AFFECT, VERBAL CONTENT, AND PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY IN THE ARGUMENTS OF COUPLES WITH A VIOLENT HUSBAND

The purpose of this investigation was to study the affect, psychophysi ology, and verbal content of arguments in couples with a violent husba nd. On the basis of self-reports of violent arguments, there were no w ife behaviors that successfully suppressed husband violence once it be gan; moreover, husband violence escalated in response to nonviolent as well as violent wife behaviors, whereas wife violence escalated only in reaction to husband violence or emotional abuse. Only wives were fe arful during violent and nonviolent arguments. The observational codin g of nonviolent arguments in the laboratory revealed that both batteri ng husbands and their wives (DV) were angrier than their maritally dis tressed but nonviolent (DNV) counterparts. As predicted, on the more p rovocative anger codes, only DV men differed from their DNV counterpar ts. However, DV wives were as verbally aggressive toward their husband s as DV husbands were toward their wives.