NCJ Number
185302
Journal
Aggression and Violent Behavior Volume: 5 Issue: 5 Dated: September-October 2000 Pages: 491-507
Editor(s)
Vincent B. Van Hasselt,
Michel Hersen
Date Published
2000
Length
17 pages
Annotation
The author contends that cognitive distortions of sex offenders emerge from underlying causal theories about the nature of their victims.
Abstract
These implicit theories function like scientific theories and are used to explain empirical regularities, for example, other people's actions, and to make predictions about the world. The theories are relatively coherent and are comprised of several interlocking ideas and their component concepts and categories. Following a review of research from other areas in psychology on implicit theories, the author considers the implications of this perspective for understanding cognitive distortions in sex offenders and discusses research and clinical implications of viewing cognitive distortions in offenders as implicit theories. 41 references