Synopsis
The assessment of the violent individual presents a challenge to psychiatrists. Many theoretical approaches contribute to the understanding of violence, but none are totally adequate for the clinician's purposes. The assessment of violent behaviour can be undertaken using three separate dimensions—“Dehumanisation”, “Acceptance of Violence” and “Rage and its Control”—which together form a framework for the formulation of clinical data. This framework is described and the relevance of theoretical contributions to the three dimensions is discussed.
It is suggested that this framework assists in the classification of violent individuals and in the prediction of the potential for future violence.