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Evil, Child Abuse and the Caring Professions.

Caroline Humphrey1

  • 1Room 242 Wilberforce Building, School of Social Sciences, University of Hull, Cottingham Road, Hull, HU6 7RX, UK, c.humphrey@hull.ac.uk.

Journal of Religion and Health
|June 9, 2014
PubMed
Summary

This study examines how "evil" is used in discussions of child abuse, contrasting professional views with public perception. It suggests a metaphorical concept of evil could aid therapeutic work with abuse survivors and perpetrators.

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Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Sociology
  • Ethics

Background:

  • Professional discourses often avoid the concept of evil when discussing child abuse.
  • Public perception frequently frames child abuse as inherently evil.
  • Therapists and social workers grapple with conceptualizing child abuse, sometimes using moral or metaphysical frameworks.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the invocation of the concept of evil in relation to child abuse.
  • To analyze how professional, public, and therapeutic discourses frame child abuse through the lens of evil.
  • To critically evaluate the utility of moral and metaphysical evil concepts in professional contexts.

Main Methods:

  • Juxtaposition of professional and public discourses on child abuse and evil.
  • Discussion of therapeutic work with perpetrators and survivors in the USA.
  • Analysis of case studies on Satanic abuse and spirit possession in the UK.
  • Critical appraisal of referencing moral and metaphysical evil in professional discourse.

Main Results:

  • Therapists in the USA frame child abuse causes/consequences as moral evil.
  • UK social workers and religious groups interpret child abuse through metaphysical evil (Satanic abuse, spirit possession).
  • Professional discourses often eschew the concept of evil, contrasting with public outrage.

Conclusions:

  • Referencing moral and metaphysical evil in professional discourse has limitations.
  • A mythical-metaphorical conception of evil offers a more flexible and potentially fruitful therapeutic resource for child abuse cases.

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