Desacralizing Sacred Authority: Diverging Identity Constructions of a Religious Leader Accused of Sexual Abuse
How does a religious leader accused of sexual abuse construct his identity, and how does the public likewise participate in this identity construction? This study examined how both a formal political institution and an informal sphere of public discourse constructed the identity of a religious leade...
| Authors: | ; |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2025
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| In: |
Pastoral psychology
Year: 2025, Volume: 74, Issue: 6, Pages: 847-865 |
| Further subjects: | B
Topic modeling
B Social media B Sexual Abuse B Critical Discourse Analysis B Identity Construction |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | How does a religious leader accused of sexual abuse construct his identity, and how does the public likewise participate in this identity construction? This study examined how both a formal political institution and an informal sphere of public discourse constructed the identity of a religious leader facing sexual abuse allegations. Employing a mixed methods approach, we integrated topic modeling with critical discourse analysis to examine how the identity of this religious leader was constructed in a Philippine Senate hearing and on social media. Findings reveal that while the accused pastor presented himself during the Senate hearing as an "innocent and unjustly accused law abiding citizen," the public discourse shows divergent constructions. Some narratives frame a "politically persecuted leader"; others construct a "manipulator of the justice system." As the Senate depicts a "religious transgressor," public discourse constructs identities such as an "evil denier," a "demon incarnate," and a "divine impostor." This study contributes to the understanding of religious leadership in crisis, the process of desacralization, and the double-edged role of social media in exposing hidden abuses within religious institutions. |
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| ISSN: | 1573-6679 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Pastoral psychology
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1007/s11089-025-01283-7 |
