Repressed Memories of Ritualistic and Religion-Related Child Abuse (From Truth in Memory, P 260-283, 1998, Steven Jay Lynn and Kevin M. McConkey, eds.)

• NCJ Number: 185928
• Author(s): Jianjian Qin; Gail S. Goodman; Bette L. Bottoms; Phillip R. Shaver
• Date Published: 1998
• Length: 24 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: National Ctr on Child Abuse and Neglect
• Sale Source: Guilford Publications, Inc.
• Publication Format: Book (Hardbound)
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article discusses the results of two nationwide surveys that examined claims of repressed memory of satanic ritual abuse and religion-related abuse.

Abstract

The evidence that clinicians provided for satanic ritual abuse was weak, and a large proportion of the evidence came from only a few clinicians. In addition, clinicians' acceptance of ritual and religious elements of cases was not related to the evidence provided but to the bizarre and extreme nature of the allegations. The article hypothesizes that there is a subset of clinicians who accept, and even help to create, "false memories" of satanic ritual abuse. The article suggests the need for further research on the kinds of clients and clinicians who account for the vast majority of allegations. If some special combination of sociocultural factors, client predisposition, and therapist beliefs and procedures accounts for most ritualistic and repressed memory cases, it is important to find out more about this special combination. It may continue to generate problems for clients and therapists under other than satanic guises long after the ritual abuse scare has passed. Tables, note, references