POWER AND PERSONALITY - AN ANALYSIS OF GAY MALE INTIMATE ABUSE

A study was conducted to investigate the issue of gay male intimate ab use in a sample of 52 couples. The objective of the study was to explo re the association between relationship power dynamics and the perpetr ation of psychological abuse, and to investigate the correspondence be tween intimate abuse and factors associated with the Abusive Personali ty [D. G. Dutton and A. J. Starzomski (1993) ''Borderline Personality in Perpetrators of Psychological and Physical Abuse,'' Violence and Vi ctims, Vol. 8, pp. 327-337; D. G. Dutton (1994a) ''Behavioral and Affe ctive Correlates of Borderline Personality Organization in Wife Assaul ters,'' International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, Vol. 17, pp. 265- 279.] The majority of participants were middle to upper class and thei r ethnic/racial breakdown is as follows: White (86%), Native American (7%), Asian (4%), and Other (3%). lit terms of power results indicated that the more frequent form of psychological abuse was significantly higher in relationships characterized by divided power (i.e., partners sharing decision-making authority by the partners each making decisio ns in different domains). This finding supports the supposition that a buse can occur in relatively egalitarian relationships. An association between intimate abuse and the Abusive Personality was also clearly o bserved and this personality profile seemed to characterize both membe rs of abusive dyads. Conclusions are drawn regarding the generalizabil ity of intimate abuse across lines of sexual orientation.