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ETD Abstract Container

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Empathy and the adolescent sexual offender: An examination of the specificity of empathy deficits and the relationship between empathy and distorted thought

McCrady, Fara Elaine
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1116814427

Abstract Details

2005, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Psychology.
Adolescent males commit a significant proportion of sexual offenses, and often an offense in adolescence signifies the beginning of a continuing pattern of behavior. A diminished capacity for empathic responding is often considered a fundamental deficit of adult sex offenders, though little research has been conducted in this area with adolescent sexual offenders. This study examined the role of empathy in adolescent sexual offending, investigating offenders’ empathy as it related to general, moderately specific, and specific victims. The relationship between various levels of empathy and cognitive distortion, degree of force used in abusive encounters, and the offender’s modus operandi was also examined. Similar to findings reported in the adult literature, there is a degree of differentiation in the empathic responding of adolescent sexual offenders. The adolescent offenders in this study did not, overall, have difficulty with empathic responding. In fact, study adolescents experienced more empathy for their own sex abuse victims (i.e., specific empathy) than for a general sex abuse or accident victim. Examination of the cognitive and emotional components of empathy suggests adolescent sexual offenders may have unique difficulty with cognitive processing. The pattern of empathy deficits is suggestive of a protective function for empathy deficits. The notion that measured empathy deficits may reflect distorted thinking patterns is discussed.
Michael Vasey (Advisor)
70 p.
Psychology, Clinical
juvenile sexual offender; empathy; cognitive distortions; force; modus operandi

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • McCrady, F. E. (2005). Empathy and the adolescent sexual offender: An examination of the specificity of empathy deficits and the relationship between empathy and distorted thought [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1116814427

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • McCrady, Fara. Empathy and the adolescent sexual offender: An examination of the specificity of empathy deficits and the relationship between empathy and distorted thought. 2005. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1116814427.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • McCrady, Fara. "Empathy and the adolescent sexual offender: An examination of the specificity of empathy deficits and the relationship between empathy and distorted thought." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2005. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1116814427

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1116814427
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© 2005, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.