Beaten Into Violence

About the Book

This book explores the emotional worlds of white working class men and why they self medicate using heroin, alcohol, crack and amphetamines. It drawn on the therapeutic work that the author undertook in Deptford South East London over a fifteen year period and highlights how familial, institutional, cultural and historical violence has shaped white working class masculinities in terms of love and violence.

The book transcends current research paradigms drawing on relational theory to move beyond the 'front' presented in current social research to look at what emotions have been masked and kept secret. The book then highlights the failure of current stratgies to engage with the defined problem by taking the presenting masculine 'front' as an issue to be resolved through discipline

The research draws on Alice Miller, Gitta Sereny, Klaus Thewelait, Jim Gilligan, Deleuze and Guattari to open up new ways of conceptualising violence and addiction relevant to social science researchers, criminologists, psychologists, gender studies as well as the general public.

About the Author

Dr Dean Whittington has worked as a therapist, community worker, researcher and academic for the past twenty five years throughout the United Kingdon.

He has a BA in History and Sociology, a Post Grad Certificate in Youth and Community Work (Edinburgh University), a Masters Degree in Sociology of Education (SouthBank University) and a Doctorate in Social Psychology (Goldsmiths College London).

He has worked as a Chief Executive of two major charities, developing one charity from scratch after initially undertaking therapeutic work with clients who have addiction problems over a fifteen year period, building it into a social enterprise. This research is the culmination of his therapeutic experiences and illuminates the challenge to policy makers at all levels.

Dr. Whittington after serving as a CEO of two charities is developing his own therapeutic agency -Konnect Therapy where the ideas expressed in the research are used to support men and women to reconnect with the past in order to move into the future.

He is also a lecturer at Birkbeck University teaching Narcotics and International Development along with Health and International.