TY - JOUR
T1 - The Nature of Sexual Offenders' Affective Empathy
T2 - A Grounded Theory Analysis
AU - Webster, Stephen
AU - Beech, Anthony
PY - 2000
Y1 - 2000
N2 - The aim of this research was to investigate the nature of sexual offenders' affective empathy. Thirty-one men participating in a residential treatment program for child abusers constructed “victim apology letters” as a way of measuring/examining empathy deficits. The task was videotaped, transcribed, and subject to grounded theory techniques. It was discovered that intrafamilial offenders were more likely to minimize their behavior while exhibiting illicit power and control, whereas extrafamilial offenders were more likely to directly blame their victims and exhibit overtly explicit offense detail. From these open-coded categories, the axial categories of self as nonoffender, external blaming, and secondary victimization were derived. These results may have implications for the delivery of victim empathy components of sexual offender treatment programs.
AB - The aim of this research was to investigate the nature of sexual offenders' affective empathy. Thirty-one men participating in a residential treatment program for child abusers constructed “victim apology letters” as a way of measuring/examining empathy deficits. The task was videotaped, transcribed, and subject to grounded theory techniques. It was discovered that intrafamilial offenders were more likely to minimize their behavior while exhibiting illicit power and control, whereas extrafamilial offenders were more likely to directly blame their victims and exhibit overtly explicit offense detail. From these open-coded categories, the axial categories of self as nonoffender, external blaming, and secondary victimization were derived. These results may have implications for the delivery of victim empathy components of sexual offender treatment programs.
U2 - 10.1023/A:1009586410007
DO - 10.1023/A:1009586410007
M3 - Article
SN - 1573-286X
VL - 12
SP - 249
EP - 261
JO - Sexual abuse : a journal of research and treatment
JF - Sexual abuse : a journal of research and treatment
IS - 4
ER -