Handbook of Antisocial Behavior

Each year tens of thousands of families are torn apart, hundreds ofthousands of lives are ruined, and millions of dollars' worth ofproperty is destroyed as a result of antisocial behavior. Soendemic are violence and aggression to our society that it isn'thard to imagine future historians categorizing the late twentiethcentury not as the "Space Age" or the "Information Age," but as the"Antisocial Age"--the time when society went to war against itself.As with any plague that threatens civilization, the first and bestline of defense against antisocial behavior is the knowledge thatcomes from dedicated scientific research into its causes andcures.

Does violence on the screen cause violence in the street?
* Do hormones cause violence?
* Can we prevent violence?
* Is antisocial behavior a mental illness?
* How can we identify and measure antisocial behavior?
* How are women and men similar and different with respect toantisocial behavior?
* How can we better understand spouse and child abuse?

In the latter part of this century, an increasingly vigorous andsophisticated scientific study of antisocial behavior has emerged.This new science has offered partial answers to some very importantquestions which will lead to better understanding and prevention ofantisocial behavior. These and other questions are addressed in theHandbook of Antisocial Behavior. In 50 chapters, more than 100leading scientists, clinicians, and scholars review the research intheir area of expertise to provide extraordinarily extensive anddeep coverage of the field in a single volume.

These experts share their findings, insights, and theoriesconcerning most types of antisocial behaviors and antisocialbehavioral disorders, including aggressiveness, noncompliance, conduct problems, delinquency, sexual offenses, criminality, mediaviolence, child abuse, spouse abuse, impulsivity, and antisocialpersonality disorder.

The Handbook of Antisocial Behavior is an indispensable resourcefor mental health practitioners, as well as anyone involved inresearch into violence and aggression, including psychologists, psychiatrists, neuroscientists, public health professionals, epidemiologists, sociologists, and criminologists.

A comprehensive review of the latest research and clinicaltrends

More than 100 of the world's leading researchers and cliniciansfrom the fields of psychology, psychiatry, the neurosciences, sociology, epidemiology, and criminology share their insights intothe causes of and cures for one of contemporary society's mostperplexing and pernicious classes of behavioral disorders. Coveringvirtually all forms of antisocial behavior and antisocialbehavioral disorders, the Handbook of Antisocial Behavior comprisesthe most extensive review currently available of:
* The development and origins of antisocial behavior
* The demographics of all forms of antisocial behavior
* The latest assessment and diagnostic techniques
* Breakthroughs in prevention and intervention
* Special populations and special issues, from domestic violence tocross-cultural and gender issues

DAVID M. STOFF, PhD, is Chief of the Per-petrators of ViolenceResearch Program, Violence and Traumatic Stress Branch, Division ofEpidemiology and Services Research, at the National Institute ofMental Health (NIMH). After receiving his doctorate in psychologyfrom Yeshiva University in 1972, Dr. Stoff became a SpecialResearch Fellow of the NIMH, which allowed him to complete hispostdoctoral training in psychopharmacology at the Albert EinsteinCollege of Medicine. He later became an assistant professor in theDepartment of Psychiatry of the University of Chicago and anassociate professor in the Department of Psychiatry of the MedicalCollege of Pennsylvania. He was awarded a research grant and aResearch Scientist Development Award from the NIMH to study therole of serotonin in childhood aggression and conductdisorder.

JAMES BREILING, PhD, received his doctorate from the University ofIowa in 1970. His interest in behavior modification led him to workon NIMH-funded research interventions with high-risk youngadolescents at the Institute for Behavior Research, and then in1975, to join the Institute's funding program for research onaggressive children, delinquents, and the violent mentally ill, where his interests expanded to include the emerging areas of sexoffending and spouse assault. His contributions to the developmentof therapeutic foster care were recognized in 1993 by the firstsignificant achievement award of the Foster Family-Based TreatmentAssociation, and his contributions to the development of the fieldof sex offender assessment and treatment were recognized by theAssociation for Treatment of Sexual Abuse with their 1996Significant Achievement Award.

JACK D. MASER, PhD, received his doctorate in psychology fromTemple University in 1969. He taught and conducted research atTulane University until 1975, at which time he moved to the NIMH.For much of his career at the NIMH, Dr. Maser has published onanxiety and personality disorders, including antisocial personalitydisorder and mood disorders. He is the recipient of many honors andawards, including the 1995 Distinguished Friend of Behavior Awardof the Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy, theADAMHA Administrator's Award for Meritorious Achievement (for 1979and 1989), and the 1987 NIMH Award for Significant Achievement.