Citation

Holtzworth-Munroe A. Prev. Treat. 2000; 3(1): 22c.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2000, American Psychological Association)

DOI

10.1037/1522-3736.3.0022c

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

One of Neil Jacobson's major contributions to the field of husband violence research has been the publication of several empirical articles in major psychological journals, including the article entitled Affect, verbal content, and psychophysiology in the arguments of couples with a violent husband (see record 1995-09810-001). At the time, few articles in this research area had been methodologically strong enough to be published in prestigious psychological journals. Yet, doing so was necessary to bring this problem to the attention of psychologists, therapists, and researchers. Once manuscripts by Jacobson (and others) began to appear in major journals, those in the field could not ignore the problem of husband violence. Rather, they began including the topic in their classes and graduate student training, which, in turn, encouraged new researchers and therapists to enter this field. Relatedly, before his death, Jacobson began work with the state of Washington to draft clinician training criteria in the area of domestic violence. He wanted to ensure that therapists were familiar with relevant empirical findings in this area. Jacobson's interest in this area increasingly moved toward helping battered women. One of Jacobson's most admirable qualities is that he was not a dispassionate scientist. Instead, he was truly an applied researcher, combining research, politics, and clinical work in the belief that a scientific understanding of a problem could be used to shape public policy and interventions to make a real difference in the lives of individuals. Jacobson's research in the area of domestic violence illustrated another important part of his life--his love of research. Like many researchers in this area, Jacobson initially stumbled into his interest in husband violence and was unaware of how important a problem it is. Yet, he embraced this topic with passion and devotion. Quite simply, Jacobson loved his work. He encouraged those of us who worked with him to feel similarly--to conduct research in areas about which we truly care and feel impassioned. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)