The defiled self: towards a theological response to the experiential phenomenon of defilement amongst adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse

The sense of being defiled after childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is ubiquitous in professional and autobiographical literature. First, this thesis aims to explore the psychological nature of this phenomenon referred to as the Defiled Self. Analysis of the empirical research and theoretical literature related to CSA and shame, defilement, mental contamination and disgust/self-disgust pointed to the conclusion that the Defiled Self is an emotion schema whereby the emotions of shame and self-disgust and the cognitions associated with perceiving oneself to be defiled interact synergistically. Secondly, this thesis aims to develop a hypothetical narrative of how the Defiled Self might evolve; this revealed many potential triggers of shame and disgust/self-disgust in the context of CSA. Thirdly, this thesis aims to argue for a theological conceptualisation of the Defiled Self which is developed using the sub-categories of human nature and the imago Dei, and personhood. It concludes that the impact of CSA as seen in the Defiled Self can cause a profoundly disordered personhood in terms of relationality, embodiment, sexuality and agency. The fourth aim is to determine how sin operates in the development of the Defiled Self; after discussions of sin as defilement and original sin it is concluded that the perpetration of CSA is fully the sin and responsibility of the abuser but that the personal sin of the survivor may be involved in the development of the abused identity although this cannot be empirically tested. The final aim is to test the efficacy of three models of atonement in resolving the difficulties of the Defiled Self. Anselmian Satisfaction, Penal Substitutionary Atonement and Christus Victor are examined using criteria informed by the psychological and theological conceptualisations of the Defiled Self. This showed that none of these models met all criteria but Christus Victor proved to be the most helpful.