The Implications of Conjunctive and Disjunctive Forgiveness for Sexual Abuse

Abstract

This article examines the relationship between forgiveness styles (conjunctive and disjunctive models) and sexual abuse. Surveys from 114 university students were analyzed for differences between non-sexually abused and sexually abused subjects on a number of psychological and physical well-being variables. A number of differences were found including higher levels of reported verbal and physical abuse for the sexually abused subjects. Only one sexually abused subject was found that fit the pattern of conjunctive forgiveness (one of reconciliation) towards the offender. The majority of sexually abused subjects preferred to keep their distance from the abuser, regardless of the extent to which the abuser had been forgiven. The results suggest that reconciliation within forgiveness may not be an appropriate goal for all subjects.

Child Sexual Abuse Survivors’ Grief Experiences After the Death of the Abuser

“…Fourteen were abused by a family member, including an adoptive parent. These findings are consistent with information from the U.S. Child Custody Protection Act (National Right to Life, 1999, as cited in Helm, Cook, & Berecz, 2005), which indicated that 80% of CSA victims are abused by family members and 19% by other trusted adults. Most of the participants were middle aged or older, with mean and median of 47.4 and 49.5, respectively.…”

Torn: Social Expectations Concerning Forgiveness Among Women Who Have Experienced Intrafamilial Child Sexual Abuse

“…It is considered very unlikely that sexual offenders take responsibility, show regret, or feel empathy toward the survivor (Goldstein & Katz-Czerny, 2004;Kearns & Fincham, 2004;Magaletta & Herbst, 2001). It is not surprising that some survivors prefer to keep their distance from the offender or completely sever all relationship with him in adulthood (Helm, Jhonathan, Cook, & Berecz, 2005). Yet, other relationships between the survivors and the abuser continue into adulthood (Middleton, 2013).…”

On the possibility of forgiveness in child sexual abuse

“…Además, si el perdón depende de la conducta del abusador, éste mantiene su poder sobre la víctima, decidiendo cuándo puede o no empezar un proceso de perdón, por lo que debilita nuevamente su capacidad de control (Tracy, 1999). Además, se ha mostrado que la mayoría de las víctimas que han decidido perdonar indican que el perdón venía de un proceso personal o individual, sin depender de la actitud o conducta del abusador (Helm, et al, 2005).…”

“…9. La asunción común es que no es deseable para la victima retomar la relación con el abusador, sobre todo cuando dicha relación es potencialmente peligrosa, física o psicológicamente, para la víctima (Helm, Cook, & Berecz, 2005); de hecho, estos autores señalan que la mayoría de las víctimas entrevistadas indicaron que preferían mantener distancia con el abusador, independientemente de si decían haberle perdonado o no. Pero algunas víctimas expresan su deseo de reencontrarse con el agresor.…”