A Phenomenological Exploration of Reflections on Lived Space by Child Sexual Abusers

Abstract

Child sexual abusers may be better understood by phenomenological exploration of reflections on childhood lived space. Child sexual abusers often suffer from child sexual abuse, physical abuse, and neglect in their childhood lived space. These experiences may be considered a limitation or deformation of the child's lived space, resulting in a distorted self view that contributes to adult behavior. Child sexual abuse is not a new phenomenon; it is a problem that has existed throughout history but has rarely enjoyed the publicity and concern of recent times. Child sexual abusers' reflections on their lived space during childhood were explored by interviewing eight incarcerated child sexual abusers in a US correctional center. Van Manen's descriptive-interpretive theoretical process was used to guide abusers' existential reflections on their childhood lived space. van Manen's phenomenological method is dynamic and was used to organize and analyze data into essential categorical themes, one of which is "failure to root." While the viewpoint is retrospective, participants in this study provided unique perspectives on childhood reflections on lived space. These experiences, as reported by the participants, could be used to assist child victims to cope and to guide nursing practice, education, and future research related to Healthy People 2010's Goal 15 (Healthy People 2010, n.d.).

Childhood Experiences of Perpetrators of Child Sexual Abuse

“…Findings of the present study support several themes identified in Garrett's (2010a, 2010b) work, such as childhood trauma, loss, and pejorative labeling, although there was greater heterogeneity in our community sample than in her incarcerated sample. Only one of Garrett's participants was a college graduate, whereas our sample included many individuals who had completed college and achieved occupational success (e.g., dentistry, engineering, business).…”

“…(1995). One exception is a recent phenomenological study exploring the childhood experiences of eight incarcerated male CSAs (Garrett, 2010a, 2010b). Garrett discovered four themes that emerged from the interview data: failure to root , what you see is what you learn , life's moments , and “stupid is as stupid does.” “Failure to root” described the inability of participants to remember their homes except as places to be feared or avoided; they had no recollection of places to play, imagine, and discover self.…”

The Lived Experience of the Adolescent Sex Offender: A Phenomenological Case Study

“…Recently the use of a phenomenological qualitative research design exploring the lived experiences of child sex offenders, adult abuse survivors, and adolescent sex offenders in treatment has been recognized as a viable research method (Garrett, 2010;Ocken, 2004;Somervell & Lambie, 2009). In qualitative methodology, questions arise from the adolescents' disclosure of events within their life experiences that moved them to their present state.…”

“…It is clients themselves who generate questions and blends their experiences with perceptions about their experiences into meaning (Nayback-Beebe, 2012). For example, in Garrett's (2010) qualitative study of the lived experience of the adult child sex offender, indications of early thought distortions in areas such as self-concept, violence, and abuse during the lived childhood experience were disclosed. She posits that by discovering a child's distortions and risks earlier within the child's lived experience, interventions could be made which may lower the risk of that child moving from victim to abuser.…”

Impacto da psicoterapia sobre a escolha dos parceiros sexuais de parafílicos em tratamento medicamentoso

“…Problemas ligados ao apego são mais prováveis em pessoas que apresentaram: (1) ruptura com a figura principal de apego (por exemplo, mãe ou substituta) que é percebida como distante, sem muita capacidade para expressão de amor e segurança emocional (mães depressivas, por exemplo), (2) abuso parental (emocional e/ou sexual) ou a figura de apego é vista ao mesmo tempo como fonte de proteção e perigo, (3) sentimento subjetivo de ser abandonado pela figura de apego, particularmente em momentos de crise ou dificuldade (4) perda da figura de apego por morte ou acidente (Kobak;Hazan, 1991 Kolk, 1989). É referido que grande porcentagem de pedófilos sofreu na sua própria infância abuso sexual (McElroy et al, 1999;Hughes, 2007;Garrett, 2010;Gosling;Abdo, 2011;Wurtele et al, 2014).…”