Trauma and violence: the role of early abuse in the aggressive behavior of two violent psychotic women.

The author explores the impact of early-life physical and sexual abuse on later-life violent behavior in two psychotic women. He proposes that their defending against the aftermath of early and severe abuse is a dynamic factor in the development and maintenance of violent behavior. He also focuses on the influence of maladaptive defensive operations and the impact of abuse on violence-triggering hallucinations and delusions. Finally, he contends that psychotherapy can contribute positively to enhanced control of violent behavior, even in severely violent and psychotic patients.