Donald Dutton
Donald G. Dutton | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 9, 1943 |
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | University of Toronto (PhD, 1970) |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Psychology |
Sub-discipline | Social psychology, Intimate partner violence |
| Institutions | University of British Columbia |
Donald George Dutton (born October 9, 1943)[1] is a Canadian psychologist who is known for his work on traumatic bonding and misattribution of arousal.[2][3] He is an expert on forensic psychology who has served as an expert witness in legal cases, including in the prosecution of O. J. Simpson.[4][5][6]
He received his Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of Toronto in 1970, and is currently Professor Emeritus in the Department of Psychology at the University of British Columbia.[7][8]
Career
[edit]Dutton's research interests include the psychology of violence, social science epistemology, criminal justice, social psychological explanations for clinical syndromes, and personality disorders.[8]
In a famous experiment on misattribution of arousal, Dutton and Arthur Aron found that subjects were more sexually attracted to an experimenter when crossing a rickety bridge.[3][9]
Along with his co-author Susan Painter, Dutton coined the term "traumatic bonding",[2][10] referring to emotional attachments which "develop from two specific features of abusive relationships: power imbalances and intermittent good-bad treatment".[11][12]
Dutton is known for his research on intimate partner violence and the psychology of abusive behavior.[5] In 1979, he co-founded the Assaultive Husbands Project, a court-mandated treatment program for men convicted of spousal assault in Vancouver.[5] Dutton has been outspoken about the reality of domestic violence, that despite stereotypes it is actually perpetrated by both men and women.[4]
In 1999, the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal found Dutton responsible for sexual harassment towards a student of his in the Department of Psychology at the University of British Columbia.[13][14][15] The tribunal found that Dutton created a "sexualized environment" while meeting with the student at his home, although the tribunal also found the student lied.[13][16][14] There was no evidence of any sexual contact taking place;[13][17] however, the tribunal disapproved of certain aspects of a dinner meeting, such as a comment made by Dutton to the student that he missed physical contact with his wife.[14] Dutton has maintained that he did nothing wrong.[13][16][17]
Books
[edit]Dutton has authored or co-authored several books on domestic violence, including The Batterer: A Psychological Profile (1995, with Susan Golant), The Abusive Personality: Violence and Control in Intimate Relationships (1998), and Rethinking Domestic Violence (2006).[5][18] The Batterer has been translated into French, Spanish, Dutch, Japanese, and Polish.[19]
The second edition of The Abusive Personality (2007) received positive reviews in academic journals. A review in the Journal of Family Therapy described it as providing "a clear, concise, authoritative and inspiring account of the empirical, theoretical and treatment literatures on relationship abusiveness."[18] The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry reviewed the work,[20] as did the academic journal Choice.[21]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Dutton, Donald G., 1943-". Library of Congress Name Authority File. Retrieved 2021-12-30.
- 1 2 "Traumatic bonding – Knowledge and References – Taylor & Francis". Taylor & Francis. Archived from the original on 16 January 2025. Retrieved 28 December 2025.
- 1 2 Chatel, Amanda (2015-02-26). "When It Comes to Romance, Science Has Good News for Adrenaline Junkies". Mic. Archived from the original on 14 September 2025. Retrieved 2025-12-29.
- 1 2 Todd, Douglas (15 April 2016). "Don Dutton: Controversy ensues when science butts heads with liberal ideology". Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on 16 April 2016. Retrieved 28 December 2025.
- 1 2 3 4 "Psychologist Donald Dutton is a pioneer in the study and treatment of abusive men". Fresh Air. National Public Radio. 25 October 1995. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
- ↑ "Vernon-massacre inquest told of change". The Province. 27 September 1996. p. A18.
- ↑ "About - Welcome to Dr. Don Dutton's Personal Website". drdondutton.com. Archived from the original on 29 December 2025. Retrieved 28 December 2025.
- 1 2 "Don Dutton - UBC Department of Psychology". University of British Columbia. Archived from the original on 29 December 2025. Retrieved 28 December 2025.
- ↑ Stampler, Laura (3 June 2014). "This Is The Bachelorette's Scientific Formula to Make Couples Fall in Love". Time Magazine. Archived from the original on 20 March 2025. Retrieved 28 December 2025.
- ↑ Dutton, Donald G. (1995). The Domestic Assault of Women: Psychological and Criminal Justice Perspectives. UBC Press. pp. 189–190. ISBN 978-0-7748-0462-2.
- ↑ Young, Yvette. "Civic Nation BrandVoice: The Bond That Harms: The Impact Of Trauma Bonding On Human Trafficking Victims". Forbes. Archived from the original on 2024-02-07. Retrieved 2025-12-29.
- ↑ Dutton, Donald G.; Painter, Susan (1993). "Emotional Attachments in Abusive Relationships: A Test of Traumatic Bonding Theory". Violence and Victims. 8 (2): 105–120. doi:10.1891/0886-6708.8.2.105. ISSN 0886-6708.
- 1 2 3 4 "Tribunal upholds harassment complaint against UBC professor". CBC News. 27 October 1999. Archived from the original on 2 July 2026. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 Black, Sam. "Harassment Decision in British Columbia Could Mean Cold Shoulder for Female Students". Canadian Association of University Teachers. Archived from the original on 2 July 2026. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
- ↑ "Mahmoodi v. University of British Columbia and Dutton, 1999 BCHRT 56 (CanLII)". CanLII. 26 October 1999. Retrieved 30 June 2026.
- 1 2 Todd, Douglas (15 April 2016). "Don Dutton: Controversy ensues when science butts heads with liberal ideology". Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on 2 July 2026. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
- 1 2 Sullivan, Paul (19 January 2000). "The education of Don Dutton". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 2 July 2026. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
- 1 2 Yorke, Clifton (July 2008). "The Abusive Personality: Violence and Control in Intimate Relationships (2nd edn) by Donald Dutton". Journal of Family Therapy. 30 (3): 315–316. doi:10.1111/j.1467-6427.2008.00433_5.x.
- ↑ "Donald Dutton". Irwin Law. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
- ↑ Lantos, V. (2008). "The Abusive Personality: Violence and Control in Intimate Relationships. 2nd ed". Canadian Journal of Psychiatry. 53 (3): 207.
- ↑ Mathews, D. A. (2006). "Book Review: Dutton, Donald G. Rethinking domestic violence". Choice: Reviews Online. 44 (4). doi:10.5860/CHOICE.44-2396.
External links
[edit]- Faculty profile at the University of British Columbia
- Donald Dutton publications indexed by Google Scholar
