NCJ Number
171454
Date Published
1997
Length
45 pages
Annotation
The sexual abuse cycle is a construct that represents cognitive, affective, and behavioral progressions that occur antecedent to, during, and subsequent to abusive behavior.
Abstract
In the sexual abuse cycle, a juvenile responds to an event, interaction, or problem that triggers negative perceptions and feelings of helplessness (the event). His life experience, personal view of the world, beliefs, and history influence his perceptions of the event as being stressful, and he assumes the future will be similar and thus unsafe (negative anticipation). He begins to feel hopeless and attempts to avoid the issue, his internal response, and the expected outcomes (avoidance). When this is unsuccessful, he begins to feel resentful and defensive and attempts to exert power over others in nonsexual ways (power/control). As the sense of being powerful or in control is brief, he begins to think of further power-based behaviors and other things (such as sex) that would make him feel good (fantasy). The exertion of control or dominance is eventually expressed sexually (sexual abuse); then the youth attempts to cope with the sexual abuse behavior and fear of consequences of being caught (fugitive thinking). He subsequently assimilates the behavior through a series of thinking errors (reframing). The sequential response appears compensatory, in that it counters the perception of inadequacy and helplessness and reduces internal anxiety. In working with sexually abusive youth, therapists must consider additional treatment needs and each youth's unique characteristics, as well as offense-specific treatment for those factors identified in the sexual abuse cycle. 42 references