Perpetrators minimize grave harms by relabeling them as mere misconduct

Evidence

Cardinal Mahony (2013) minimized the harmfulness of the sexual abuse, calling it “misconduct,” as though it were mere misbehavior rather than a sex crime. He minimized the scope of the sex scandal as well: “During these intervening years a small number of cases did arise.” In a statement reflecting a bewildering lack of compassion and sensitivity to the enduring harm caused by sexual abuse in childhood, Mahony attributed his actions to naiveté: “I remained naïve myself about the full and lasting impact these horrible acts would have on the lives of those who were abused by men who were supposed to be their spiritual guides” (Lovett, 2013). — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 521

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the moral disengagement mechanism of euphemistic labeling, and to victim-minimization patterns seen in institutional cover-ups generally.