Drinking and Deviance Disavowal: The Case of Child Molesters

Abstract

This report investigates how some persons convicted of sexual offenses against children explain these offenses. Explanations involving denial or drinking of alcohol are found to be related to a dissociation from others who molest children. This “deviance disavowal,” which is an attempt to sustain an identity as “normal,” is currently discouraged in the treatment process which many molesters must undergo. It is suggested that such disavowal may represent the deviant's own effort to correct his behavior and thus have implications for future conduct.