Question

Counselors who have worked extensively with adolescent girls, who have a history of sexual abuse, commonly report the girls either become sexually promiscuous or sexually avoidant as a result of the abuse.  Using cognitive therapy principles (or Cognitive-Behavioral principles), explain how these two polar opposite behavioral patterns might develop.

Answer 1

A person who has been abused sexually in childhood or has a long history of sexual abuse tend to develop faulty or negative cognition about themselves and the world/ others around. For a person with long lasting and prominent sexual abuse history it is very obvious to develop irrational cognition or thought patterns like “I am not wanted” , “I am weak” , “ The world is not trustworthy “ etc. These cognition or thoughts can affect the person’s behaviour and actions .

The cognitive behavioural model suggests that our cognition guide our behaviour always. So in other words faulty thoughts or cognition can lead to faulty behaviour patterns . In order to change these faulty behaviours it is very important for the thoughts or cognition to be changed . Negative thoughts are replaced by positive ones and gradually resulting in change in behaviour .

Girls having history of sexual abuse can either become sexually promiscuous or sexually avoidant as a result of the abuse. Now these two are total opposites . Sexually promiscuous means to be involved in sexual relationship in more than one partner and it includes frequent change of sexual partners. Whereas sexually avoidant as the name suggests means to avoid any kind of sexual relationship and contact , even with spouse.

For girls becoming sexually promiscuous after history of sexual abuse . They tend to develop faulty cognition after the episode . For example they may think they had to be sexually desirable to have any self-worth or maybe they could be using this to subside away the actual pain and harm of sexual abuse and it’s memory. Such faulty cognition can lead to such behaviour and sooner or later it will become part of their personality .

For girls becoming sexually avoidant after sexual abuse history . It is the most common effect of sexual abuse . They tend to avoid sexual contact and relationships because they think of the world and people around them as not trustworthy . They may develop negative cognitions and thoughts about the world and people around them and this would result in behaviours like avoidance of sexual relationships even with partners or spouse.