THEMES OF POWER AND BETRAYAL IN SEXUAL ABUSE SURVIVORS CHARACTERIZATIONS OF INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS

Consistent with the notion that childhood sexual abuse (CSA) shapes mo tivational dispositions and internalized schemata that are reflected i n adult characterizations of self and others, we hypothesized that adu lt CSA survivors' characterizations of interpersonal relationships wou ld reflect greater power motivation as defined by McClelland and Winte r, and more preoccupation with themes of powerlessness and betrayal th an nonabused adult's - a pattern associated with poor psychological fu nctioning. Stories written by women with CSA histories (n = 43) reflec ted both a greater need for and fear of power, and contained more them es of powerlessness and betrayal than stories written by women without CSA histories (n = 43). Frequency of sexual abuse in combination with fear of power was predictive of depression and low self-esteem.