Themes of power and betrayal in sexual abuse survivors' characterizations of interpersonal relationships.

Consistent with the notion that childhood sexual abuse (CSA) shapes motivational dispositions and internalized schemata that are reflected in adult characterizations of self and others, we hypothesized that adult CSA survivors' characterizations of interpersonal relationships would reflect greater power motivation as defined by McClelland and Winter, and more preoccupation with themes of powerlessness and betrayal than nonabused adult's - a pattern associated with poor psychological functioning. Stories written by women with CSA histories (n = 43) reflected both a greater need for and fear of power, and contained more themes of powerlessness and betrayal than stories written by women without CSA histories (n = 43). Frequency of sexual abuse in combination with fear of power was predictive of depression and low self-esteem.