The spiritual dimensions of psychopolitical validity: the case of the clergy sexual abuse crisis

✍ Scribed by Diana L. Jones; Paul R. Dokecki

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2008
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 141 KB
• Volume: 36
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0090-4392
• DOI: 10.1002/jcop.20227

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

In this article, the authors explore the spiritual dimensions of psychopolitical validity and use it as a lens to analyze clergy sexual abuse. The psychopolitical approach suggests a comprehensive human science methodology that invites exploration of phenomena such as spirituality and religious experience and the use of methods from a wide variety of disciplines, including philosophy and theology. They report an analysis showing the clergy sexual abuse crisis to be a system with interrelated personal, relational, and social/collective aspects, many of which are in the spiritual domain. The analysis shows how the abuse of power permeates the clergy sexual abuse system and suggests that two interrelated levels of reform must occur: (a) the church must transformatively change its structures to liberate its members to develop spiritually as mature persons—a political task, and (b) consciousness raising is required to help empower people to assume their rightful role in church decision making—a psychological task. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.