THE EFFECTS ON CHILDREN OF SEXUAL ABUSE

The objectives of this research are to (1) review literature relevant to the incidence, causes, and effects of child sexual abuse (CSA), (2) review the concepts of symbolic interaction and systems theory as these concepts are relevant to CSA, and (3) compare and contrast the two conceptual frameworks as means of providing explanations for and solutions to the phenomenon of CSA. Each of these objectives is dealt with in a separate discussion section of this paper.

The Phenomenon of Child Sexual Abuse:

American society is becoming increasingly sensitized to sex-related criminal behavior. Politicians, social service professionals, criminal justice professionals, and other responsible parties are under increasing pressures to develop and implement policies that will both protect the public, provide assistance to victims, and provide help to the extent possible to the perpetrators of sexual offenses.

Reports indicate that the number of CSA cases in the United States increases annually, and that these increases are greater than the increase in the child population of the country (Ginsberg, 1992, p. 29). The year-to-year percentage increase in the number of CSA cases has been decreasing since 1983; however, society cannot be complacent about this apparent trend, because as the base number of CSA cases increase an increase in the absolute number o such cases occurring within a given year may not trans

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"Me" (the social self), through a role taking behavior wherein the child assumes the role of the generalized other. Through this behavioral process, the child derives meanings from the nonverbal actions and verbal statements of significant others within the family structure. Meaning, thus, "arises in the process of interaction between people" (p. 143). Meanings are "modified through an interpretive process used by the person with things he or she encounters" (p. 143). The interpretive process relies on the use of symbols. Symbolic interactionists hold that human action cannot be understood apart from the subjective interpretations assigned to situations by the individuals involved in those situations (LaRossa & Reitzes, p. 140). These subjective interpretations are derived from the definition of the situation from the perspective of an individual who is a part of the situation. It is, according to social interactionists, through social interaction that "individuals apply broad shared symbols and actively create the special meanings of self, others, and situations" (p. 149). Systems Theory The systemic paradigm focuses on the organizational structure of social life" (Babbie, p. 56). Within this framework, societal comp

Category: Psychology - T