Sexual offenders' cognitive distortions as implicit theories

In this article, I argue that sexual offenders' cognitive distortions emerg e from underlying causal theories about the nature of their victims. These implicit theories function like scientific theories and are used to explain empirical regularities (e.g. other people's actions) and to make predictio ns about the world. They are relatively coherent and constituted by a numbe r of interlocking ideas and their component concepts and categories. Follow ing a review of research from other areas in psychology on implicit theorie s, I consider the implications of this perspective for understanding cognit ive distortions in sexual offenders. Finally, I discuss the research and cl inical implications of viewing cognitive distortions in offenders as implic it theories. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.