Cognitive Distortions, Schemas, and Implicit Theories

The Cognitive Distortions and Implicit Theories of Child Sexual Abusers

“…However, they found that schemas were less prominent in the child sexual abusers' offence narratives than in the narratives of rapists. This fi nding is consistent with other research suggesting that cognitive distortions may be present and play a causal role in only some sex offences (Mann & Beech, 2003). For example, Ward and Siegert (2002) conclude (in their comprehensive analysis of key theories in the child sexual abuser literature) that there may be a variety of problems or defi cits in child sexual abusers.…”

“…On refl ection, then, this early conceptualization of child sexual abusers' cognition shows some evidence of theoretical confusion or a lack of internal coherence (Gannon & Polaschek, 2006). Mann and Beech (2003) also critique Abel and his colleagues for such incoherence arguing that it is unclear whether cognitive distortions are conscious or unconscious cognitive processes. They propose that according to the original description, individuals could use cognitive distortions in a conscious, intentional manner in order to avoid feeling judged by others, or they could emerge quite spontaneously and automatically as a protective mechanism.…”

“…As explained by Mann and Beech (2003) the notion of a schema may be traced originally to Bartlett (1932) who defi ned a schema as a general mental representation that is drawn from a specifi c situation. Later, Beck (1964Beck ( , 1967 defi ned schema as a "cognitive structure" used for processing information.…”

“…One such account (Mann & Beech, 2003) uses the notion of schemas, which feature prominently in cognitive psychology literature. As explained by Mann and Beech schemas are essentially "structures in memory in which prior knowledge and expectancies are organized" (p. 138) and they "contain attitudes, ideas about the self and the world, specifi c beliefs, conditional assumptions, and core issues" (p. 140).…”

Gang Membership: The Psychological Evidence

“…They are parts of memory that hold previous knowledge and contain attitudes, beliefs and assumptions about oneself, other people and the world (e.g. Mann & Beech, 2003). They are, in short, categories of information that people create based on their past experiences.…”