The negotiation of morality through the production of justification in the child and adolescent reconstruction of the narrative of sexual abuse: a situated study

This study, based on the theoretical principles of Ethnomethodology (GARFINKEL, 1967) and Conversation Analysis (SACKS, 1992), is a qualitative investigation of spoken interactions between a Child Protective Services officer and sexually abused children or adolescents. The aim is to observe how the experience of the abuse is signified and realigned according to moral and social expectations (BERGMAN, 1998). The analysis of the interactions shows that adolescents invest more in moral defense (DREW, 1988), while children display weaker engagement in this type of activity. These data reveal that adolescents probably guide themselves toward the paradox of victimization and culpability displayed by victims of sexual abuse (SANTOS, 2002), showing a higher degree of socialization concerning the activity of narrating stories with moral implications and the ability of performing the "ideal" victim (TRINCH, 2013).