Library 4

Found 426 results

2015
Gieles, Frans; Born as a pedophile?
A critical comment on
“Minor Physical Anomalies as a Window into the Prenatal Origins of Pedophilia”, by Fazio, Rachel L., Dyshniku Fiona, Murray Michelle E., Lykins Amy D., & Cantor James M.; Archives of Sexual Behavior; Jun 10 2015.
These authors report that they have found correlations between specific physical anomalies that are supposed to date from an early stage in utero, and what they call "pedophiles".
The conclude that the origins of 'pedophilia' also must date from that early stage in utero.
Tha author of this Comment argues the weakness of that study, and thus of its conclusion.
In an Epilogue he argues an alternative way to cope with the phenomenon 'pedophilic feelings', for person and for society.
Moen, Ole Martin; The ethics of pedophilia; Nordic Journal of Applied Ethics ; 9(1), 111-124
Pedophilia is bad. But how bad is it? And in what ways, and for what reasons, is it bad? This is a thorny issue, and sadly, one seldom discussed by ethicists. I argue in this article that pedophilia is bad only because, and only to the extent that, it causes harm to children, and that pedophilia itself, as well as pedophilic expressions and practices that do not cause harm to children, are morally all right. I further argue that the aim of our social and legal treatment of pedophilia should be to minimize harm to children, and that current practices are often counterproductive in this respect.
Padding, R.; Pedophilia and Conflict
This research is centered on pedophiles and their place in Dutch society and based on the question: To what extent is there a conflict due to the presence of pedophiles in Dutch society?

Data was gathered and analyzed through

a qualitative content analysis of newspaper articles and
semi-structured interviews with pedophiles.

In this research pedophiles are defined as people with a sexual age orientation directed towards children younger than sixteen years old. A sexual orientation does not only revolve around sexual feelings, but romantic feelings as well.

Two main results were found.

First, newspapers present a generalized image of pedophiles as people who have engaged or are likely to engage in a form of pedosexuality. This overgeneralization leads to the formation of a stigmatized stereotype, that of a criminal sexual child abuser.

Second, the respondents experience that stigma in their daily life, since they do not feel accepted by society. Instead they experience structural conflict to some extent in the form of unequal life chances. The fact that they are unable to speak out about their sexual identity can lead to difficulties in the social life, in asking for protection and professional help, and in living without fear of discovery. The latter is a form of latent violence.

This research builds further on both classic and recent literature, yet is innovating in the sense that it connects conflict studies to the concept of pedophilia. Conflict is being used as a fluid and broad concept, instead of keeping it static and narrow. This research shows how conflict studies can be relevant in addressing conflict that is not directly visible, since it helps in understanding societal developments and structures.
Houtepen, Jenny A. B. M., Sijtsema Jelle J., & Bogaerts Stefan; References at Being Sexual Attracted to Minors; Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy; 1-21(22 June 2015), 
References at "Being Sexually Attracted to Minors: Sexual Development, Coping With Forbidden Feelings, and Relieving Sexual Arousal in Self-Identified Pedophiles.
Padding, R.; References at Pedophilia and Conflict
References at Pedophilia and Conflict - R. Padding, 2015
Editors, Wikipedia; Social Stigma
Social stigma is the extreme disapproval of (or discontent with) a person or group on socially characteristic grounds that are perceived, and serve to distinguish them, from other members of a society. Stigma may then be affixed to such a person, by the greater society, who differs from their cultural norms.

Social stigma can result from the perception of mental illness, physical disabilities, diseases such as leprosy (see leprosy stigma), illegitimacy, sexual orientation, gender identity, skin tone, education, nationality, ethnicity, ideology, religion (or lack of religion) or criminality. Attributes associated with social stigma often vary depending on the geopolitical and corresponding sociopolitical contexts employed by society, in different parts of the world.

According to Goffman there are three forms of social stigma:

Overt or external deformations, such as scars, physical manifestations of anorexia nervosa, leprosy (leprosy stigma), or of a physical disability or social disability, such as obesity.
Deviations in personal traits, including mental illness, drug addiction, alcoholism, and criminal background are stigmatized in this way.
"Tribal stigmas" are traits, imagined or real, of ethnic group, nationality, or of religion that is deemed to be a deviation from the prevailing normative ethnicity, nationality or religion.
Jahnke, S., Schmidt A. F., Geradt M., & Hoyer J.; Stigma-related stress and its correlates among men with pedophilic sexual interests.; Archives of Sexual Behavior; November 2015,
Despite decades of research on the adverse consequences of stereotyping and discrimination for many stigmatized groups, little is known about how people with pedophilia perceive and react to stigma.
In this article, we present a framework that outlines how stigma-related stress might negatively affect emotional and social areas of functioning, cognitive distortions, and the motivation to pursue therapy, all of which may contribute to an increased risk of sexual offending.
We tested our hypotheses in an online survey among self-identified German speaking people with pedophilia (N = 104) using a wide range of validated indicators of social and emotional functioning (...). Specific risk factors such as self-efficacy, cognitive distortions and the motivation to seek treatment were also assessed.
In line with our hypotheses, fear of discovery generally predicted reduced social and emotional functioning. Contrary to our predictions, perceived social distance and fear of discovery were not linked to self-efficacy, cognitive distortions, or treatment motivation. [...]
Kuehl, Scott; Woman as 'Rapists'
"The male can rape the female, the female cannot rape the male," so wrote Diana Trilling long ago. Her point is that rape entails not only the use of violence/force or threats of same to compel the submission of a victim but also the penile violation/penetration of the victim by the assailant.
For obvious anatomical reasons, woman can't rape anyone, male or female, in the pure and literal sense of the word. But we now live in a society in which adult women are vilified as "rapists" for allowing biological men under age 18 to penetrate them in factually consensual relationships, a grotesque and ludicrous perversion of language used to distort and invert reality for ideological, political, economic, moral, and personal reasons.
Widom, Cathy Spatz, & Massey Christina; A Prospective Examination of Whether Childhood Sexual Abuse Predicts Subsequent Sexual Offending; JAMA Pediatrics; January 5, 2015, , Jan 05 2015
Conclusions:
This study represents a long-term and comprehensive assessment of the extent to which sexually abused children become sex offenders and compares them to physically abused and neglected and nonmaltreated children. These findings show that physically abused and neglected children are at increased risk for being arrested for sex crimes and should receive effective interventions to avert these negative consequences. These results do not provide support for the common belief that being a survivor of childhood sexual abuse carries with it a unique increase in the risk for becoming a sex offender, contrary to some public policies and administrative practices of some jurisdictions where children may be stigmatized, placed in restrictive settings, or barred from schools. Perhaps it is time for a Government Accountability Office report or Institute of Medicine panel study to reevaluate public policies and treatment efforts that have been implemented based on common assumptions.
Jahnke, Sarah; Understanding and Challenging Stigmatization of People With Pedophilia; Fakultät Mathematik und Naturwissenschaften der Technischen Universität Dresden; 208 pp., Feb 06 2015
In summary, this thesis shows that stigma against pedophilia is a serious and widespread problem, and offers concrete propositions to promote a more realistic and empathetic view of this group. By approaching the emotionally charged concept of pedophilia from a stigma perspective, the research presented in this thesis challenges the way in which not only people from the general public, but also scientists and health care professionals think about pedophilia, and corroborates the importance of stigma reduction within the wider context of child sexual abuse prevention.
Josephs, Lawrence; How Children Learn About Sex: A Cross-Species and Cross- Cultural Analysis; Arch Sex Behav (2015) 44:1059–1069, Feb 18 2015
Scattered and not widely disseminated evidence from primatology, anthropology, and history of childhood sexuality support the hypothesis that throughout much of human behavioral evolution that human children have learned about sex through observing parental sexuality and then imitating it in sexual rehearsal play with peers. Contemporary theories of psychosexual development have not considered the possibility that young children are predisposed to learn about sex through observational learning and sexual rehearsal play during early childhood, a primate-wide trait that is conserved in humans but suppressed in contemporary contexts.
Fazio, Rachel L., Dyshniku Fiona, Murray Michelle E., Lykins Amy D., & Cantor James M.; Minor Physical Anomalies as a Window into the Prenatal Origins of Pedophilia; Archives of Sexual Behavior; 2015(564), , Jun 10 2015
Evidence is steadily accumulating to support a neurodevelopmental basis for pedophilia. This includes increased incidence of non-right-handedness, which is a result primarily of prenatal neural development and solidified very early in life. Minor physical anomalies (MPAs; superficial deviations from typical morphological development, such as un-detached earlobes) also develop only prenatally, suggesting them as another potential marker of atypical physiological development during the prenatal period among pedophiles.

This study administered the Waldrop Physical Anomaly Scale to assess the prevalence of MPAs in a clinical sample of men referred for assessment following a sexual assault, or another illegal or clinically significant sexual behavior.

Significant associations emerged between MPA indices and indicators of pedophilia, including penile responses to depictions of children, number of child victims, and possession of child pornography. Moreover, greater sexual attraction to children was associated with an elevated craniofacial-to-peripheral anomalies ratio. The overall sample demonstrated a greater number of MPAs relative to prior samples of individuals with schizophrenia as well as to healthy controls.
Houtepen, Jenny A. B. M., Sijtsema Jelle J., & Bogaerts Stefan; Being Sexually Attracted to Minors; Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy; ; 1-21(22 June 2015), , Jun 22 2015
This article aims to provide more insight into pedophilic attraction and risk and protective factors for offending in non-clinical pedophiles.

Fifteen participants were interviewed about sexuality, coping, and sexual self-regulation. Many participants struggled with acknowledging pedophilic interest in early puberty and experienced psychological difficulties as a result. Furthermore, many committed sex offenses during adolescence when they were still discovering their feelings.

Early recognition of risk factors and early start of interventions seem vital in preventing offending. Moreover, results suggest that risk for offending can be diminished by creating more openness about pedophilia and by providing pedophiles with social support and control.
Gieles, Frans; A Comment on Seto's "Is Pedophilia a Sexual Orientation?", Jun 29 2015
Seto's proposal to view pedophilia as 'being attracted to ..', thus as a feeling -- as an orientation similar to heterosexuality, bisexuality, and homosexuality -- may be a first step towards humanizing those of our fellow human beings who have such feelings.
However ...
Thus ...
Moreover ...
Pfirrmann, Jana Kristin; „Ich fühle mich nicht diskrimineert, ich werde diskrimineert" - Social Stigmatization of Paedophiles in Germany; MSC Medical Antropology and Sociology, Jun 29 2015
The focus in this thesis lies on the personal perception of self-identifying paedophiles concerning the stigmatization of their sexual preferences. In the literature there is a lack of emic perspectives regarding the stigma of paedophilia. Thus this study aims to contribute to the filling of this gap. The research is limited to a German context.
[...]
The findings of the research suggest that paedophiles do perceive a stigmatizing environment in Germany. The best solution to fight the growing stigmatization appears to be educating the German society about paedophilia.
Kuehl, Michael; Kirk Douglas was "Raped" by His Teacher; Ipce, Jul 06 2015
Kirk Douglas fondly recalls an affair with his teacher: "I had been a ragamuffin kid of 15 coping with a neighborhood filled with gangs. Under my teacher's guidance, I became a different person. I'm eternally grateful. By today's standards, she would have gone to jail. I had no idea we were doing something wrong. Did she?"
2016
Cantor, James M., & McPhail Ian V.; Non-offending Pedophiles; Current Sexual Health Reports; 8(3, september 2016; on line May 2016), 121-128
Non-offending pedophiles are a unique population of individuals who experience sexual interest in children, but despite common misperceptions, have neither had sexual contact with a child nor have accessed illegal child sexual exploitation material.
An emerging body of research has examined the prevalence of pedophilic interests, characteristics of non-offending pedophiles, correlates of pedophilic interests, and stigma associated with pedophilia.
Treatment programs are beginning to produce findings regarding the effectiveness of treatment in supporting non-offending pedophiles to remain
offense-free.
The current review spans these areas of research and discusses potential treatment options for working with non-offending pedophiles based on that research base.
Jones, Gerald; The Problem of Sex
An Exit Interview by Gerald Jones, Ph.D.
University of Southern California, 1964-2007:
Student, Lecturer, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Statistics, Staff (Retired)

In order to have any rational discussion about relationships, especially close, intimate contact, between men and boys, discussion of the subject of explicit sexual contact must be minimized. This was a difficult issue for researchers and serious writers 25 years ago, but in the intervening years the hysteria surrounding the topic has grown to the point that no progress can be made toward understanding anything if sexual contact is part of the discussion. [...]
This necessity to consider sexuality separately and to "background" (de-emphasize) the sexual questions is unfortunate, not least because we just don't know yet how the whole picture fits together. [...]
What if we were going to develop a full discussion of sexual contact between adults and minors?
What issues would we look at?
What questions would be important to ask?
Perhaps a short list here might help others now or in the future who want to tackle this Goliath.
Can sex be considered on its own? [...]
Is sex, per se, good or bad? [...]
How do we determine the source of harm? [...]
Age of consent? [...]
Cash, Brian Martin; Self-identifications, sexual development and well-being in minor-attracted people: an exploratory study
Most research on sexual attraction to minor children and adolescents has viewed this phenomenon as a pathology, and has used clinical and forensic study populations. This study seeks to conceptualize minor attraction as a sexual orientation, and uses a sample of minor- attracted people recruited from the internet (N = 160). Participants’ sexual identities, sexual attractions, disclosures, and well-being are investigated.

Results indicate that minor-attracted people have varied experiences, but common themes that emerged in these areas are discussed. Regarding well-being, minor-attracted people in general had higher loneliness and lower self- esteem than the general public. But positive disclosure experiences and having some level of attraction towards adults were related to lower loneliness, and more accepting attitudes towards sex between adults and children were found to be related to higher self-esteem. In general, findings supported the conceptualization of minor attraction as a sexual orientation. [... ... ...]
Gieles, Frans E. J.; Sympathetic research in the wrong frame
A renewing view on people with pedophile feelings who massively are willing and able to control themselves … is seen through the spectacles or within the frame of the more familiar ‘good old’ offender-model, just the people that could not control themselves.
JORis, NVSH Workgroup, & Gieles Frans E. J.; Three reports and an essay from the Netherlands
In the Netherlands still exists since about fourty years a self-help encounter group, now even two groups of the "NVSH", the Dutch Association for Sexual Reform, now named the "NVSH JORis Groups JON and West".
"JON is a Dutch support group for people that have the ability to fall in love with children, but who do not want to activate those feelings into sexual acts with children.”
Here four links are given: three (half-)annual Reports and an essay.
The essay describes the methodology.
Tourjé, Diana; Most Child Sex Abusers Are Not Pedophiles, Expert Says, Apr 04 2016
Interview with David Finkelhor.
An increasing number of experts believe that pedophiles might not have a choice in the matter. We spoke with an expert to understand child sexual abuse, and whether or not pedophilia is really a sexual orientation.
"It is very important for the public to understand that most child molesters are not pedophiles" ...
"If, for instance, the group of pedophiles who do not act on their desire is large, then it may be a promising impication for the treatment of pedophilia." ...
Kärgel, Christian, Massau Claudia, Weiss Simone, Walter Martin, Borchardt Viola, Krueger Tillman H. C., et al.; Evidence for ... Inhibitory Control Abilities ...; Human Brain Mapping; 38(2), , Oct 21 2016
Neurobehavioral models of pedophilia and child sexual offending suggest a pattern of temporal and in particular prefrontal disturbances leading to inappropriate behavioral control and subsequently an increased propensity to sexually offend against children. However, clear empirical evidence for such mechanisms is still missing. [...]
We compared behavioral performance and neural response patterns among three groups of men [...]: pedophiles with (...) and without (...) a history of hands-on sexual offences against children as well as healthy non-offending controls (...).
As compared to offending pedophiles, non-offending pedophiles exhibited superior inhibitory control [...] while no significant differences were found between pedophiles and healthy controls.
Data therefore suggest that heightened inhibition-related recruitment [...] is related to better inhibitory control in pedophiles who successfully avoid committing hands-on sexual offences against children.
Weiss, Robert; Is It OK To Automatically Hate Sex Offenders?, Dec 24 2016
[...] Clinically speaking, there are five primary categories of sexual offenders, delineated below, with some groups more likely to reoffend than others. [
[...]
Other factors that may hinder successful treatment and increase the odds of reoffending include: [...]
Unfortunately, we do not have official statistics on what percentage of sexual offenders fall into each of the five primary typologies. However, clinical experience and the small amount of available research strongly suggest that in today’s world, where the internet is “creating” all sorts of sexual offenders, most of whom never come into contact with the legal system, there are many more situational and/or sexually addicted offenders than violent and fixated/dedicated child offenders.
As such, and this has always been the case, the majority of sexual offenders are likely to respond positively to informed treatment, and relatively unlikely to reoffend.
2017
Malón, Augustin; Adult-Child Sex and the Demands of Virtuous Sexual Morality; Sexuality & Culture; 21(1), 247-269
This article is the continuation of a previous analysis of the usual arguments —
lack of consent, exploitation and harm — used to evaluate sexual experiences
between adults and children from general moral principles. It has been suggested that those arguments were insufficient to condemn all adult-child sexual experiences, and that it would be of interest to study others that come from a specific sexual morality based on a more complex and transcendent conception of human eroticism and sexual conduct.
This paper develops three different arguments against adult-child sex from this perspective, a view which, while not rejecting the Kantian and utilitarian approaches,complements and transforms them with a virtue ethic that questions not only the permissibility of certain acts but also their moral desirability under this frame of reference.
This helps us to clarify the scientific discourse on adult-child sex and directs us to the importance of attending to the educational dimension of this moral problem.