1,252
Views
21
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Theoretical Considerations

A Theoretical Foundation for Understanding Clergy-Perpetrated Sexual Abuse

, , , &
Pages 301-328 | Received 30 May 2006, Accepted 17 Jun 2008, Published online: 12 Oct 2008

REFERENCES

  • Allers , C. T. , Benjack , K. J. and Allers , N. T. 1992 . Unresolved childhood sexual abuse: Are older adults affected? . Journal of Counseling & Development , 71 ( 1 ) : 14 – 17 .
  • Andrews , B. , Brewin , C. R. , Rose , S. and Kirk , M. 2000 . Predicting PTSD symptoms in victims of violent crime: The role of shame, anger, and childhood abuse . Journal of Abnormal Psychology , 109 ( 1 ) : 69 – 73 .
  • Associated Press . 2005 . Church abuse scandal: $1 billion and counting . Metro Boston Edition , June 10–12 : 1
  • Barlow , D. H. , Becker , R. , Leitenberg , H. and Agras , W. 1970 . A mechanical strain gauge for recording penile circumference change . Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis , 6 : 355 – 367 .
  • Bera , W. H. 1995 . Clergy sexual abuse and male survivors: A study of stress and coping among 25 men abused by the same minister during their adolescence , Minneapolis, MN : University of Minnesota . Unpublished doctoral dissertation
  • Berliner , L. and Conte , J. R. 1990 . The process of victimization: The victims' perspective . Child Abuse and Neglect , 14 ( 1 ) : 29 – 40 .
  • Bolton , F. G. Jr. , Morris , L. A. and MacEachron , A. E. 1989 . Males at risk: The other side of child sexual abuse , Newbury Park, CA : Sage Publications .
  • Cooper-White , P. 1991 . Soul stealing: Power relations in pastoral sexual abuse . Christian Century , 19 February 20 : 6 – 199 .
  • Courtois , C. A. 1988 . Healing the incest wound: Adult survivors in therapy , New York : W. W. Norton & Company .
  • Dechesne , M. , Janssen , J. and van Knippenberg , A. 2000 . Derogation and distancing as terror management strategies: The moderating rule of need for closure and permeability of group boundaries . Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , 79 : 923 – 932 .
  • Disch , E. and Avery , N. 2001 . Sex in the consulting room, the examining room, and the sacristy: Survivors of sexual abuse by professionals . American Journal of Orthopsychiatry , 71 ( 2 ) : 204 – 217 .
  • The Episcopal Church . September 1979 . “ Letter of institution of a minister ” . In The Book of Common Prayer , September , 557 New York : The Church Hymnal Corporation .
  • Erikson , E. H. 1950 . Childhood and society , 35th anniversary , New York : Wiley . 1985
  • Farrell , D. P. and Taylor , M. 2000 . Silenced by God: An examination of unique characteristics within sexual abuse by clergy . Counselling Psychology Review , 15 ( 1 ) : 22 – 31 .
  • Feiring , C. , Taska , L. and Lewis , M. 2002 . Adjustment following sexual abuse discovery: The role of shame and attributional style . Developmental Psychology , 38 : 79 – 82 .
  • Finkelhor , D. and Browne , A. 1986 . “ Initial and long-term effects: A conceptual framework ” . In A sourcebook on child sexual abuse , Edited by: Finkelhor , D. 180 – 198 . Beverly Hills, CA : Sage Publications .
  • Fishburn , J. 1982 . Male clergy adultery as vocational confusion . Christian Century , 92 : 2
  • Florian , V. and Mikulincer , M. 1997 . Fear of death and the judgment of social transgressions: A multidimensional test of terror management theory . Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , 73 ( 2 ) : 369 – 380 .
  • Flynn , K. A. 2000 . Clergy sexual abuse of women: A specialized form of trauma , Claremont, California : Claremont Graduate University . Unpublished doctoral dissertation
  • Flynn , K. A. 2008 . In their own voices: Women who were sexually abused by members of the clergy . Journal of Child Sexual Abuse , 17 ( 3–4 ) : 216 – 237 .
  • Fones , C. L. , Levine , S. B. , Althof , S. E. and Risen , C. B. 1999 . The sexual struggles of 23 clergymen: A follow-up study . Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy , 25 : 183 – 195 .
  • Fortune , M. 1989 . Is nothing sacred? When sex invades the pastoral relationship , San Francisco : Harper & Row .
  • Francis , P. C. and Turner , N. R. 1995 . Sexual misconduct within the Christian Church: Who are the perpetrators and those they victimize? . Counseling and Values , 39 : 218 – 227 .
  • Franz , T. 2002 . Power, patriarchy, and sexual abuse in the Christian church . Traumatology , 8 : 1 – 12 .
  • Frawley O'Dea , M. G. and Goldner , V. , eds. 2004 . “ The sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic Church [Special issue] ” . In Gender & Sexuality Vol. 5 , (1–2)
  • Furniss , T. 1991 . The multi-professional handbook of child sexual abuse: Integrated management, therapy, and legal intervention , London : Routledge .
  • Gagnon , M. and Hersen , M. 2000 . Unresolved childhood sexual abuse and older adults: Late-life vulnerabilities . Journal of Clinical Geropsychology , 6 ( 3 ) : 187 – 198 .
  • German , D. N. , Habenicht , D. J. and Futcher , W. G. 1990 . Psychological profile of the female adolescent incest victim . Child Abuse and Neglect , 14 ( 3 ) : 429 – 438 .
  • Glaser , R. D. and Thorpe , J. S. 1986 . Unethical intimacy: A survey of sexual contact and advances between psychology educators and female graduate students . American Psychologist , 41 ( 1 ) : 43 – 51 .
  • Goldenberg , J. L. , Pyszczynski , T. , McCoy , S. K. , Greenberg , J. and Solomon , S. 1999 . Death, sex, love, and neuroticism: Why is sex such a problem? . Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , 77 ( 6 ) : 1173 – 1187 .
  • Goldner , V. 2004 . The sexual abuse crisis and the Catholic Church: Gender, sexuality, power, and discourse . Studies in Gender and Sexuality , 5 : 1 – 9 .
  • Goodwin , J. , Cormier , L. and Owen , J. 1983 . Grandfather-granddaughter incest: A trigenerational view . Child Abuse and Neglect , 7 : 163 – 170 .
  • Greenberg , J. , Pyszczynski , T. , Solomon , S. , Rosenblatt , A. , Veeder , M. Kirkland , S. 1990 . Evidence for terror management theory II: The effects of mortality salience on reactions to those who threaten or bolster the cultural worldview . Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , 58 : 308 – 318 .
  • Hall , G. C. and Hirschman , R. 1991 . Toward a theory of sexual aggression: A quadripartite model . Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology , 59 ( 5 ) : 662 – 669 .
  • Hanson , R. K. and Bussière , M. T. 1998 . Predicting relapse: A meta-analysis of sexual offender recidivism studies . Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology , 66 ( 2 ) : 348 – 362 .
  • Herman , J. 1992 . Trauma and recovery: The aftermath of violence—From domestic abuse to political terror , New York : Basic Books .
  • Herman , J. 1993 . “ Father-daughter incest ” . In International handbook of traumatic stress syndromes , Edited by: Wilson , J. P. and Raphael , B. 593 – 600 . New York : Plenum .
  • Herman , J. and Hirschman , L. 1977 . Father-daughter incest . Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society , 2 ( 4 ) : 735 – 756 .
  • Herman , J. and Hirschman , L. 1981 . Families at risk for father-daughter incest . American Journal of Psychiatry , 138 ( 7 ) : 967 – 970 .
  • Higgins , E. T. 1987 . Self-discrepancy: A theory relating self and affect . Psychological Review , 94 : 319 – 340 .
  • Higgins , E. T. 1989a . Continuities and discontinuities in self-regulatory and self-evaluative processes: A developmental theory relating self and affect . Journal of Personality , 57 ( 2 ) : 407 – 444 .
  • Higgins , E. T. 1989b . Self-discrepancy theory: What patterns of self-beliefs cause people to suffer? . Advances in Experimental Social Psychology , 22 : 93 – 136 .
  • Hunter , M. 1990 . Abused boys: The neglected victims of sexual abuse , New York : Fawcett Books .
  • Isely , P. J. 1996 . In their own voices: A qualitative study of men sexually abused as children by Catholic clergy , Boston, Massachusetts : Boston University School of Education . Unpublished doctoral dissertation
  • Isely , P. J. and Isely , P. 1990 . The sexual abuse of male children by church personnel: Intervention and prevention . Pastoral Psychology , 39 ( 2 ) : 85 – 99 .
  • Isely , P. J. , Isley , P. , Freiburger , J. and McMackin , R. 2008 . In their own voices: A qualitative study of men abused as children by Catholic clergy . Journal of Child Sexual Abuse , 17 ( 3–4 ) : 201 – 215 .
  • Jewish sexual abuse. (n.d.). http://www.the7thfire.com/new_world_order/zionism/jewish_sexual_abuse.html (Accessed: 5 June 2005 ).
  • The John Jay College Research Team. (2004, February 27). The nature and scope of the problem of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic priests and deacons in the United States: A research study conducted by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice (National Clergy Sex Abuse Report). http://www.jjay.cuny.edu/churchstudy/main.asp (Accessed: 13 April 2005 ).
  • Kallstrom-Fuqua , A. C. , Weston , R. and Marshall , L. L. 2004 . Childhood and adolescent sexual abuse of community women: Mediated effects on psychological distress and social relationships . Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology , 72 ( 6 ) : 980 – 992 .
  • Kendall-Tackett , K. A. , Williams , L. M. and Finkelhor , D. 1993 . Impact of sexual abuse on children: A review and synthesis of recent empirical studies . Psychological Bulletin , 113 ( 1 ) : 164 – 180 .
  • Kessler , B. L. and Bieschke , K. J. 1999 . A retrospective analysis of shame, dissociation, and adult victimization in survivors of childhood sexual abuse . Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology , 46 : 335 – 341 .
  • Kohlenberg , R. J. and Tsai , M. 1998 . Healing interpersonal trauma with the intimacy of the therapeutic relationship , New York : Guilford Press .
  • Layman , M. J. and McNamara , J. R. 1997 . Remediation for ethics violations: Focus on psychotherapists' sexual contact with clients . Professional Psychology: Research and Practice , 28 ( 3 ) : 281 – 292 .
  • Leary , M. R. and Schreindorfer , L. S. 1997 . Unresolved issues with terror management theory . Psychological Inquiry , 8 : 26 – 29 .
  • London , K. , Bruck , M. , Ceci , S. J. and Shuman , D. W. 2005 . Disclosure of child sexual abuse: What does the research tell us about the ways that children tell? . Psychology, Public Policy, and Law , 11 : 194 – 226 .
  • Lothstein , L. M. 2002 . Treating clergy who sexually abuse minors: A 16-year experience in the Professionals and Clergy Program at the IOL . Connecticut Psychologist , 56 ( 1 ) : 4
  • McConnaha, S. (2002, May 2). Priests called together to discuss clergy abuse issue. Series of upcoming listening sessions, a result of gathering. The Milwaukee Catholic Herald. http://www.chnonline.org/2002/2002-05-02/index.html (Accessed: 6 July 2005 ).
  • McFall , R. M. 1982 . A review and reformulation of the concept of social skills . Behavioral Assessment , 4 : 1 – 33 .
  • McGlone , G. J. 2003 . The pedophile and the pious: Towards a new understanding of sexually offending and non-offending Roman Catholic priests . Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment and Trauma , 8 ( 1-2 ) : 115 – 131 .
  • McGrath , R. J. 1991 . Sex offender risk assessment and disposition planning: A review of the empirical and clinical findings . International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology , 35 ( 4 ) : 328 – 349 .
  • McGregor , H. A. , Greenberg , J. , Arndt , J. , Lieberman , J. D. , Solomon , S. Simon , L. 1998 . Terror management and aggression: Evidence that mortality salience motivates aggression against worldview-threatening others . Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , 74 : 590 – 605 .
  • McLaughlin , B. R. 1994 . Devastated spirituality: The impact of clergy sexual abuse on the survivor's relationship with God and the church . Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity , 1 : 145 – 158 .
  • Neustein , A. and Lesher , M. 2008 . A single-case study of rabbinic sexual abuse in the orthodox Jewish community . Journal of Child Sexual Abuse , 17 ( 3–4 ) : 270 – 289 .
  • Paulson, M. (2005, April 3). Late in pontiff's reign, clergy sex abuse case rocked the church. The Boston Globe Online. http://www.boston.com/news (Accessed: 12 April 2005 ).
  • Pearlin , L. J. and Schooler , C. 1987 . The structure of coping . Journal of Health and Social Behavior , 19 : 2 – 21 .
  • Penfold , P. S. 1999 . Why did you keep going for so long? Issues for survivors of long-term, sexually abusive “helping” relationships . Journal of Sex Education and Therapy , 24 ( 4 ) : 244 – 251 .
  • Pinto, B. (2004, October 22). Sex abuse case shocks Amish community: Amish woman ends silence, reports brothers' sexual abuse. ABC News Online. http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=189191&page=1 (Accessed: 14 July 2005 ).
  • Pyszczynski , T. , Greenberg , J. and Solomon , S. 1997 . Why do we need what we need? A terror management perspective on the roots of human social motivation . Psychological Inquiry , 8 : 1 – 20 .
  • Rassin , E. and Koster , E. 2003 . The correlation between thought-action fusion and religiosity in a normal sample . Behavior Research and Therapy , 41 ( 3 ) : 361 – 368 .
  • Rediger , L. G. 1990 . Ministry and sexuality, cases, counseling, and care , Minneapolis, MN : Fortress .
  • Resick , P. A. , Schnicke , M. K. and Markway , B. G. Personal beliefs and reactions scale: The relation between cognitive content and posttraumatic stress disorder . Paper presented at the 25th annual convention of the Association of the Advancement of Behavior Therapy . New York, NY. November .
  • Richards , A. F. C. 2004 . Sexual misconduct by clergy in the Episcopal Church . Studies in Gender and Sexuality , 5 ( 2 ) : 139 – 165 .
  • Rosenblatt , A. , Greenberg , J. , Solomon , S. , Pyszczynski , T. and Lyon , D. 1989 . Evidence for terror management theory: I. The effects of mortality salience on reactions to those who violate and uphold cultural values . Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , 57 : 681 – 690 .
  • Rossetti , S. J. 1995 . The impact of child sexual abuse on attitudes toward God and the Catholic Church . Child Abuse and Neglect , 19 ( 12 ) : 1469 – 1481 .
  • Russell , D. E. 1986 . The secret trauma: Incest in the lives of girls and women , New York : Basic Books .
  • Schoener , G. R. and Gonsiorek , J. 1988 . Assessment and development of rehabilitation plans for counselors who have sexually exploited their clients . Journal of Counseling and Development , 67 ( 4 ) : 227 – 232 .
  • Silentlambs.org. (n.d.). Abused lambs speak out. http://www.silentlambs.org/personal_experiences/abused_lambs.cfm (Accessed: 14 July 2005 ).
  • Simpkinson, A. A. (1996, November/December). Soul betrayal: Sexual abuse by spiritual leaders violates trust, devastates lives, and tears communities apart. No denomination or tradition is immune [Electronic version]. Common Boundary. http://www.advocateweb.org/hope/soulbetrayal.asp (Accessed: 22 June 2005 ).
  • Steketee , G. and Barlow , D. H. 2002 . “ Obsessive-compulsive disorder ” . In Anxiety and its disorders: The nature and treatment of anxiety and panic , 2nd , Edited by: Barlow , D. H. 516 – 550 . Guilford Press .
  • Strauman , T. J. and Higgins , E. T. 1988 . Self-discrepancies as predictors of vulnerability to distinct syndromes of chronic emotional distress . Journal of Personality , 56 ( 4 ) : 685 – 707 .
  • Strauss , A. and Corbin , J. M. 1990 . Basics of qualitative research: Grounded theory procedures and techniques , Thousand Oaks, CA : Sage Publications .
  • Summit , R. C. 1983 . The child sexual abuse accommodation syndrome . Child Abuse and Neglect , 7 ( 2 ) : 177 – 193 .
  • Talbot , J. A. , Talbot , N. L. and Tu , X. 2004 . Shame-proneness as a diathesis for dissociation in women with histories of childhood sexual abuse . Journal of Traumatic Stress , 17 : 445 – 448 .
  • Tangney , J. P. 1995 . Recent advances in the empirical study of shame and guilt . American Behavioral Scientist , 38 : 1132 – 1145 .
  • Tangney , J. P. and Dearing , R. 2002 . Shame and guilt , New York : Guilford Press .
  • Thoburn , J. and Whitman , M. 2004 . Clergy affairs: Emotional investment, longevity of relationship and affair partners . Pastoral Psychology , 52 ( 6 ) : 491 – 506 .

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.