Cover not available

Article published In: Methodology of Narrative Study: What the first thirty years of Narrative Inquiry have revealed
Edited by Allyssa McCabe and Dorien Van De Mieroop
[Narrative Inquiry 31:1] 2021
► pp. 236–262

Get fulltext from our e-platform
JBE logo with link
PDF logo with download linkDownload PDF
authorization required

Agency and communion in sexual abuse survivors’ narratives

 | Holyoke Community College
 | University of Massachusetts Lowell
Published online: 27 October 2020
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/ni.20061.wil
Abstract
This study uses a form of narrative analysis to examine a sample of sexual abuse survivors’ impact statements (n = 117) given in court at the sentencing of the former USA Gymnastics Olympic team doctor, Larry Nassar. Narrative analysis allows for prioritization of the victim’s perspective. Statements are analyzed using themes of agency and communion (McAdams, D. P., Hoffman, B. J., Mansfield, E. D., & Day, R. (1996). Themes of agency and communion in significant autobiographical scenes. Journal of Personality, 64(2), 339–377. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar) and ineffectiveness and alienation (McCabe, A., & Dinh, K. T. (2016). Agency and communion, ineffectiveness and alienation: Themes in the life stories of Latino and southeast Asian adolescents. Imagination, Cognition and Personality, 36(2), 150–171. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar). Inclusion of ineffectiveness and alienation extends the work of McAdams, which began in the 1990s. Findings show that ineffectiveness and communion are positively correlated, as are ineffectiveness and alienation. Age and agency are also positively correlated such that older victims readily express themes of personal power and achievement. Agency and alienation are significantly more common in the statements than ineffectiveness. These findings suggest that participants’ sense of communion is particularly harmed by their victimization, and that impact statements have agentic-based and communion-based functions.
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • Themes of agency and communion
    • Agency, communion, victimization, and the justice system
      • Victim impact statements
  • The present study
  • Method
    • Participants
    • Measures
      • Demographic measures
        • Age
        • Race and gender
    • Materials and procedures for data collection and coding
      • Themes of agency and communion
        • Reliability of coding
  • Results
    • Relationships between the variables
    • Comparing the themes
      • Subthemes
  • Discussion
    • Most prevalent themes and most prevalent subthemes
    • Relationship between Age and the Themes
    • Limitations
    • Future directions
  • Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
References (49)
References
Aadnanes, M., & Gulbrandsen, L. M. (2018). Young people and young adults’ experiences with child abuse and maltreatment: Meaning making, conceptualizations, and dealing with violence. Qualitative Social Work, 17(4), 594–610. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Bandes, S. (1996). Empathy, narrative, and victim impact statements. The University of Chicago Law Review, 63(2), 361–412. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Berliner, L. (2011). Child sexual abuse: Definitions, prevalence, and consequences. In J. E. B. Myers (Ed.), The APSAC handbook on child maltreatment (pp. 215–232). SAGE.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Capella, C., Lama, X., Rodríguez, L., Águila, D., Beiza, G., Dussert, D., & Gutierrez, C. (2016). Winning a race: Narratives of healing and psychotherapy in children and adolescents who have been sexually abused. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 25(1), 73–92. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Cassell, P. G. (2009). In defense of victim impact statements. Ohio State Journal of Criminal Law, 6(2), 611–648.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Cope, M. (2008). Becoming a scholar-advocate: Participatory research with children. Antipode, 40(3), 428–435. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Cowdy, C. (2012). Resistant rituals: Self-mutilation and the female adolescent body in fairy tales and young adult fiction. Bookbird, 50(1), 42–52. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Crisma, M., Bascelli, E., Paci, D., & Romito, P. (2004). Adolescents who experienced sexual abuse: Fears, needs and impediments to disclosure. Child Abuse & Neglect, 28(10), 1035–1048. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Davis, R. C., Anderson, J., Whitman, J., & Howley, S. (2009). Finally getting victims their due: A process evaluation of the NCVLI victims’ rights clinics (Rep. No. 228389). Retrieved from [URL]
Diehl, M., Owen, S. K., & Youngblade, L. M. (2004). Agency and communion attributes in adults’ spontaneous self-representations. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 28(1), 1–15. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Fergusson, D. M., Boden, J. M., & Horwood, L. J. (2008). Exposure to childhood sexual and physical abuse and adjustment in early adulthood. Child Abuse & Neglect, 32 (6), 607–619. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Foster, J. M., & Hagedorn, W. B. (2014). Through the eyes of the wounded: A narrative analysis of children’s sexual abuse experiences and recovery process. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 23(5), 538–557. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Goldman, J., Salus, M. K., et al. (2003). A coordinated response to child abuse and neglect: The foundation for practice. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Gonzalez, M. J. (2014). Mental health care of families affected by the child welfare system. Child Welfare, 93(1), 7–57.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Hassan, M. A., Gary, F., Killion, C., Lewin, L., & Totten, V. (2015). Patterns of sexual abuse among children: Victims’ and perpetrators’ characteristics. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 24(4), 400–418. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Herman, J. L. (2005). Justice from the victim’s perspective. Violence Against Women, 11(5), 571–602. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Katz, C. (2013). Internet-related child sexual abuse: What children tell us in their testimonies. Children and Youth Services Review, 35(9), 1536–1542. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2014). “Please believe me; I am the biggest liar that exists”: Characterising children’s recantations during forensic investigations. Children and Youth Services Review, 431, 160–166. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Kerr, G., & Stirling, A. (2019). Where is safeguarding in sport psychology research and practice? Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 31(4), 367–384. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Krayer, A., Seddon, D., Robinson, C. A., & Gwilym, H. (2015). The influence of child sexual abuse on the self from adult narrative perspectives. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 24(2), 135–151. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Landis, J. R., & Koch, G. G. (1977). The measurement of observer agreement for categorical data. Biometrics, 33(1), 159–174. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Leahy, T., Pretty, G., & Tenenbaum, G. (2003). Childhood sexual abuse narratives in clinically and nonclinically distressed adult survivors. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 34(6), 657–665. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lens, K. M. E., Pemberton, A., & Bogaerts, S. (2013). Heterogeneity in victim participation: A new perspective on delivering a victim impact statement. European Journal of Criminology, 10(4), 479–495. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lens, K. M., Pemberton, A., Brans, K., Braeken, J., Bogaerts, S., & Lahlah, E. (2015). Delivering a victim impact statement: Emotionally effective or counter-productive? European Journal of Criminology, 12(1), 17–34. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lix, L. M., Keselman, J. C., & Keselman, H. J. (1996). Consequences of assumption violations revisited: A quantitative review of alternatives to the one-way analysis of variance F test. Review of Educational Research, 66(4), 579–619. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lorentzen, E., Nilsen, H., & Traeen, B. (2008). Will it never end? The narratives of incest victims on the termination of sexual abuse. Journal of Sex Research, 45(2), 164–174. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Loseke, D. R. (2019). Narrative productions of meanings: Exploring the work of stories in social life. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Mackey, A., & Gass, S. M. (2005). Second language research: Methodology and design. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Martin, E. K., & Silverstone, P. H. (2013). How much child sexual abuse is ‘below the surface,’ and can we help adults identify it early? Frontiers in Psychiatry, 41, 1–10. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
McAdams, D. P. (2002). Coding systems for themes of agency and communion. Retrieved from [URL]
McAdams, D. P., Hoffman, B. J., Mansfield, E. D., & Day, R. (1996). Themes of agency and communion in significant autobiographical scenes. Journal of Personality, 64(2), 339–377. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
McCabe, A., & Dinh, K. T. (2016). Agency and communion, ineffectiveness and alienation: Themes in the life stories of Latino and southeast Asian adolescents. Imagination, Cognition and Personality, 36(2), 150–171. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
McGovern, D. (2013). The therapeutic potential of victim impact statements for sexual violence. Sexual Abuse in Australia & New Zealand, 5(2), 21–30.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Mulligan, K. (2014). Educator sexual misconduct database, 2008–2010. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Papathomas, A., & Lavallee, D. (2012). Narrative constructions of anorexia and abuse: An athlete’s search for meaning in trauma. Journal of Loss and Trauma, 17(4), 293–318. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Pemberton, A., Aarten, P. G. M., & Mulder, E. (2017). Beyond retribution, restoration and procedural justice: The Big Two of communion and agency in victims’ perspectives on justice. Psychology, Crime & Law, 23(7), 682–698. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2019). Stories as property: Narrative ownership as a key concept in victims’ experiences with criminal justice. Criminology & Criminal Justice, 19(4), 404–420. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Pemberton, A., Mulder, E., & Aarten, P. G. M. (2019). Stories of injustice: Towards a narrative victimology. European Journal of Criminology, 16(4), 391–412. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Roberts, J. V., & Erez, E. (2004). Communication in sentencing: Exploring the expressive function of victim impact statements. International Review of Victimology, 10(3), 223–244. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Rogers, D., Laster, K. and Inglis, N. (1994). Victims of efficiency: Tracking victim impact information through the system in Victoria, Australia. International Review of Victimology, 3(1–2), 95–110.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Shnabel, N., & Nadler, A. (2008). A needs-based model of reconciliation: Satisfying the differential emotional needs of victim and perpetrator as a key to promoting reconciliation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 941, 116–132. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
SimanTov-Nachlieli, I., Shnabel, N., & Nadler, A. (2013). Individuals’ and groups’ motivation to restore their impaired identity dimensions following conflicts: Evidence and implications. Social Psychology, 44(2), 129–137. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Slakoff, D. C., & Brennan, P. K. (2017). The differential representation of Latina and black female victims in front-page news stories: A qualitative document analysis. Feminist Criminology, 1–29. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Smith, C. P., & Freyd, J. J. (2013). Dangerous safe havens: Institutional betrayal exacerbates sexual trauma. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 26(1), 119–124. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Steinberg, A., & Fromm, L. (2012). The use of narrative and persuasion in the child forensic psychiatric report and testimony. Journal of Psychiatry & Law, 40(1), 23–41. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Stirling, A. E., & Kerr, G. A. (2007). Elite female swimmers’ experiences of emotional abuse across time. Journal of Emotional Abuse, 7(4), 89–113. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2008). Defining and categorising emotional abuse in sport. European Journal of Sport Science, 8(4), 173–181. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Who is Larry Nassar? A timeline of his decades-long career, sexual assault convictions and prison sentences. (2018). Retrieved October 12, 2018, from [URL]
Wurtele, S. K. (2012). Preventing the sexual exploitation of minors in youth-serving organizations. Children and Youth Services Review, 34(12), 2442–2453. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Cited by (9)

Cited by nine other publications

Kragting, Marleen, Freya Augusteijn, Alice Bosma, Nieke Elbers & Antony Pemberton
2025. Victim impact statements in the courtroom: Agency and communion in communication with victims. International Review of Victimology DOI logo
Kuhlin, Fanny & Natalie Barker-Ruchti
2025. The abuse narrative in sport: the findings of a framework synthesis literature review. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health 17:5 ► pp. 382 ff. DOI logo
Ali, Farah
2024. Sexual Violence in Higher Education: A Critical Discourse Analysis of University Policies. Higher Education Policy DOI logo
Dijkstra-Eijkemans, Rachel I., Linda J. Knap, Nieke A. Elbers, Roland D. Friele & Antony Pemberton
2024. Patient perspectives on adverse event investigations in health care. BMC Health Services Research 24:1 DOI logo
Holder, Robyn L & Elizabeth Englezos
2024. Victim participation in criminal justice: A quantitative systematic and critical literature review. International Review of Victimology 30:1 ► pp. 25 ff. DOI logo
Kragting, Marleen, Nieke Elbers, Freya Augusteijn, Mijke de Waardt, Joris Beijers, Maarten Kunst & Antony Pemberton
2024. Understanding the Relation Between Agency and Communion and Victim Impact Statements. International Criminology 4:1 ► pp. 66 ff. DOI logo
Toivonen, Heidi & Marco Caracciolo
2023. Storytalk and complex constructions of nonhuman agency. Narrative Inquiry 33:1 ► pp. 61 ff. DOI logo
van de Ven, Pien & Antony Pemberton
2022. Peer Support and the Management of Spoiled Identities: Re-narrating the Victimization Experience. Victims & Offenders 17:7 ► pp. 1009 ff. DOI logo
Rolón-Dow, Rosalie & Michelle J. Bailey
2021. Insights on Narrative Analysis from a Study of Racial Microaggressions and Microaffirmations. American Journal of Qualitative Research 6:1 ► pp. 1 ff. DOI logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 28 november 2025. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.

Mobile Menu Logo with link to supplementary files background Layer 1 prag Twitter_Logo_Blue