James Gilligan, M.D., is a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry in the School of Medicine and Adjunct Professor in the School of Law at New York University. He is a former president of the International Association for Forensic Psychotherapy. An expert in the field of violence, he has published several books including Violence: Reflections on a National Epidemic, Preventing Violence: Prospects for Tomorrow, and Why Some Politicians Are More Dangerous Than Others. As a faculty member of the Harvard Medical School for many years, he headed the Institute of Law and Psychiatry and directed mental health services for the Massachusetts prisons and prison mental hospital. Dr. Gilligan also served as an expert witness in the Supreme Court case of Plata V. Brown.
Dr. James Gilligan discusses the developmental roots of violence, such as the psychological effects of childhood neglect and dissociation. Drawing upon his wealth of experience working with violent adolescents and adults, Dr. Gilligan addresses implications for treatment and emphasizes the importance of learning from violent individuals, stating, “We need to learn from them what are the causes of violence and what are the interventions that can prevent it.”
