Abuser and abused: Perverse solutions following childhood abuse

Personal constructs, childhood sexual abuse and revictimization

“…A more re ned de nition of revictimization, such as women currently in abusive relationships, would be useful for further research studies. These ndings serve as an important reminder of the complexity of the phenomenon of revictimization where numerous social and psychological factors are likely to combine (Finkelhor & Browne, 1985;Hagan & Smail, 1997;Mandoki & Burkhart, 1989;Milton, 1994;Van Der Kolk, 1989). Clarke and Llewelyn's (1994) hypothesis that the centrality of abuse among these women's constructs leaves them more vulnerable to revictimization may indeed be a possibility, but our results suggest a greater complexity, with other protective factors at play for some of these women as they avoid revictimization.…”

“…These include those that emphasize social factors (e.g. Hagan & Smail, 1997;Koss, 1985;Mandoki & Burkhart, 1989;Peters, 1984, cited in Browne & Finkelhor, 1986 and those that emphasize internal factors, such as low self-esteem (Herman & Hirschman, 1977;Tsai & Wagner, 1978), learned helplessness (Peterson & Seligman, 1983), powerlessness (Finkelhor & Brown, 1985), response to trauma (Horowitz, 1976;Van Der Kolk, 1987, 1989Zierler et al, 1991), and 'sado-masochistic perversions' (Milton, 1994).…”

“…This repetition of the internalized behaviour of the abuser can take the form of selfmutilation, often manifested by self-cutting (Browne & Finkelhor, 1986;Van Der Kolk, 1989). However, survivors may also elicit further abuse, illustrated by the psychoanalytic notion of survivors choosing abusive partners as part of sado-masochistic behaviour, as identi cation with the aggressor and the abused are regarded as inextricable (Milton, 1994). There is also a growing body of evidence indicating that some survivors 'escape' the victim role by moving to the alternative pole of their narrow, limited role option by becoming an abuser (Finkelhor & Browne, 1985;Hagan & Smail, 1997;Pollock & Kear-Colwell, 1994).…”

Females who sexually abuse children: Assessment and treatment issues

“…There is a general tendency to emphasise the victim status of these women, which does not seem to occur to the same extent with male offenders (Allen, 1991, Elliott, 1993. Such a distorted perception of female offenders, however, may do them a great disservice as it does not allow the exploration of their situation nor an adequate examination of the most serious aspects of their plight (Milton, 1994). These types of problems include the sexualisation of cruelty and of the ways in which females may become willing allies in offending.…”

2 Perversions in Men and Women

“…Victims can experience an addiction to trauma that induces self-destructiveness (Hopper 1995, forthcoming). This particular feature is poignantly described by Milton (1994) when writing of the link between severe childhood physical abuse and frank perversion in women. She refers to a serious aspect of the victim's plight being her corruption in early life through extreme stimulation of her own hatred and destructiveness, which then becomes erotized in her identification with the aggressor, again as a means of psychic survival.…”