About the project

How can we gain better and more accessible knowledge about spiritual power abuse? The aim of the project is to provide new knowledge that congregations from different denominations may apply to create increased awareness and better prevention of power abuse.

Power can be used for both good and evil. Power abuse refers to the latter. Spiritual abuse of power is understood as religiously based empowerment consciously or unconsciously misused to control others. Power abuse shows no respect for boundaries and asserts itself through master suppression techniques, manipulation and social control, and may result in people feeling invaded, violated or unempowered and disfranchised. When the abuse of power is of a spiritual nature, the abuse is often legitimized with God's authority and statements such as "God told me." Spiritual power abuse can have deep existential consequences.

Through qualitative interviews with informants having experienced spiritual power abuse, the research project will gather qualitative data to present a specified power theory specific to spiritual

Background

Master in Diaconia

Research group

Eksistensielle perspektiver og eksistensiell kompetanse i profesjonell praksis at VID Specialized University