ABSTRACT
Lundberg-Love, et al have shown that incest survivors score signincantly higher than controls on six of 10 clinical scales of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory. On the other hand, the absence of pathology in any of these categories may indicate that the client is not a survivor or that the abuse was minimal. Keeping in mind this and the other indicators described in this chapter can help therapists discriminate clients along a continuum of abuse severity and abuse-related disorders. Another sign of an abuse history is recurrent amnesia about the contents. Sexual relationships with older boys or men, especially in adolescence, are also a possible sign. Some survivors, even early in treatment, will reveal that they had been sexually involved with a younger sibling or neighbor. Another danger of the current public disclosures by survivors is an overzealousness on the part of clients and clinicians in defining incest.
