False allegations of sexual abuse and their apparent credibility
- ISSN: 07331290
Abstract
Examines how false allegations (FAs) of sexual abuse can seem credible and presents a hypothetical case of an FA. Allegations originate as rumors but eventually acquire the appearance of verified facts. Consequently, the dynamics of rumor formation and rumor transmission, combined with constructivist theory, seem to provide an explanatory model accounting for the origins and apparent credibility of these rumors. The development of FAs includes elevated anxiety, rumor formation, reduction in ambiguity, credibility expansion, validating networks, and invalidating information. Ultimately, FAs of sexual abuse influence and are influenced by the systemic context in which they occur. Thus, parents and children can report FAs without consciously fabricating them. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA
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