Turning the Other Cheek: A Theological and Psychological Reflection on Children with Challenging Behaviour

Summary This article explores the subject of children who are violent towards adults, and the impact their violence has on those who are the carers of children with such complex special needs. Conduct Disorder is explored and its implications examined, as a means of characterizing the intensity of the violence experienced. Drawing on the universalizable and potentially transforming process of active empathy, this article investigates the means by which forgiveness can become a method of letting go for those who feel themselves trapped by shame and powerlessness.