Part One: Occupational perceptions of the causes and consequences of child abuse/neglect

Abstract This paper examines common and divergent conceptions of child abuse and child neglect held by child welfare functionaries. Probate court judges, teachers, police, nurses and social workers were asked to identify the causes and manifestations of the "battered-child syndrome" in a self-administered questionnaire. Analysis of the data revealed that four distinct cognitive patterns exist in the identification of this social problem for each of these occupations. The four patterns are: child abuse, child neglect, psychological rejection and uncontrolled behavior. This factor interpretation remained largely consistent across occupational groups and deviations from these patterns were explained in the context of differing work experiences and in terms of social structural differences.