The older Libraries 1 to 3 are somewhat intermingled: all their articles are referenced in the Central catalogue (with its Register by author and Register by subject) - even though Library 2 and Library 3 have their own index page.
This page is the separate register of 'Library 4'. Its contents are not visible on the older catalogue/register pages; only here. It is also ordered in a slightly different manner.
If you want to see only a subset of the articles in this new register, or search for a specific article, please use the 'Search/Restrict results' section just below. Alternatively, if you are looking for specific authors, publication types, subjects, ... you can browse the lists of those, using the appropriate tabs just above this text.
Added: August 2026
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The boy-lover next door
The author interviews Bill Andriette, the longtime NAMBLA spokesperson -- and past editor of the NAMBLA Bulletin. ...
NAMBLA -- as the only group in America explicitly devoted to the rights of adults sexually attracted to youth -- is a constant target of condemnation. The organization has been under FBI surveillance for years (although it has never been found in violation of any law). Its meetings have been disrupted by death-threat-shouting picketers. ...
In 1994, when Jesse Helms learned that NAMBLA was a member of the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA), which in turn held "consultative status" at the United Nations, he proposed a bill to cut all US funding for the UN unless NAMBLA was expelled ...
When the ILGA controversy erupted, the leaders of virtually every gay and lesbian group in the county, as well as gay politicians such as US Representative Barney Frank, publicly called for NAMBLA's ouster. ...
The group's m.o. has thus been somewhat schizophrenic:
- desperately seeking legitimacy and acceptance, while at the same time
- seeming to do everything it can to preclude attainment of these objectives. ...
But Bill Andriette -- a generation younger than the gay liberationists who founded the organization -- is quietly trying to change that. ... he is willing to retire some of the loonier manifestos ... Bill Andriette is the new face of NAMBLA.
Rather than insisting on the complete abolishment of age-of-consent laws, for example, he focuses on middle-ground positions. ... When Andriette offers these alternatives, NAMBLA's stance seems more palatable: a reality-based approach at reforming an outmoded system of intrusive laws.
The author interviews Bill Andriette, the longtime NAMBLA spokesperson -- and past editor of the NAMBLA Bulletin. ...
NAMBLA -- as the only group in America explicitly devoted to the rights of adults sexually attracted to youth -- is a constant target of condemnation. The organization has been under FBI surveillance for years (although it has never been found in violation of any law). Its meetings have been disrupted by death-threat-shouting picketers. ...
In 1994, when Jesse Helms learned that NAMBLA was a member of the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA), which in turn held "consultative status" at the United Nations, he proposed a bill to cut all US funding for the UN unless NAMBLA was expelled ...
When the ILGA controversy erupted, the leaders of virtually every gay and lesbian group in the county, as well as gay politicians such as US Representative Barney Frank, publicly called for NAMBLA's ouster. ...
The group's m.o. has thus been somewhat schizophrenic:
- desperately seeking legitimacy and acceptance, while at the same time
- seeming to do everything it can to preclude attainment of these objectives. ...
But Bill Andriette -- a generation younger than the gay liberationists who founded the organization -- is quietly trying to change that. ... he is willing to retire some of the loonier manifestos ... Bill Andriette is the new face of NAMBLA.
Rather than insisting on the complete abolishment of age-of-consent laws, for example, he focuses on middle-ground positions. ... When Andriette offers these alternatives, NAMBLA's stance seems more palatable: a reality-based approach at reforming an outmoded system of intrusive laws.
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Quotes - What People Are Saying About NAMBLA And Man/Boy Love
A selection of positive opinions of 'the public' about NAMBLA, the North American Man-Boy Love Association.
... "If we accepted sexual behaviour between children and adults, we would be
far more able to protect our children from abuse and exploitation than we
are now." ...
... "Passion for helping the child is so strong in pedophile relations that even the police acknowledge it." ...
... ""Boy-lovers and the lesbians who have young lovers are the only people
offering a hand to help young women and men cross the difficult terrain
between straight society and the gay community. They are not child
molesters." ...
... "If I were to see the case of a boy aged ten or eleven who's intensely
erotically attracted toward a man in his twenties or thirties, if the
relationship is totally mutual, and the bonding is genuinely totally
mutual, then I would not call it pathological in any way." ...
A selection of positive opinions of 'the public' about NAMBLA, the North American Man-Boy Love Association.
... "If we accepted sexual behaviour between children and adults, we would be
far more able to protect our children from abuse and exploitation than we
are now." ...
... "Passion for helping the child is so strong in pedophile relations that even the police acknowledge it." ...
... ""Boy-lovers and the lesbians who have young lovers are the only people
offering a hand to help young women and men cross the difficult terrain
between straight society and the gay community. They are not child
molesters." ...
... "If I were to see the case of a boy aged ten or eleven who's intensely
erotically attracted toward a man in his twenties or thirties, if the
relationship is totally mutual, and the bonding is genuinely totally
mutual, then I would not call it pathological in any way." ...
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No such thing as porn “addiction,” researchers say,
Feb 12 2014
Review article highlights lack of strong research about addictive nature of viewing sexual images:
Ley, D. et al. (2014). The Emperor Has No Clothes: A Review of the “Pornography Addiction” Model- in: Current Sexual Health Reports.
Journalists and psychologists are quick to describe someone as being a porn “addict,” yet there’s no strong scientific research that shows such addictions actually exists. ...
Ley and his team believe that the positive benefits attached to viewing such images do not make it problematic de facto. ...
It provides a legal outlet for illegal sexual behaviors or desires, and its consumption or availability has been associated with a decrease in sex offenses, especially child molestation.
Review article highlights lack of strong research about addictive nature of viewing sexual images:
Ley, D. et al. (2014). The Emperor Has No Clothes: A Review of the “Pornography Addiction” Model- in: Current Sexual Health Reports.
Journalists and psychologists are quick to describe someone as being a porn “addict,” yet there’s no strong scientific research that shows such addictions actually exists. ...
Ley and his team believe that the positive benefits attached to viewing such images do not make it problematic de facto. ...
It provides a legal outlet for illegal sexual behaviors or desires, and its consumption or availability has been associated with a decrease in sex offenses, especially child molestation.
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The Sensuous Child: Dr. Benjamin Spock and the Sexual Revolution;
Children's Culture,
Oct 26 2005
In this essay, I want to look more closely at the social context which led, for a short while, towards a loosening of the "rules" governing sexual contact between children and adults, a changing understanding of children's erotic life and its place within the home. ...
This essay will trace [the] shifting conception of children's minds and bodies through a close examination of pre- and post-war child rearing guides.
Specifically, I want to explore how conceptions of childhood sensuality and bodily pleasure emerge as positive forces in the post-war literature.
In this essay, I want to look more closely at the social context which led, for a short while, towards a loosening of the "rules" governing sexual contact between children and adults, a changing understanding of children's erotic life and its place within the home. ...
This essay will trace [the] shifting conception of children's minds and bodies through a close examination of pre- and post-war child rearing guides.
Specifically, I want to explore how conceptions of childhood sensuality and bodily pleasure emerge as positive forces in the post-war literature.
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North American Rumble - and How to Avoid It
On 20 April 1999 two Unites States teenagers, Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris, shot thirteen fellow students and then themselves at their high school in Littleton, Colorado. It was their aim to kill more people, but that did not happen. There have been more school shootings, a sad list - North American rumble.
Counter Balance has gathered views on this subject. We pose the questions: [....]
Our main source is not what many school principals, police officers or politicians have said about it, but what youngsters themselves have said about this issue.
It's not a dangerous subculture, but the suppression of deviant subcultures, which is the problem.
On 20 April 1999 two Unites States teenagers, Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris, shot thirteen fellow students and then themselves at their high school in Littleton, Colorado. It was their aim to kill more people, but that did not happen. There have been more school shootings, a sad list - North American rumble.
Counter Balance has gathered views on this subject. We pose the questions: [....]
Our main source is not what many school principals, police officers or politicians have said about it, but what youngsters themselves have said about this issue.
It's not a dangerous subculture, but the suppression of deviant subcultures, which is the problem.
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Lessons from Littleton: What Congress does not want to hear about youth and media
... Several weeks after the shootings at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, the United States Senate ... launched a series of hearings ...on the "marketing of violent entertainment to children." ...
The senators were feeding a "cultural war" which was more and more focused on teenagers. ... "We need Goth control, not gun control." ...
A more careful analysis would read video games as one cultural influence among many, as having different degrees of impact on different children, and as not sufficient in and of themselves to provoke an otherwise healthy and well-adjusted child to engage in acts of violence. ...
Most children are not at risk from the media they consume. Parents, not governments, are in the best position to know what kinds of culture their children should consume. ...
Media effects research has had little to say about why children are drawn towards violent entertainment, ... Humanistic research, on the other hand, offers useful tools for understanding why children find media violence attractive and meaningful. ...
The author suggests a more constructive response to these issues.
... Several weeks after the shootings at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, the United States Senate ... launched a series of hearings ...on the "marketing of violent entertainment to children." ...
The senators were feeding a "cultural war" which was more and more focused on teenagers. ... "We need Goth control, not gun control." ...
A more careful analysis would read video games as one cultural influence among many, as having different degrees of impact on different children, and as not sufficient in and of themselves to provoke an otherwise healthy and well-adjusted child to engage in acts of violence. ...
Most children are not at risk from the media they consume. Parents, not governments, are in the best position to know what kinds of culture their children should consume. ...
Media effects research has had little to say about why children are drawn towards violent entertainment, ... Humanistic research, on the other hand, offers useful tools for understanding why children find media violence attractive and meaningful. ...
The author suggests a more constructive response to these issues.
Added: July 2026
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The Innocent Child and Other Modern Myths
[...] Childhood -- a temporary state -- becomes an emblem for our anxieties about the passing of time, the destruction of historical formations, or conversely, a vehicle for our hopes for the future. The innocent child is caught somewhere over the rainbow -- between nostalgia and utopian optimism, between the past and the future. [...]
The idea of childish innocence resulted in two kinds of attitude and behavior towards childhood:
firstly, safeguarding it against pollution by life and particularly by the sexuality tolerated if not approved of among adults; and
secondly, strengthening it by developing character and reason.
[...]
This book [published in 2007] is not intended as a guidebook for media and social reformers, not a series of attacks on the corrupting force of mass culture on children's lives. Rather, it will challenge some key assumptions behind those reform movements, rejecting the myth of childhood innocence in order to better map the power relations between children and adults. This book avoids texts that see children primarily as victims in favor of works that recognize and respect their social and political agency.
[...] Childhood -- a temporary state -- becomes an emblem for our anxieties about the passing of time, the destruction of historical formations, or conversely, a vehicle for our hopes for the future. The innocent child is caught somewhere over the rainbow -- between nostalgia and utopian optimism, between the past and the future. [...]
The idea of childish innocence resulted in two kinds of attitude and behavior towards childhood:
firstly, safeguarding it against pollution by life and particularly by the sexuality tolerated if not approved of among adults; and
secondly, strengthening it by developing character and reason.
[...]
This book [published in 2007] is not intended as a guidebook for media and social reformers, not a series of attacks on the corrupting force of mass culture on children's lives. Rather, it will challenge some key assumptions behind those reform movements, rejecting the myth of childhood innocence in order to better map the power relations between children and adults. This book avoids texts that see children primarily as victims in favor of works that recognize and respect their social and political agency.
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In Defence of Intergenerational Love
... The main purpose of intergenerational relationships is to catch, and provide one-on-one mentoring to the lost, unsupervised, disenfranchised, and self-destructive youths that exist within every culture. ...
These relationships are the safety net of last resort to give companionship and guidance to troubled and delinquent boys whose parents are unable, or unwilling to do so. ... They're available to a boy in the neighborhood where he lives and sometimes struggles to survive from day to day -- an immediate help in times of trouble. ... Occasionally they can be the most cost-effective, workable, and practical alternative to more conventional forms of help. ...
I will try to show that it is a misunderstanding to characterize these relationships as simply the means by which an adult befriends a boy so that he can "groom" or manipulate him into a sexually abusive situation. ... ... ...
This alternate viewpoint has been presented to the reader from the rather unique and often overlooked perspective of an actual boy lover, and represents knowledge acquired through direct observation and experiences ...
These relationships are not designed to last for ever. Once the issues that led a particular boy into becoming available for an intergenerational love relationship have been addressed and resolved to his satisfaction he will be ready to begin the process of closure and transition into the next stage of his growth and development. For about 90% of boys this means moving into heterosexuality and dating girls.
... The main purpose of intergenerational relationships is to catch, and provide one-on-one mentoring to the lost, unsupervised, disenfranchised, and self-destructive youths that exist within every culture. ...
These relationships are the safety net of last resort to give companionship and guidance to troubled and delinquent boys whose parents are unable, or unwilling to do so. ... They're available to a boy in the neighborhood where he lives and sometimes struggles to survive from day to day -- an immediate help in times of trouble. ... Occasionally they can be the most cost-effective, workable, and practical alternative to more conventional forms of help. ...
I will try to show that it is a misunderstanding to characterize these relationships as simply the means by which an adult befriends a boy so that he can "groom" or manipulate him into a sexually abusive situation. ... ... ...
This alternate viewpoint has been presented to the reader from the rather unique and often overlooked perspective of an actual boy lover, and represents knowledge acquired through direct observation and experiences ...
These relationships are not designed to last for ever. Once the issues that led a particular boy into becoming available for an intergenerational love relationship have been addressed and resolved to his satisfaction he will be ready to begin the process of closure and transition into the next stage of his growth and development. For about 90% of boys this means moving into heterosexuality and dating girls.
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The context of a Statement
Last year, the brutal rape and murder of a young boy in Cambridge triggered a wave of indignation which targeted all 'pedophiles.' Supporters of the death penalty in Massachusetts used this case and almost prevailed. There were calls in public meetings to "find and kill all the pedophiles." [...]
Some of those working against the death penalty realized that hysteria about child sex cases had to be dealt with directly. [...[
A discussion group of about twenty people formed [...]. Participants included women who are incest and sex abuse survivors, boy-lovers, anti-censorship and civil liberties activists, feminists, gay and lesbian people, health-care workers, church activists, peace and social justice activists, academics, and those who work with prisoners. [...]
The result is the enclosed statement, "A Call to Safeguard Our Children and Our Liberties"
Last year, the brutal rape and murder of a young boy in Cambridge triggered a wave of indignation which targeted all 'pedophiles.' Supporters of the death penalty in Massachusetts used this case and almost prevailed. There were calls in public meetings to "find and kill all the pedophiles." [...]
Some of those working against the death penalty realized that hysteria about child sex cases had to be dealt with directly. [...[
A discussion group of about twenty people formed [...]. Participants included women who are incest and sex abuse survivors, boy-lovers, anti-censorship and civil liberties activists, feminists, gay and lesbian people, health-care workers, church activists, peace and social justice activists, academics, and those who work with prisoners. [...]
The result is the enclosed statement, "A Call to Safeguard Our Children and Our Liberties"
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The Criminalizing of Teen Sex
[...] The criminalization of teenage sexual behavior has become a disturbing trend in our predator panicked society. We are simultaneously obsessed with sex and horrified by sex; our laws reflect this panic. [...]
Criminalizing teen sex is part of the “look tough on crime” stance which is popular in today’s society, yet few people are educating the public about the real possibility of teens landing on sex offender registries for irresponsible sexual behavior [...].
This mentality has led to disastrous consequences, destroying the lives of many teenagers by placing them on sex offender registries for life! [...]
However, what percentage of these cases involves forcible rape or child molestation as opposed to consensual sexual activity with peers?
In our quest to prevent sexual violence, we are willing to place marks of infamy on children as young as four in the name of public safety, proclaiming the ironic mantra, “If it saves just one child, then the law is worth it.”
Tell me, are we willing to destroy the lives of many children to save “just one child?”
[...] The criminalization of teenage sexual behavior has become a disturbing trend in our predator panicked society. We are simultaneously obsessed with sex and horrified by sex; our laws reflect this panic. [...]
Criminalizing teen sex is part of the “look tough on crime” stance which is popular in today’s society, yet few people are educating the public about the real possibility of teens landing on sex offender registries for irresponsible sexual behavior [...].
This mentality has led to disastrous consequences, destroying the lives of many teenagers by placing them on sex offender registries for life! [...]
However, what percentage of these cases involves forcible rape or child molestation as opposed to consensual sexual activity with peers?
In our quest to prevent sexual violence, we are willing to place marks of infamy on children as young as four in the name of public safety, proclaiming the ironic mantra, “If it saves just one child, then the law is worth it.”
Tell me, are we willing to destroy the lives of many children to save “just one child?”
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Does pornography harm young people?;
Australian Journal of Communication, , pp. 17-36.;
37((1)),
This paper gathers a number of sources of data that address this issue indirectly – including the results of our own survey of over 1000 consumers of pornography – to explore this issue.
Research shows that healthy sexual development includes natural curiosity about sexuality. Retrospective studies show that accidental exposure to real life scenes of sexuality does not harm children.
This paper gathers a number of sources of data that address this issue indirectly – including the results of our own survey of over 1000 consumers of pornography – to explore this issue.
Research shows that healthy sexual development includes natural curiosity about sexuality. Retrospective studies show that accidental exposure to real life scenes of sexuality does not harm children.
Added: June 2026
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Reactions to Minor-Older and Minor-Peer Sex ...;
Archives of Sexual Behavior;
51(January 11, 2022), 961 - 985
Felson et al. (2019) used a large-scale nationally representative Finnish sample of sixth and ninth graders to estimate the population prevalence of negative subjective reactions to sexual experiences between minors under age 18 and persons at least 5 years older and between minors and peer-aged partners for comparison. [...]
The present study argued that focusing exclusively on negative reactions short-changed a fuller scientific understanding. It analyzed the full range of reactions in the same sample, focusing on positive reactions.
[... ... ...]
The [clearly high] frequency of positive reactions, their responsiveness to context, the similarity in reaction patterns with minor-peer sex, and the generalizability of the sample were argued to contradict the trauma view often applied to minor-older sex, holding it to be intrinsically aversive irrespective of context.
Felson et al. (2019) used a large-scale nationally representative Finnish sample of sixth and ninth graders to estimate the population prevalence of negative subjective reactions to sexual experiences between minors under age 18 and persons at least 5 years older and between minors and peer-aged partners for comparison. [...]
The present study argued that focusing exclusively on negative reactions short-changed a fuller scientific understanding. It analyzed the full range of reactions in the same sample, focusing on positive reactions.
[... ... ...]
The [clearly high] frequency of positive reactions, their responsiveness to context, the similarity in reaction patterns with minor-peer sex, and the generalizability of the sample were argued to contradict the trauma view often applied to minor-older sex, holding it to be intrinsically aversive irrespective of context.
Added: May 2026
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Research supporting the notion that the vast majority of child molesters are not pedophiles
A short overview of some research supporting the notion that the vast majority of child molesters are not pedophiles.
A short overview of some research supporting the notion that the vast majority of child molesters are not pedophiles.
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Research supporting the notion that many, possibly a majority of pedophiles never molest children in the first place
Some publications of research supporting the notion that many, possibly a majority of pedophiles never molest children in the first place.
Some publications of research supporting the notion that many, possibly a majority of pedophiles never molest children in the first place.
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Quotes from: Making Sense of the Life Stories of Minor‑Attracted Persons;
Archives of Sexual Behavior;
55(March 2026), 1091–1104
Minor-attracted persons (MAPs) who have not engaged in child sexual abuse are a largely hidden and under-researched population (... ...). The interchangeable use of non-offending MAPs and child sexual offenders in public narratives and media representations frames adult attraction to minors primarily as a criminal justice issue. Consequently, non-offending MAPs face significant stigma and profound invisibility and are frequently depicted as criminals (...).
This study used critical narrative analysis (CNA) (...) to explore how six non-offending MAPs narrate their lives. The participants’ stories revealed the diverse and complex ways they constructed their identities in a society which often presumes they are inherently dangerous.
The findings highlight how participants develop personal narratives in the absence of master narratives available in society and how this shapes the development of sexual identity among non-offending MAPs. These stories also reflect a collective effort to challenge deeply ingrained societal views of MAPs.
Drawing on queer theory as a hermeneutic of suspicion, the analysis examines how the categorization and pathologizing of sexualities produce oppression within participants’ life stories. The CNA approach provided a critical framework for discussing this marginalized group, contributing to a deeper contextual understanding of how the absence of culturally accepted frameworks shapes the development of sexual identity among non-offending MAPs. [...]
The [...] participants’ life stories revealed the difficulties of identity formation in the absence of supportive master narratives, while also demonstrating how personal storytelling can resist marginalization.
Early life experiences, social interactions, and cultural frameworks were central to this process.
The findings underscore the need for mental health professionals to move beyond a narrow risk paradigm when working with MAPs. [... ...]
Greater awareness of MAPs’ well-being and identity construction can equip professionals to provide care that is ethical, supportive, and empowering.
Minor-attracted persons (MAPs) who have not engaged in child sexual abuse are a largely hidden and under-researched population (... ...). The interchangeable use of non-offending MAPs and child sexual offenders in public narratives and media representations frames adult attraction to minors primarily as a criminal justice issue. Consequently, non-offending MAPs face significant stigma and profound invisibility and are frequently depicted as criminals (...).
This study used critical narrative analysis (CNA) (...) to explore how six non-offending MAPs narrate their lives. The participants’ stories revealed the diverse and complex ways they constructed their identities in a society which often presumes they are inherently dangerous.
The findings highlight how participants develop personal narratives in the absence of master narratives available in society and how this shapes the development of sexual identity among non-offending MAPs. These stories also reflect a collective effort to challenge deeply ingrained societal views of MAPs.
Drawing on queer theory as a hermeneutic of suspicion, the analysis examines how the categorization and pathologizing of sexualities produce oppression within participants’ life stories. The CNA approach provided a critical framework for discussing this marginalized group, contributing to a deeper contextual understanding of how the absence of culturally accepted frameworks shapes the development of sexual identity among non-offending MAPs. [...]
The [...] participants’ life stories revealed the difficulties of identity formation in the absence of supportive master narratives, while also demonstrating how personal storytelling can resist marginalization.
Early life experiences, social interactions, and cultural frameworks were central to this process.
The findings underscore the need for mental health professionals to move beyond a narrow risk paradigm when working with MAPs. [... ...]
Greater awareness of MAPs’ well-being and identity construction can equip professionals to provide care that is ethical, supportive, and empowering.
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Rethinking the Routine Provision of Psychotherapy to Children/Adolescents Labeled “Sexually Abused”;
International Journal of Behavioral Consultation and Therapy ;
3(1),
Whether symptomatic or asymptomatic, children labeled sexually abused are routinely offered treatment at considerable financial cost. One result of this is that mental health professionals are being charged with exploiting the problem of child sexual abuse (CSA). Is the routine provision of psychotherapy for children and adolescents labeled sexually abused warranted? In this paper, it is argued that the evidence indicates it is not warranted. Further, its provision is not in the best interests of either the children or mental health professionals. It is argued it is time to rethink the routine provision of psychotherapy to children and adolescents labeled sexually abuse. A number of recommendations are given which follow from the evidence. ...
A finding of guilt or substantiation does not necessarily mean that sexual abuse has in fact occurred. Professionals involved in protecting children will sometimes say that just because a case has not been substantiated does not mean that abuse has not occurred. But the contrary is at least equally true. ...
The evidence indicates that the impact of CSA has been greatly exaggerated ...
The widespread belief that CSA necessarily and usually causes psychological damage is a myth. ...
Not all sexual encounters between a child and an adolescent or an adult or between an adolescent and adult are abusive ...
Cognitive Attachment Therapy, was identified as having a substantial risk. It carried a significant risk of psychological and physical harm. ...
the evidence does not support the contention that therapy for children and adolescents labeled sexually abused is helpful. It may, in fact, be harmful. ...
The term “abuse” should be replaced by such terms as “experience” or “event,” until it is determined the event was in fact harmful or coercive. ...
The so-called abuse may be experienced positively by the child or adolescent.
Whether symptomatic or asymptomatic, children labeled sexually abused are routinely offered treatment at considerable financial cost. One result of this is that mental health professionals are being charged with exploiting the problem of child sexual abuse (CSA). Is the routine provision of psychotherapy for children and adolescents labeled sexually abused warranted? In this paper, it is argued that the evidence indicates it is not warranted. Further, its provision is not in the best interests of either the children or mental health professionals. It is argued it is time to rethink the routine provision of psychotherapy to children and adolescents labeled sexually abuse. A number of recommendations are given which follow from the evidence. ...
A finding of guilt or substantiation does not necessarily mean that sexual abuse has in fact occurred. Professionals involved in protecting children will sometimes say that just because a case has not been substantiated does not mean that abuse has not occurred. But the contrary is at least equally true. ...
The evidence indicates that the impact of CSA has been greatly exaggerated ...
The widespread belief that CSA necessarily and usually causes psychological damage is a myth. ...
Not all sexual encounters between a child and an adolescent or an adult or between an adolescent and adult are abusive ...
Cognitive Attachment Therapy, was identified as having a substantial risk. It carried a significant risk of psychological and physical harm. ...
the evidence does not support the contention that therapy for children and adolescents labeled sexually abused is helpful. It may, in fact, be harmful. ...
The term “abuse” should be replaced by such terms as “experience” or “event,” until it is determined the event was in fact harmful or coercive. ...
The so-called abuse may be experienced positively by the child or adolescent.
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References - Oellerich 2007 - Rethinking Routines ...;
International Journal of Behavioral Cinsultation and Therapy;
3(1),
References - Rethinking Routine ... Oellerich 2007
References - Rethinking Routine ... Oellerich 2007
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The Internet: A Breeding Ground for Online Pedophiles ...
There is something that all parents should know before they bring this technology into their home and to their child's fingertips. The personal computer has become the latest tool utilized by offenders in their quest to exploit vulnerable children who venture off into their new virtual playgrounds. [... ... ...]
There are signals that can help determine whether a child has become a victim of or is vulnerable to online exploitation. [... ... ...]
If any of the characteristic signs of online child exploitation are noted and it is believed that a child has been victimized or may be vulnerable, there are several measures that can be taken.
There is something that all parents should know before they bring this technology into their home and to their child's fingertips. The personal computer has become the latest tool utilized by offenders in their quest to exploit vulnerable children who venture off into their new virtual playgrounds. [... ... ...]
There are signals that can help determine whether a child has become a victim of or is vulnerable to online exploitation. [... ... ...]
If any of the characteristic signs of online child exploitation are noted and it is believed that a child has been victimized or may be vulnerable, there are several measures that can be taken.
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Review of: Pedophiles and Priests - Anatomy of a Contemporary Crisis;
214 pp.
1. How widespread is pedophilia among priests?
2. Did the Catholic hierarchy cover-up sexual abuse cases among priests?
3. Does the celibacy requirement increase the likelihood a priest will be a sex offender?
4. What is the actual long range effect of sexual abuse of a minor?
Here is a book which goes a long way toward answering the above questions -- and others. Philip Jenkins has written a well documented study of a painful issue. He dispassionately exposes the misinformation and outright distortion on this topic. Using the concept of "social construct" he gives a broader context for understanding the crisis. While hardly a defense of the Catholic Church (the author is not a Catholic), it does challenge much of the conventional wisdom on the subject.
1. How widespread is pedophilia among priests?
2. Did the Catholic hierarchy cover-up sexual abuse cases among priests?
3. Does the celibacy requirement increase the likelihood a priest will be a sex offender?
4. What is the actual long range effect of sexual abuse of a minor?
Here is a book which goes a long way toward answering the above questions -- and others. Philip Jenkins has written a well documented study of a painful issue. He dispassionately exposes the misinformation and outright distortion on this topic. Using the concept of "social construct" he gives a broader context for understanding the crisis. While hardly a defense of the Catholic Church (the author is not a Catholic), it does challenge much of the conventional wisdom on the subject.
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Quotes from: Insecure Parental Attachment in Pedophiles
This proposal focuses on demonstrating a correlation between attachment deficits and pedophilia that has been neglected in the research to date. Prior research shows that there is a link between insecure parental attachment and individuals diagnosed with pedophilia, which can be an indicator of inappropriate relationships in adulthood such as romantic relations with a child.
Fifty incarcerated males who have been convicted of any sexual act involving a minor will be randomly assigned to either the standard cognitive-behavioral treatment (CBT) or CBT and interpersonal psychotherapy. They will be assessed pre- and post-treatment and over a period of 10 years.
It is hypothesized that the group who receives CBT and interpersonal psychotherapy will demonstrate lower levels of recidivism than the group with the standard CBT treatment. The implications of this research study would update and correct the flaws in the current sex offender treatment being used across the country, as well as state or federal policies regarding sexual offender treatment. [...]
There is a vast difference between child sex offenders and pedophiles.
Child sexual offender is a legal term that refers to anyone who has committed a sexual act involving a child [...]. A child sexual offender may have no direct desire or love for children [...]
In contrast, pedophilia is strictly a psychological term. The DSM-IV-TR defines pedophilia as recurrent sexual fantasies, urges, and/or behaviors that involve sexual activity with a prepubescent child, as well as if the individual has acted on these fantasies or urges [...].
However, there is also the possibility that an individual diagnosed with pedophilia can also be legally classified as a child sexual offender after engaging in pedophilic illegal behavior and being convicted.
[* Ipce remarks: This a a proposal for research, including 10 years controll for recidive; published in 2011, the results can be puiblished after 2021. However, the article gives a good overview of the literature about pedophila, attachment, treatment, recidive, and more.]
This proposal focuses on demonstrating a correlation between attachment deficits and pedophilia that has been neglected in the research to date. Prior research shows that there is a link between insecure parental attachment and individuals diagnosed with pedophilia, which can be an indicator of inappropriate relationships in adulthood such as romantic relations with a child.
Fifty incarcerated males who have been convicted of any sexual act involving a minor will be randomly assigned to either the standard cognitive-behavioral treatment (CBT) or CBT and interpersonal psychotherapy. They will be assessed pre- and post-treatment and over a period of 10 years.
It is hypothesized that the group who receives CBT and interpersonal psychotherapy will demonstrate lower levels of recidivism than the group with the standard CBT treatment. The implications of this research study would update and correct the flaws in the current sex offender treatment being used across the country, as well as state or federal policies regarding sexual offender treatment. [...]
There is a vast difference between child sex offenders and pedophiles.
Child sexual offender is a legal term that refers to anyone who has committed a sexual act involving a child [...]. A child sexual offender may have no direct desire or love for children [...]
In contrast, pedophilia is strictly a psychological term. The DSM-IV-TR defines pedophilia as recurrent sexual fantasies, urges, and/or behaviors that involve sexual activity with a prepubescent child, as well as if the individual has acted on these fantasies or urges [...].
However, there is also the possibility that an individual diagnosed with pedophilia can also be legally classified as a child sexual offender after engaging in pedophilic illegal behavior and being convicted.
[* Ipce remarks: This a a proposal for research, including 10 years controll for recidive; published in 2011, the results can be puiblished after 2021. However, the article gives a good overview of the literature about pedophila, attachment, treatment, recidive, and more.]
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Sex from Plato to Paglia;
Pp 755 - 763
Pedophilia is sexual attraction some adults feel toward children that may lead to adult-child sex. The word is also used to refer to the practice of adult-child sex. In contemporary Western societies, the subject is highly contentious and fraught with strong feelings. The strength of the feelings is readily explained by concern for the welfare of children and for their healthy, unimpeded development. But it also reflects a set of stereotypes of pedophiles that for the most part are not borne out by the facts. [...]
In addition to terminological problems, discussions of pedophilia are often plagued by an array of factually inaccurate but widely accepted beliefs.
These stereotypes explain why pedophilia is "the most hated of all sexual variations" [...]
Yet, for the most part, they are not empirically confirmed. Most known pedophiles are indeed men. They are not, however, always old men but are spread over the entire age range. Typically, they are not strangers to the children involved. They are more likely to be family members or other adults from the immediate social surroundings of the children.
The sex act is rarely forced on the child. The act committed is rarely sexual intercourse; the most characteristic activities are kissing, touching, and fondling.[...]
Research does not distinguish clearly, or at all, between
- the direct harm of pedophilia, that caused by the sexual encounter or relationship itself, and
- the indirect harm brought about by the harsh condemnation of pedophilia by society's morality and its laws and the drastic reaction of parents and others to the child's sexual involvement with an adult.
If pedophilia is to be morally condemned and legally prohibited because it harms children, the argument should be based solely on direct harms. [... ... ...]
Pedophilia is sexual attraction some adults feel toward children that may lead to adult-child sex. The word is also used to refer to the practice of adult-child sex. In contemporary Western societies, the subject is highly contentious and fraught with strong feelings. The strength of the feelings is readily explained by concern for the welfare of children and for their healthy, unimpeded development. But it also reflects a set of stereotypes of pedophiles that for the most part are not borne out by the facts. [...]
In addition to terminological problems, discussions of pedophilia are often plagued by an array of factually inaccurate but widely accepted beliefs.
These stereotypes explain why pedophilia is "the most hated of all sexual variations" [...]
Yet, for the most part, they are not empirically confirmed. Most known pedophiles are indeed men. They are not, however, always old men but are spread over the entire age range. Typically, they are not strangers to the children involved. They are more likely to be family members or other adults from the immediate social surroundings of the children.
The sex act is rarely forced on the child. The act committed is rarely sexual intercourse; the most characteristic activities are kissing, touching, and fondling.[...]
Research does not distinguish clearly, or at all, between
- the direct harm of pedophilia, that caused by the sexual encounter or relationship itself, and
- the indirect harm brought about by the harsh condemnation of pedophilia by society's morality and its laws and the drastic reaction of parents and others to the child's sexual involvement with an adult.
If pedophilia is to be morally condemned and legally prohibited because it harms children, the argument should be based solely on direct harms. [... ... ...]
Added: April 2026
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Quotes from: Lover, Mentor, or Exploiter;
Archives of Sexual Behavior;
51, 987-999
Sexual relationships between an adolescent and an older person are considered controversial and in many countries are conceptualized under the legal definition of statutory relationship/rape. Despite the consensus regarding their potential negative implications, little is known about how adolescents perceive and construct them. To address this lacuna, the current exploratory study examined how individuals who have experienced sexual relationships with an adult while growing up perceived the older person and the meaning they ascribed to the age gap [...]
A qualitative thematic methodology was incorporated in analyzing in-depth semi-structured interviews with 28 individuals (...) who had experienced sexual relationships with an (at least 2 years) older person during adolescence (...).
Participants described five different perceptions of the older persons:
- [1] romantic partner;
- [2] sexual partner;
- [3] authority figure;
- [4] complex/unstable figure; and
- [5] exploiter.
Subsequent analysis, focusing on the role participants assigned to age when describing these different images of older persons, shed additional light on their subjective perceptions; namely, for each image, age had a particular meaning.
This paper may contribute to the understanding of individuals’ experiences of sexual relationships with an older person by emphasizing the complexity of such relationships, as reflected in the participants’ construction of the older person’s image, potentially providing important information that can inform best practice for professionals working with this population.
Findings highlight the need to address diversity and ambiguity rather than the uniform dichotomy that characterizes the legal framing of automatically constructing these relationships as statutory.
Further implications for research, policy, and practice are discussed.
Sexual relationships between an adolescent and an older person are considered controversial and in many countries are conceptualized under the legal definition of statutory relationship/rape. Despite the consensus regarding their potential negative implications, little is known about how adolescents perceive and construct them. To address this lacuna, the current exploratory study examined how individuals who have experienced sexual relationships with an adult while growing up perceived the older person and the meaning they ascribed to the age gap [...]
A qualitative thematic methodology was incorporated in analyzing in-depth semi-structured interviews with 28 individuals (...) who had experienced sexual relationships with an (at least 2 years) older person during adolescence (...).
Participants described five different perceptions of the older persons:
- [1] romantic partner;
- [2] sexual partner;
- [3] authority figure;
- [4] complex/unstable figure; and
- [5] exploiter.
Subsequent analysis, focusing on the role participants assigned to age when describing these different images of older persons, shed additional light on their subjective perceptions; namely, for each image, age had a particular meaning.
This paper may contribute to the understanding of individuals’ experiences of sexual relationships with an older person by emphasizing the complexity of such relationships, as reflected in the participants’ construction of the older person’s image, potentially providing important information that can inform best practice for professionals working with this population.
Findings highlight the need to address diversity and ambiguity rather than the uniform dichotomy that characterizes the legal framing of automatically constructing these relationships as statutory.
Further implications for research, policy, and practice are discussed.
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Quotes from: Humanizing Pedophilia as Stigma Reduction: A Large‑Scale Intervention Study;
Archives of Sexual Behavior ;
2022(51), 945–960
The stigmatization of people with pedophilic sexual interests is a topic of growing academic and professional consideration, owing to its potential role in moderating pedophiles’ emotional well-being, and motivation and engagement in child abuse prevention schemes. Thus, improving attitudes and reducing stigmatization toward this group is of paramount importance.
Prior research has suggested that narrative humanization — presenting personal stories of self-identified non-offending pedophiles — could be one route to doing this.
However, this work has only been conducted with students or trainee psychotherapists, meaning the public generalizability of this method is still unknown.
In this study, we compared two stigma interventions to test whether narratives reduce stigma toward people with pedophilic interests more effectively than an informative alternative (scientific information about pedophilia). Using a longitudinal experimental design with a lack of non-intervention control (initial N = 950; final N = 539), we found that
(1) narratives had consistently positive effects on all measured aspects of stigmatization (dangerousness, intentionality), whereas
(2) an informative alternative had mixed results, and actually increased perceptions of pedophiles’ levels of deviance.
These effects were still present four months after the initial presentation.
We discuss these data in relation to ongoing debates about treating pedophilia as a public health issue requiring a broad societal approach to well-being and child abuse prevention.
The stigmatization of people with pedophilic sexual interests is a topic of growing academic and professional consideration, owing to its potential role in moderating pedophiles’ emotional well-being, and motivation and engagement in child abuse prevention schemes. Thus, improving attitudes and reducing stigmatization toward this group is of paramount importance.
Prior research has suggested that narrative humanization — presenting personal stories of self-identified non-offending pedophiles — could be one route to doing this.
However, this work has only been conducted with students or trainee psychotherapists, meaning the public generalizability of this method is still unknown.
In this study, we compared two stigma interventions to test whether narratives reduce stigma toward people with pedophilic interests more effectively than an informative alternative (scientific information about pedophilia). Using a longitudinal experimental design with a lack of non-intervention control (initial N = 950; final N = 539), we found that
(1) narratives had consistently positive effects on all measured aspects of stigmatization (dangerousness, intentionality), whereas
(2) an informative alternative had mixed results, and actually increased perceptions of pedophiles’ levels of deviance.
These effects were still present four months after the initial presentation.
We discuss these data in relation to ongoing debates about treating pedophilia as a public health issue requiring a broad societal approach to well-being and child abuse prevention.
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Book Review
Hubert Kennedy wrote a review of:
Sandfort, Theo, Brongersma Edward, & van Naerssen Alex; Review of: Male Intergenerational Intimacy: Historical, Socio-Psychological, and Legal Perspectives; Journal of Homosexuality:
< https://www.ipce.info/library/book/review-male-intergenerational-intimacy >.
Hubert Kennedy wrote a review of:
Sandfort, Theo, Brongersma Edward, & van Naerssen Alex; Review of: Male Intergenerational Intimacy: Historical, Socio-Psychological, and Legal Perspectives; Journal of Homosexuality:
< https://www.ipce.info/library/book/review-male-intergenerational-intimacy >.
;
Review of: Male Intergenerational Intimacy: Historical, Socio-Psychological, and Legal Perspectives;
Journal of Homosexuality;
325 pp
Male Intergenerarional Intimacy is one of a very few academic publications (it originally appeared as an issue of the Journal of Homosexuality) to approach the subject of man/boy love — and it does so very cautiously. Rather than asserting the nonharmfulness of contacts between men and boys, many of the authors here call for further empirical study.
The large number of articles in this volume precludes discussing them in detail, but a brief description of each of them should give an idea of their contents.
This is a good antidote to the hysteria of the moment. No doubt this hysteria will recede, but before it does, like the masturbatory insanity of the 19th century, it will have robbed countless individuals of the joy of living, cruelly forced children into a crippling conformity, and restricted the civil liberties of us all.
Male Intergenerarional Intimacy is one of a very few academic publications (it originally appeared as an issue of the Journal of Homosexuality) to approach the subject of man/boy love — and it does so very cautiously. Rather than asserting the nonharmfulness of contacts between men and boys, many of the authors here call for further empirical study.
The large number of articles in this volume precludes discussing them in detail, but a brief description of each of them should give an idea of their contents.
This is a good antidote to the hysteria of the moment. No doubt this hysteria will recede, but before it does, like the masturbatory insanity of the 19th century, it will have robbed countless individuals of the joy of living, cruelly forced children into a crippling conformity, and restricted the civil liberties of us all.