custody and visitation, and the conduct of courts, therapists, and child-protection agencies. This combination of behavioral specificity and attention to institutional responses distinguishes his work.

Book details

For the print edition listed above.

Publisher: Berkley Books
Language: English
ISBN: 9780425191651

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