This edition first published 2016
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication data applied for
Names: Hollin, Clive R., author.
Title: The psychology of interpersonal violence / Clive R. Hollin.
Description: Chichester, West Sussex, UK : Hoboken, NJ : John Wiley & Sons, 2016. | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2015031846 (print) | LCCN 2015042188 (ebook) | ISBN 9781118598498 (cloth) | ISBN 9781118598504 (pbk.) | ISBN 9781118598474 (pdf) | ISBN 9781118598481 (epub)
Subjects: LCSH: Violence. | Interpersonal conflict.
Classification: LCC HM1116.H65 2016 (print) | LCC HM1116 (ebook) | DDC 303.6–dc23
LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015031846
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Cover image: © Terry Vine / Getty Images
For the late Arnie Goldstein, much missed friend
violence (n.). late 13c., “physical force used to inflict injury or damage” from Anglo-French and Old French violence, from Latin violentia “vehemence, impetuosity”, from violentus “vehement, forcible”
Online Entomology Dictionary
The Latin word vis (strength, force, power)
MyEntomology.com
This book has been in my head, as we psychologists say, for over two decades. I have a folder marked “Potential Ideas” which sits in a tray on my desk and into which I occasionally file my scribbled-down thoughts for books. The original jottings for a book on interpersonal violence are now looking rather yellowed. However, the outline in my folder is pretty well what has emerged at the end of writing, although there was one late addition which came in the form of Chapter 2. I included this chapter having been influenced by Arnie Goldstein’s notion of “low-level violence”. It is easy to be seduced by acts of extreme violence, which so readily capture one’s attention, and skip by the low-level everyday violence in order to get to the serious stuff. The material in Chapter 2 reinforced my perception that some forms of violence have become so pervasive that we take them for granted as part of our everyday life. There was also a surprise in writing this chapter. In reading material, including green criminology texts, for the section of Chapter 2 given to cruelty to animals I thought deeply about my own feelings on this particular manifestation of violence. I have supported animal welfare charities for over 40 years, as it seems to me that animals, rather like young children, are the most elementary form of victim: they do not comprehend what is happening, they are often defenceless, and they are unable to respond effectively against we humans with our many personal and technological advantages. It’s really not a fair fight. However, I would argue, as long as we are prepared to tolerate cruelty to animals, we are also able to tolerate the harm caused by other forms of low-level violence such as bullying and corporal punishment.
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I should like to acknowledge some personal and academic debts. Although he does not know it, my old friend Kevin Howells taught me a great deal about the personal qualities inherent in the type of academic I have tried to be over my career. The vision of blending theory with research in order to inform practice is, when done well, a wonderful thing. I have been fortunate in knowing personally two academics who can do this better than most. The first is the late Don Andrews, who heavily influenced my own thinking and research. The second is the late Arnie Goldstein, to whom I have dedicated this book. Arnie was simply inspirational: he encouraged me in my efforts as a fledgling psychologist and later I knew him personally and worked with him. I defy anyone to find a better role model for an applied psychologist.
On a personal note, I have just retired from academic life. I had thought that my last book, the second edition of Psychology and Crime which was published in 2013, would be my swan song before I spent more time with my garden but this one came along. However, the trouble with writing is that as it goes along so it keeps suggesting new projects and I’ve just scribbled a note in my file. I’ll have a word with the nice people at Wiley and then we’ll see how we go.
Finally, to borrow from attachment theory, I know that I need a “safe base” to function effectively. My partner in life, Felicity Schofield, has provided me with that base for longer than we care to remember.