Fl-Isem tal-Missier

Abstract

There is a great body of literature relating to the problem of sexual addiction in the general community. According to Davies (2003), whilst there is no definite figure on how many clergy have sexual addiction, the numbers are quite significant. Moreover most of the research on the topic looks at the problem from an individual perspective, primarily by focusing on how such an addiction could be assessed and treated, rather than at measures of preventing it. For example, Davies argues that very little literature exists on the exploration of the environmental factors which can lead to the problem. He mentions that a number of environmental factors contribute to addiction in clergymen, including abuse, disengaged families, lack of self-esteem and co-dependency among others. In fact, Laaser and Adams (2002, cited in Davies, 2003) conclude that most of the pastors with a history of sexual addiction chose their vocation intuitively to cover childhood and trauma issues. At this stage, one must clarify the difference between sexual addiction and clergy sexual misdeeds. Yet, as Davis (2003) argues, there is a very fine line between the two which cannot be easily defined. He gives two reasons for this; firstly because sexual addiction can lead to sexual abuse, and secondly clergy men who carry out such misdeeds are also seen as breaking the trust of their community of faith (Grenz and Bell, 1995, cited in Davies, 2003). Therefore, the author concludes that clergy sexual addiction is not simply an individual problem, but it is also a problem affecting the church in general. In his book ‘Bless me father for I have Sinned: Perspectives on sexual abuse committed by Roman Catholic Priests, Plante (1999) further categorizes the different types of clergy sexual perpetrators. Whilst the model he presents is only a tentative analysis of the problem, it is based on samples observed and is still a work in progress. The model presents various categories of personalities, including those perceived as the naïve kind, in which a clergy man does not perceive sexual contact with parishioners as unethical, to the masochistic/self-defeating types, whereas these persons manifest traits of both the neurotic and character-disordered features. The latter is characterized by impaired boundaries with demanding parishioners, often leading to a romantic and sexual intimacy. Elsewhere, Sperry (2003) analyzed priests who were involved in some form of sexual abuse, and he classified these priests into six types. Whilst similar to the model identified by Davies elsewhere in this chapter, Sperry further includes types who are narcissistic in nature, to those who exhibit both the characteristics of the classic sexual predators or the psychiatric disordered kind. One interesting element of the narcissistic persona in priests is that they believe that their vocation is a ‘call’ from God, which gives them a superiority complex over others. These insights on the traits of clergy sexual addiction would prove useful in the development of the main character of my short film, as will be discussed in the next paragraphs.