Biografiekonstruktionen im Dienste der Abwehr

The material examined comprised videotaped group sessions in which the participating sexual offenders talked about their crimes and biographies. Out of the available texts four types of narrative formats of biography construction were elaborated: the medical case report, the coming-of-age novel, the vita sexualis and the family drama. Each format includes specific subjective theories about deviant behaviour and sheds light on the diverse defense dynamics. These dynamics could be extracted analyzing various narrative levels, such as the structure of the narration, the self-positioning in the story and the interactions of the group. It was shown how the participants either accepted or rejected responsibility and guilt, which is considered highly relevant for the prognosis. The presented study gives important insight into psychotherapy with sexual offenders.