Curran, D.K. (1989, August). Why troubled teenagers might turn to Satanism. The American School Board Journal, pp. 12-15.

OVERVIEW

The most helpful aspect of this article is its succinct list of reasons why teenagers become involved in Satanism:

• A cure for loneliness.
• A desire for power.
• A sense of order and structure in the world.
• A label as part of an exclusive group.
• Irreverent and rebellious against accepted order.

A second useful point is the author’s advice to provide school-based mental health professionals and peer counseling programs as a preventive measure.

Also helpful is the author’s recognition of the unmet psychological needs (loneliness, self esteem, and powerlessness) underlying Satanic involvement.

There are some potential shortcomings to the article:

• The author does not acknowledge the spiritual dimension of the problem. "The treatment of the problem of Satanism is simply the treatment of the problems of adolescents in our society today—no more, but no less and no different."
• The author denies the widely documented, aggressive recruiting tactics employed by Satanists. "Teenagers who involve themselves in Satanic groups and rituals are not there because Satanism ravenously sought them out." (p. 13)
• The author acknowledges the "least attractive, least respected, least known, and least powerful" (p. 38) individuals attracted to Satanism, but totally disregards the many well adjusted, popular, intelligent seekers from normal family backgrounds.
• The author, when discussing the possibility of Satanic teen involvement, states, "Chances are they won’t. Usually...they just don’t buy it."

IMPLICATIONS

1. A balanced perspective is needed when dealing with intervention in the Satanic realm.
2. Once a teen is freed from Satanic involvement, his or her psychological needs must be met, or those needs will find some other dysfunctional or deviant method to meet them.
3. Community networking among schools, churches, and mental health professionals is important in order to identify people and programs who can intervene in the life of a Satanic teen.

Jeff Crosby cCYS