Intimacy and the Relational Self

Downey, Laurel

doi:10.1002/j.1467-8438.2001.tb00467.x

Cited by 5 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 3 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Whereas normative intimacy involves self-disclosure, positive affection, closeness, and interdependence between the involved partners [27], an incestuous relationship involves self-disclosure and self-revealing of unacceptable fantasies, behaviors, sexual arousal, feelings of fear, shame and horror, negative closeness and interdependence between the parties involved. The victimized child naturally internalizes a distorted model of intimacy which harms his or her future abilities to establish fulfilling intimacy and leads to loneliness, depression, lower self-esteem, anxiety, and less relational satisfaction [28].…”

Section: Entrapped In Distorted Intimacymentioning

confidence: 99%

Childhood Sexual Abuse: From Conceptualization to Treatment

Lev–Wiesel¹

2015

J Trauma Treat

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

There is a common belief that one's home is one's shelter. It provides safety and predictability, and as such it is experienced as a point of departure and a landing pad. Similarly, one's body is perceived by humans to be their souls' home, and as such the body is attributed the characteristics of a home. The body is the soul's private space. Evidence indicates that people exhibit strong physical and emotional reactions to personal space violations [12] that are produced by the amygdala, particularly if the intimate zone reserved for loved ones, is invaded. People view their personal space serving as buffer vis-à-vis the external world, and it is essential that they experience control and responsibility over it [13]. Sexually penetrating a child's body means breaking into the child's personal space, invading the child's intimate zone. This violation

show abstract

Section: Entrapped In Distorted Intimacymentioning

confidence: 99%

Childhood Sexual Abuse: From Conceptualization to Treatment

Lev–Wiesel¹

2015

J Trauma Treat

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The organizational culture and other relationships can inhibit, enhance or, at least, influence the relationship in some manner 95 . Fourthly, how the older person, nurse or doctor define themselves is a function of ‘behaviours and thoughts within the relationship’ 96 . Finally, ‘relationships are not static, linear processes’ and, therefore, the relationship is ‘always more or less intimate’ and a site where the ‘power dimension is always being negotiated’ 97…”

Section: Care Interactions: Communication and Controlmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…95 Fourthly, how the older person, nurse or doctor define themselves is a function of 'behaviours and thoughts within the relationship'. 96 Finally, 'relationships are not static, linear processes' and, therefore, the relationship is 'always more or less intimate' and a site where the 'power dimension is always being negotiated'. 97 This relational model for human interaction resonates in a study that revealed the social organization of a particular nurse-patient relationship.…”

Section: Care Interactions: Communication and Controlmentioning

confidence: 99%

The care encounter: Pondering caring, honest communication and control

Tuckett

2005

Int J Nurs Pract

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The proposition presented in this paper is that caring, underpinned by beneficence and non-maleficence, assumes that nurses will make determinations about another's best interests and act accordingly. With some emphasis on high-level (nursing home) aged care, it is the author's contention that nurses give priority to communication that controls the care encounter rather than acting in another's best interests. This view is supported in the literature, which suggests that nurses perceive honesty and information-sharing as less important in caring than do patients, and nurses' perception that telling another the truth is harmful and, therefore, contravenes the duties of beneficence and non-maleficence.

show abstract

“…The repercussions of an incestuous relationship, for example, include a profound sense of loneliness, difficulty regulating anger, problems in developing and maintaining a trusting relationship with others, and the inability to establish intimate relationships with people other than the perpetrator. Unlike normative intimacy that involves self-disclosure, warmth, closeness, and interdependence between the partners (Downey, 2001), an incestuous relationship involves psychopathological self-disclosure, including the exposing of unacceptable fantasies, behaviors, sexual arousal, feelings of fear, shame and horror, negative closeness, and interdependence between the parties involved. Being involved in such a distorted form of intimacy and having the perpetrator as the key significant other from an early age impairs the survivor’s ability to develop a healthy intimacy with others and forges an authentic self (Lev-Wiesel, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“I’m in a Bloody Battle without Being Able to Stop It”: The Dissociative Experiences of Child Sexual Abuse Survivors

Goldner

Lev–Wiesel

Binson

2023

J Interpers Violence

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Dissociation in child sexual abuse (CSA) survivors remains under-recognized and diagnosed, partly because of the difficulties involved in identifying dissociative symptoms. Qualitative research can contribute to a better understanding of the lived experiences of dissociation. This study focused on the experiences of dissociation in the context of CSA. In all, 22 female incest survivors, all diagnosed with different dissociative disorders, provided narratives about their experiences of dissociation. The narratives were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. The narrative analysis revealed four central themes. The first theme deals with reliving the experience of the abuse. The second theme refers to the experience of disconnection from the body, the self, and the surroundings. The third theme covers the lack of coherence in the narrative, and the fourth theme describes the bridge between voluntary controlled and nonvoluntary uncontrolled use of dissociation. The data are discussed in light of several traumagenic constructs, including a lack of self-sense, being entrapped in a victim–aggressor relationship, and distorted time perception. It is suggested that the extent to which participants can control their dissociation and the coherency of their narratives reflects the severity of their dissociation. Clinicians can consider helping clients use dissociation as an adaptive defense mechanism.

show abstract

Intimacy and the Relational Self

Cited by 5 publications

References 3 publications

Childhood Sexual Abuse: From Conceptualization to Treatment

Childhood Sexual Abuse: From Conceptualization to Treatment

The care encounter: Pondering caring, honest communication and control

“I’m in a Bloody Battle without Being Able to Stop It”: The Dissociative Experiences of Child Sexual Abuse Survivors

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About