Roman Catholic Clericalism,Religious Duress,and Clergy Sexual Abuse

Since 1984, sexual abuse by Catholic clergy has captured public attention and resulted in a stream of criminal and civil lawsuits. The hierarchy has been defensive in the face of constant accusations and criticism. This study examines selected key aspects of the clergy sex abuse phenomenon including historical precedents and the impact of clericalism on the development of psychological and emotional duress in victims and others closely associated with sexual abuse.     

Pilot Study of Psychopathology Among Roman Catholic Secular Clergy

This pilot study gathered information regarding overall levels of psychopathology in a nationally selected, random sample of U.S. Roman Catholic secular (i.e., diocesan) priests using the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R; Derogatis, 2004). The study yielded a response rate of 45%. One-half of the participants reported marked psychological problems, with interpersonal sensitivity, anxiety, and depression most strongly correlated with the instrument’s overall index of psychopathology. Four dimensional scales were elevated (i.e., obsessive-compulsive, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, psychoticism), as were two indices (i.e., GSI, PST). Implications and directions for future research are discussed.     

The Roman Catholic Pedophilia Crisis and the Call to Erotic Conversion

Abstract

The abuse of children and associated cover-ups have damaged the laity's trust in priests, unsettled the church's finances and exposed a culture of self-deception. Consequently, there is more focus on priest's sexual orientation and a clerical culture that includes hidden sexual behavior. Yet, Rome and the bishops are creating an environment which encourages the suppression of sexuality. In this climate, priests may be more prone to a less healthy and less mature incorporation of sexuality into daily living. Meanwhile, little theological discussion has occurred regarding the contribution of the church's narrow view of sexuality on this crisis. As a response, this article will use Lonergan's methodology to introduce the notion of Erotic Conversion, or, ‘turning with’ our sexual energies in an affirming manner. This concept will be brought into dialogue with the concept of embodiment and those theologies which have arisen from the gay and lesbian liberation movement.     

Exploring Power and Gender Issues Emergent in an Institutional Workshop on Preventing Clergy Sexual Misconduct

The Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) sponsors the Crossing the Boundaries (CTB) workshop, a program that focuses on the maintenance of appropriate boundaries in clergy-congregant relationships as a means to prevent clergy sexual misconduct. Drawing primarily on an analysis of the synod-sanctioned workshop materials, an observation of the workshop, and interviews with 10 pastors who have attended the workshop, this paper explores differing conceptions of power and gender held by the synod officials and workshop participants.     

Ecological Way of Understanding and Explaining Clergy Sexual Misconduct

In trying to understand and explain clergy sexual misconduct, this article seeks the help of two interrelated interpretive frames: (1) social structures and other network of relationships that immediately surround or embed persons, and (2) human behavior which is expressed through and because of social rules and resources, groups and grids, structures and systems. It presupposes that the not-so predictable and less-visible sexual misbehavior could be brought into discussion with the help of other ideas: habitus (enduring predispositions) and limen (threshold). Through these ideas, covert behavior may become less hidden for it will be conceptually gathered from its entangled condition between the psychological and socio-cultural factors. In its more integrated psycho-social environmental way of explaining, this essay avoids both the overly psychological and the too-sociological approaches of interpreting behavior. In other words, it avoids a single manner of viewing sexual misconduct. This manner of understanding misconduct is a way of broadening the canvass and giving up an outdated either-psychology-or-sociology strokes. This study also raises some questions regarding character formation and institutions.     

The Abuse of Power: A View of Sexual Misconduct in a Systemic Approach to Pastoral Care

The article explores the dynamics of transference and countertransference in hierarchical relationships which exist between clergy and lay persons, both in the parish setting, as well as in the pastoral counseling relationship. It is of utmost importance that the power differential be consciously acknowledged by pastoral caregivers so that appropriate boundaries can be exercised. All too often it is the negligent, careless, or unconscious disregard for this power dynamic by individuals providing pastoral care that has led to the sexual violations recently surfaced within our religious institutions. Acknowledgement of the imbalance of power, and its consequences for both clergy and parishioner, is essential in a systemic model of pastoral care.     

The Sexual Abuse Crisis in the Roman Catholic Church: What Psychologists and Counselors Should Know

Recent events regarding child sexual abuse committed by Roman Catholic priests in the Archdiocese of Boston and elsewhere have yet again resulted in a tremendous amount of media attention and frenzy regarding this topic. During 2002 alone, approximately 300 American Catholic priests, including several bishops, were accused of child sexual abuse. Many were forced to resign their positions while others were prosecuted and went to prison. Curiously, there still exist many myths and misperceptions about priests who sexually abuse children and their victims. Since psychologists and other mental health professionals are likely to interact with many who have been impacted by these recent events, it is important for them to have some basic understanding of the various myths and misperceptions about sexual abuse committed by Roman Catholic priests.     

Roman Catholic Gay Priests: Internalized Homophobia, Sexual Identity, and Psychological Well-Being

Using convenience sampling, a national sample of 156 actively ministering or retired Roman Catholic priests was obtained. One hundred and five (105) of these priests identified as gay/homosexual (67.3 %), 42 identified as heterosexual (26.9 %), and 9 identified as bisexual (5.8 %). Due to the small number of bisexual participants, the bisexual priests’ responses were excluded, and the whole sample was divided into a gay/homosexual group and a heterosexual comparison group. This confidential study yielded a response rate of 78 %. The priests were mailed self-report survey instruments, including the Scales of Psychological Well-Being, the Internalized Homonegativity Inventory, the Gay Identity Questionnaire, the Depression-Happiness Scale, and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale, as well as a demographics questionnaire. Results demonstrated that internalized homophobia was negatively correlated with psychological well-being and associated with depression. Internalized homophobia was also found to be related to less integration of sexual identity. There was no significant difference between the gay/homosexual and the heterosexual group in their psychological well-being and depression scores, and both groups emerged as high scorers on the measures of psychological well-being and depression-happiness (high scores on this bipolar instrument indicate happiness). Implications and limitations of the study are reviewed and discussed.     

Clericalism: Enabler of Clergy Sexual Abuse

Sexual abuse by Catholic clergy and religious has become the greatest challenge facing Catholicism since the Reformation. Violations of clerical celibacy have occurred throughout history. The institutional church remains defensive while scholars in the behavioral and social sciences probe deeply into the nature of institutional Catholicism, searching for meaningful explanations for the dysfunctional sexual behavior. Clericalism which has traditionally led to deep-seated societal attitudes about the role of the clergy in religious and secular society, explains in part why widespread abuse has apparently been allowed. Clericalism has a profound emotional and psychological influence on victims, church leadership, and secular society. It has enabled the psychological duress experienced by victims which explains why many have remained silent for years. It has also inspired societal denial which has impeded many from accepting clergy sexual abuse as a serious and even horrific crime. Thomas P. Doyle is a Canon Lawyer and Certified Addictions Specialist.     

The Spiritual Trauma Experienced by Victims of Sexual Abuse by Catholic Clergy

Most of the published literature on clergy abuse of children has addressed the emotional and psychological effects of sexual abuse common to all victims. The literature published by Church-related sources has consistently addressed the impact of clergy abuse on the Church as an institution as well as the problems and treatment needs of the clergy abusers. Little has been written or even explored about the spiritual trauma suffered by clergy victims. This article examines some of the symptoms and possible recovery from the spiritual dimension of post abuse trauma.     

A Time to Learn: A Comparison of Policies Dealing with Clergy Sexual Misconduct

This is the first article to compare a variety of religious organizations’ codes of conduct when dealing with clergy sexual misconduct. The comparison of codes from Catholic, Protestant and Jewish institutions provide a valuable indication of how this important and complex set of issues is being approached. Moreover, the sharing of information contained in this article will encourage clergy based organizations to learn from the practices of others in order to improve their regulatory procedures. In addition, it is hoped that as religious institutions learn from each other, stronger and more effective responses will be developed to address clergy boundary violations.     

Sexual Ethics Training in Seminary: Preparing Students to Manage Feelings of Sexual Attraction

Pastoral Psychology - Sexual boundary violations by clergy have received heightened media attention in recent years with far reaching implications for the long-term well-being of the Church as an...     

Psychological type preferences of Roman Catholic priests in the United Kingdom

This study explores the psychological type profile of Roman Catholic priests. A sample of 79 priests completed the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (Form G). The study shows that Roman Catholic priests tend to prefer introversion over extraversion, feeling over thinking and judging over perceiving. Near equal preferences are shown for sensing and intuition. The type preferences of Roman Catholic priests in the UK are compared and contrasted with the type preferences of Roman Catholic priests in the USA and Protestant clergy in the UK. These findings are explored within the context of the role of the priest within the Roman Catholic Church.     

Psychological Assessment of Homosexual Tendencies in Potential Candidates for the Roman Catholic Priesthood

While the recent Instruction by the Congregation for Catholic Education concerning the criteria for the discernment of vocations with regard to persons with homosexual tendencies has offered a clear direction to bishops and religious superiors in screening candidates, a discussion by psychologists on methods of assessing the presence of such tendencies within individuals is necessary. This paper will review relevant assessment techniques and suggest how psychologists can address this issue in evaluation reports, including making specific recommendations relevant to the issue of homosexual tendencies.     

Psychological Correlates of Perception of Sexual Intent in Women

Abstract

In a sample of 183 men and 186 women, the authors assessed (a) the relative contributions of gender and level of nonverbal social cues to the perception of a female actor's sexual intent during a videotaped social interaction with a man and (b) the association between those variables and personality traits implicated in faulty sexual-information processing. The authors assessed those variables while the participants viewed 1 of 3 film segments depicting a female-male interaction. The authors experimentally manipulated eye contact, touch, physical proximity, and female clothing. At all levels of those nonverbal cues, the men perceived more sexual intent in the female actor than did the women. The perception of the female actor's sexual intent increased as the nonverbal cues in the film segments were magnified: Both actors displayed more eye contact, touch, and physical proximity, and the female actor wore more revealing clothing. Relative to the women, the men demonstrated greater sexual preoccupation and reduced sociosexual effectiveness, variables associated with inferring greater sexual intent in the female actor.     

Clericalism,Religious Duress and its Psychological Impact on Victims of Clergy Sexual Abuse

Religious duress is a unique kind of threat and constraint involuntarily experienced by some members of the Roman Catholic Church as a result of religious indoctrination and training. Fear, awe and respect for the clergy foster the development and actualization of religious duress. This phenomenon can seriously impede a person’s capacity to accurately perceive and evaluate abusive actions perpetrated on them by clergy. This constraint poses an impediment to emotional and spiritual development. Internalized religious duress confuses and psychologically overwhelms such individuals and renders them incapable of absorbing their sexual trauma. The consequent feelings of numbness and immobility distort the perception of reality. It then becomes impossible for the individual to act in a manner that would protect and promote emotional growth and spiritual well being.     

Psychological Type Profile of Roman Catholic Priests: An Empirical Enquiry in the United States

This study explores the psychological type profile of Roman Catholic priests serving in the United States, drawing on data provided by 55 priests who completed the Francis Psychological Type Scales. The data demonstrated clear preferences for introversion (67 %), sensing (64 %), and judging (91 %), and for a balance between thinking (49 %) and feeling (51 %). A very high proportion of priests reported preferences for ISTJ (27 %), compared with 16 % of men in the U.S. population. Implications of these findings are discussed for ministry in the Roman Catholic Church.     

Sexual Risk-Taking Behaviors Among Adolescents with Severe Emotional Disturbance

We investigated the sexual risk-taking behaviors of adolescents with severe emotional disturbance (SED). Subjects (N = 70) were clients of the South Carolina Continuum of Care. Information on sexual intercourse, sexual risk-taking, aggressive behaviors, substance use, and suicidal behavior was gathered using a modified version of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention self-report Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Forty-two percent of each race-gender group reported first intercourse before age 13, except for African American females at 63%. Seventy-five to 79% of all race-gender groups reported first sexual intercourse by age 18. Drinking alcohol before age 13 and carrying a weapon in the past 30 days were associated with first intercourse before age 13. Youth reporting first intercourse between ages 13 and 18 were about 12 times more likely to report suicide ideation than those youth who reported never having sexual intercourse. Youth with SED reporting first intercourse before age 13 appear to have an increased risk for unintended pregnancy and for contracting a sexually transmitted disease compared to youth with SED reporting first intercourse after age 13.     

Sexual and Physical Abuse Among Adolescent Girls with Disruptive Behavior Problems

We examined the prevalence and age of onset of physical and sexual abuse in a clinic-referred sample of adolescent girls, as well as differences in diagnoses and symptoms among abused and non-abused girls. Forty-nine girls (aged 13–17 years) with disruptive behavior were interviewed along with their primary caretaker. Data were gathered through both a structured interview with the girl and her parent, as well as self and parent-report questionnaires. Findings indicated that the prevalence of Conduct Disorder (CD) and Major Depression were higher for abused girls. Somatoform Pain Disorder was significantly less likely for physically abused girls, compared to girls who were both physically and sexually abused. Of CD symptoms, truancy was twice as high for the physically and sexually abused group, compared to the prevalence for non-abused girls. Internalizing symptoms were also highest for the dual abuse group. Onset graphs show that the onset of sexual abuse usually occurred at an earlier age than the onset of physical abuse. Abused girls showed an earlier age of onset of CD symptoms. Results indicated that the experience of combined types of abuse is associated with a poorer psychiatric prognosis.     

The Role of Male Sexual Partners in HIV Infection Among Male-to-Female Transgendered Individuals

SUMMARY

Male-to-female transgendered persons (MtF) in San Francisco have very high HIV prevalence and incidence. To explore possible sources for these high rates of HIV infection, a rapid needs assessment was conducted using two methods: (1) an interviewer-administered, mostly closed-ended survey with the male partners of MtF persons, and (2) focus groups with MtF persons. Five main themes were evident from the findings: (1) male partners of MtF persons are of all ages, races, sexual orientations, and socioeconomic backgrounds; (2) high-risk sex occurs between MtF persons and their male sexual partners, despite a high level of concern about HIV among both the male and MtF study participants; (3) drug use appears to play a role in unsafe sex between MtF and their male partners; (4) male partners of MtF persons may represent a possible bridge for HIV transmission among different populations, given that they reported sex with male and female partners, as well as transgendered partners; and (5) men engaging in receptive anal sex with MtF partners probably occurs more frequently than reported by the male participants, given the comments of MtF study participants. The results indicate a need for creative, community-based HIV prevention strategies that target the male partners of MtF transgendered persons.