NCJ Number
168313
Journal
Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment Volume: 9 Issue: 4 Dated: (October 1997) Pages: 303-319
Date Published
1997
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This is a preliminary experimental investigation of the ability of incarcerated child molesters to suppress unwanted sexual thoughts and the subsequent impact of this suppression on the accessibility of the suppressed thoughts.
Abstract
Recent work with sexual offenders has considered the potential utility of a therapy technique of instructing incarcerated child molesters to suppress sexually deviant thoughts. Of special concern was the subsequent hyperaccessibility, or "rebound" of the very thoughts which were previously suppressed. Participants completed an articulated thoughts task under instructions to suppress sex-related thoughts or under no specific instructions. Results showed that suppression instructions reduced the incidence of sex-related thoughts. A subsequent color naming task tested the accessibility of the previously suppressed thoughts. Both sex-related and child-related words were more accessible after prior suppression instructions for preferential child molesters than for either situational child molesters or nonsexual offenders. The article discusses implications for treatment of sexual offenders and for offender typology. References