NCJ Number
76255
Editor(s)
G Gerbner,
C J Ross,
E Zigler
Date Published
1980
Length
346 pages
Annotation
This unique analysis, the collaboration of an expert in communications, a historian, and a psychologist, dispels the mystique and many of the myths surrounding child abuse, and develops important ideas about prevention.
Abstract
Demonstrating that the image of the abused child as the victim of inexplicable psychopathic rage is a false one, the book defines child abuse as a phenomenon that is part of the range of family problems. The volume presents original essays in which authorities from the fields of psychology, history, government, sociology, medicine, law, journalism, and television apply their special knowledge to examine the causes of child abuse and suggest possible solutions to the problem. Experts explore how maternal attachment has evolved over the centuries. Other experts discuss what the results of the first national survey of domestic violence reveal about different kinds of families, the legal context in which decisions about abused children are made, and controversial examples of 'socially sanctioned child abuse.' An authority on primary prevention challenges after-the-fact responses to child abuse. An important section on mass media analyzes several ways in which the communications industry contributes to the public image of abuse. In a closing section offering proposals for the future, the editors stress the importance of developing studies of child abuse and policies for its prevention that are fully integrated with the mainstream of scholarship and social policy. They present a model for exchange between scholars and those who design and carry out policies, and propose an agenda for action that assigns responsibility to private and public institutions, as well as to concerned citizens. Subject and name indexes are included, along with approximately 475 references. (Author abstract modified)