What Do We Know About DARVO, Institutional DARVO, and Anti-DARVO?

This session is available for 1.50 APA and ASWB credits.

DARVO (Deny, Attack, and Reverse Victim and Offender) refers to a behavioral pattern displayed by some individuals in response to an accusation of wrongdoing. The individual may Deny the behavior, Attack the accuser, and Reverse the roles of Victim and Offender such that the accused person assumes the victim role and turns the accuser into an alleged offender. This occurs, for instance, when a perpetrator assumes the role of "falsely accused" and attacks the victim’s credibility and labels the victim a perpetrator for making a false accusation. Institutional DARVO, a pernicious form of institutional betrayal, occurs when the DARVO is committed by an institution (or with institutional complicity). Anti-DARVO refers to methods that reduce the negative impact of DARVO and/or reduce the prevalence of DARVO by teaching more constructive responses to allegations. In this presentation Freyd will discuss the roles of DARVO and institutional DARVO in public settings and she will present findings from the growing research literature on DARVO, including new findings generated by the Center for Institutional Courage. This research has begun to reveal aspects of who uses DARVO, who gets DARVOed, and DARVO’s impact on targets and observers. Freyd will conclude with findings and suggestions for promoting Anti-DARVO.