NCJ Number
168319
Journal
Journal of Child Sexual Abuse Volume: 6 Issue: 1 Dated: (1997) Pages: 39-63
Date Published
1997
Length
25 pages
Annotation
This article discusses moral theories developed by adult survivors about the world and themselves and strategies for living.
Abstract
Support for adults who were abused in childhood must be based on their theories and methods of survival and must be directed toward guiding the reactivation of blocked learning processes and learning how to achieve their personal goals. Childhood victims of abuse and neglect, and the adults they become, all react differently and develop different ways of coping with their experiences. The theory and treatment method developed in this article are based on three basic assumptions: (1) The goals people set for themselves are crucial to surviving childhood abuse and neglect, provide strength to carry on, give direction to life, and are potential sources of satisfaction; (2) The basic problem of abused clients is how to live; (3) In order to help people who have been abused during childhood, the therapist must commit to the clients' goals and respect their coping strategies, must reactivate clients' blocked learning processes so they can develop new coping strategies and extend old ones in order to meet their goals. The article gives an outline of the theory and support method, along with self-reported follow-up data for 19 clients. References