An Outline of an Existential Understanding of Sexual Abuse
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65828/tjswj448Abstract
The aim of this paper is to use Søren Kierkegaard's concept of self to demonstrate some psychological phenomena of child sexual abuse victims. Their self is to a large extent determined by extreme outer circumstances i.e. the abuse and the abusers. In order to cope with the consequent psychological pain, victims employ powerful defence mechanisms which consequently, however, means that they remain longer in the abuse. Psychotherapies are attempts to help them to create their own self and gradually come out of their abuse. However, such creation of oneself is only carried out within their concretely traumatized self. One case study has been chosen to demonstrate the above thesis.
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