Spiritual abuse as a specific form of emotional abuse: A conceptual clarification to raise awareness of psychological violence in the church

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7213/2175-1838.16.002.AO06

Abstract

In the article, I present the phenomenon of spiritual abuse as a specific manifestation of emotional abuse. Abuse is understood as the harmful instrumentalization of individuals to satisfy personal needs or to fulfill the interests of groups or institutions. In cases of emotional abuse, no physical violence is employed, yet the impact on the victims' health and well-being is proven to be comparable to experiences of physical abuse. The distress caused is primarily explained by the significant impairment of the psychological basic needs for self-efficacy and social bonding. Spiritual abuse, in turn, is a form of emotional abuse in which faith, in the broadest sense, is used as a manipulative and abusive instrument of power. Thus, spiritual abuse shares overlaps with emotional abuse but also possesses distinctive characteristics. The fact that spiritual abuse is widespread in the church context and often precedes sexual abuse has only been processed and addressed in theological discourse for a few years. The following article aims to contribute to raising awareness of the exercise of psychological violence in the church through an interdisciplinary examination of the phenomenon from both psychological and theological perspectives.

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Author Biography

Josefa Woditsch, Universidade Católica de Eichstätt/Ingolstadt (Bavaria, Alemanha)

Josefa Woditsch

E-mail: [email protected]

Graduação:

Mestrado em Teologia

 

Profissão:

Assistente de pesquisa e docente no Departamento de Dogmática na Universidade Católica de Eichstätt/Ingolstadt (Bavaria, Alemanha)

 

Website:

https://www.ku.de/thf/dogmatik-und-dogmengeschichte/mitarbeitende/josefa-woditsch

 

 

 

 

Published

2024-08-27

How to Cite

Woditsch, J. (2024). Spiritual abuse as a specific form of emotional abuse: A conceptual clarification to raise awareness of psychological violence in the church. Pistis Praxis, 16(2), 372–388. https://doi.org/10.7213/2175-1838.16.002.AO06