Title: In the Mind of the Sexual Offender | In the Mind of the Sexual Offender | Sexual Assault | Learn More | Center for Hope & Safety
Headings: In the Mind of the Sexual Offender
Center for Hope & Safety
In the Mind of the Sexual Offender
Excuse Making
Blaming
Redefining
Success Fantasies
Lying
Assuming
Above The Rules
Making Fools Of Others
Fragmentation
Minimizing
Anger
Power Plays
Playing Victim
Drama And Excitement
Closed Channel
Ownership
Self-Glorification

Content: In the Mind of the Sexual Offender | In the Mind of the Sexual Offender | Sexual Assault | Learn More | Center for Hope & Safety
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In the Mind of the Sexual Offender
Abusive people, including sexual offenders, typically think they are unique, really so different from other people that they do not have to follow the same rules everyone else does. Rather than being unique, abusers and sexual offenders have a lot in common with one another, including their patterns of thinking and behaving. Some of their characteristics are: Excuse Making
Instead of accepting responsibility for his actions, the sexual offender tries to justify his behavior. For example, “I was molested as a child” or “I was drunk when I did it” or “When she said no, I thought she meant yes.” Blaming
The sexual offender shifts responsibility for his actions from himself to others, a shift that allows him to blame the other person for “causing” his behavior. For example, “She was acting provocatively.” Redefining
In a variation on the tactic of blaming, the sexual offender redefines the situation so that the problem lies not with him but with the outside world in general. For example, “It is society’s fault.” Success Fantasies
The sexual offender believes he would be rich, famous, or extremely successful in some other terms if only people were not holding him back.