Stanford University, CA, USA.
Tel-Aviv University, Israel.
J Interpers Violence. 2021 Oct;36(19-20):9725-9748. doi: 10.1177/0886260519872306. Epub 2019 Aug 27.
Identifying with the aggressor is a process wherein victims of abuse, particularly during childhood, take on their perpetrator's experience. The victim defers to the perpetrator and adopts the perpetrator's experience, learns the perpetrator's desires and needs, and gratifies them. Although the clinical and theoretical literature suggests that identification with the aggressor occurs in the aftermath of abuse and has negative long-term implications, to date this concept has not been empirically investigated. To facilitate an exploration of this subject, the current study evaluated the psychometric properties of a new measure: the Identification With the Aggressor Scale (IAS). The study was conducted among convenience samples of students using online surveys. In Study 1, the IAS was administered to 318 students. In Study 2, the IAS, and a battery of questionnaires assessing features of abuse, dissociation, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and posttraumatic guilt were administered to a convenience sample of 368 students. Four reliable IAS factors emerged from Study 1: Adopting the perpetrator's experience concerning the abuse, identifying with the perpetrator's aggression, replacing one's agency with that of the perpetrator, and becoming hypersensitive to the perpetrator. In Study 2, a confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the scale's underlying factor structure. A history of childhood abuse, recurrence and severity of abuse, and the perpetrator being a parental figure were all associated with higher IAS scores. In addition, IAS scores were correlated with dissociation, PTSD symptoms, and posttraumatic guilt. The present findings indicate that the IAS has good psychometric properties, making it useful as an assessment tool in future research.
认同施害者是一种受害者在遭受虐待，尤其是在童年时期，会内化施害者经历的过程。受害者会顺从施害者，并采纳施害者的经历，了解并满足施害者的欲望和需求。尽管临床和理论文献表明，认同施害者发生在虐待之后，并具有负面的长期影响，但迄今为止，这一概念尚未得到实证研究的检验。为了促进对这一主题的探索，本研究评估了一种新的测量工具——认同施害者量表（IAS）的心理测量特性。该研究是在使用在线调查的学生便利样本中进行的。在研究 1 中，向 318 名学生发放了 IAS。在研究 2 中，向 368 名学生发放了 IAS 以及一套评估虐待、分离、创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）症状和创伤后内疚等特征的问卷。研究 1 中出现了四个可靠的 IAS 因素：采用施害者关于虐待的经历、认同施害者的攻击性、用施害者的权力取代自己的权力、对施害者变得过度敏感。在研究 2 中，验证性因素分析证实了该量表的潜在因素结构。童年时期的虐待史、虐待的复发和严重程度以及施害者是父母形象都与较高的 IAS 评分相关。此外，IAS 评分与分离、PTSD 症状和创伤后内疚有关。本研究结果表明，IAS 具有良好的心理测量特性，使其成为未来研究中有用的评估工具。
