ABSTRACT
Only a minority of male survivors become perpetrators of sexual abuse, and yet the fear of becoming an abuser tends to be a preoccupation for many—both survivors and those around them. Psychotherapeutic work with male survivors can require something of a psycho-educative component when working with the patient’s fears of abusing. How this is worked with depends on whether the patient’s fears are anxiety-based or reality-based. E. V. Welldon speaks about the need for forensic psychotherapy to take place in a triangular context, and highlights the dangers of such intensive clinical work taking place without the protective membrane of a safe and secure institution. While sexual abuse is predominantly an act of power and aggression, it is also sexual. A high percentage of male subjects abused by a female relative became perpetrators, with parental loss in childhood also being a strong predictor of being a perpetrator.
