Synopses & Reviews
"... an intellectually stimulating discussion of important theories and an enthrallingly personal reading experience." --Elizabeth L. Navarre\
"... the one book we've been waiting for.... The book succeeds admirably in exploring six women's stories with a great deal of respect." --Changes: An International Journal of Psychology and Psychotherapy
"... poignant revelations... Johnson is able to paint an individualized portrait of each woman and avoids twisting their stories to fit some theory." --Publishers Weekly
"... a gritty glimpse of a painful struggle, and a framework for rethinking our perspectives and prejudices." --The Women's Review of Books
Janis Tyler Johnson has collected the stories of six mothers who relate, in their own words, their experiences as mothers of incest victims. Their accounts challenge the collusive, mother-blaming theory of incest families. Mothers tell how they discovered the incest secret, the ways they responded, and the meanings that incest held for themselves, their daughters, husbands, and families.
Synopsis
This book is the first direct account of incest-family mother. Six women relate their experiences in accounts that challenge the collusive mother model. They tell how they discovered the incest, why the secret was kept, how they responded to and explained events, and how they interpret the consequences for their daughters, husbands, families, and themselves.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. [151]-157) and index.
About the Author
JANICE TYLER JOHNSON, Professor of Sociology and Social Work at Immaculata College, has been a social worker in community mental health, family service, and public child welfare. She has trained and consulted with professionals from different disciplines in the area of child sexual abuse.
Table of Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
1. Introduction
2. Meet the Mothers
3. The Secret Is Revealed
4. Keeping the Secret
5. The Mothers Respond
6. Explanations
7. Meanings
8. Some Conclusions
9. Notes to Professionals
Epilogue
Appendix A: About the Study
Appendix B: Letter to Mother
Appendix C: Initial Interview Protocol
Appendix D: Consent Forms
Notes References
Index