Highlighting of processes of empathy of rape victims toward their aggressor during psychological interview
Abstract
Contrary to the abundance of studies dealing with the relationship between aggressor empathy deficit and sexual offending (Chiland, 2012 ; Barnett and Mann, 2013a/b ; Guiller et al., 2011 ; Pham, 2007), there is a paucity of research devoted to the study of the processes of empathy of the rape victim towards her aggressor (Carver, 2004 ; Garden Breche., 2003 ; Sironi, 1999). The goal of this innovative research is to the mental states that the rape victim lends to her attacker during the course of the psychological interview by means of discourse analysis. Moreover we test the link between the victim’s search to understand the perpetrator (quest for the meaning) and access to resilience. Our primary results show genuine cognitive efforts conveyed by the victims in order to understand their abuser.