A Qualitative Case Study of Two Chemically Dependent Women With Compulsive Sexual Behaviors

Abstract

The purpose of this research study is to gain a better understanding of chemically dependent women who have no memory of sexual abuse but who have a pattern of sexual acting out behaviors which may be indicative of abuse. Two chemically dependent women were interviewed on three different occasions for 2.5 hours at each meeting. The research questions addressed with each of the two subjects in this study were as follows: (1) What are the patterns and characteristics of these women? and, (2) How do these women describe their family of origin? These women had both experienced verbal and emotional abuse growing up in their family of origin but neither has a remembered experience of overt sexual abuse. Subjects for this qualitative study were selected through purposeful sampling. The major findings from this study-of mother as unsafe, tensions and stress in the family of origin, and isolation-are all supported in the literature related to families and children of alcoholics. More specifically, these findings are well documented by experts in the chemical dependency field as well as researchers within the field of marriage and the family. Findings within these two individual case studies were supported in the literature on sexual addiction. Marie s theme of use of church activity is part of Carnes (1983) description of the cycle of shame where a sexual addict will, after a period of acting out sexually, feel shame and remorse. This acting out period then is followed by a time of sexually acting in by being good and therefore providing the individual with some relief from the shame and guilt. Janice s individual theme of first getting drunk and then acting out sexually is described in the literature on chemically dependent women as addictive sexual behavior where the behavior (or the experience through the behavior) is addictive, as opposed to being a sexual addict.