Why Are People Sexually Attracted? Children?

Masturbation and the sexualization of minors was seen as evil, and sinful, and as a result, society tried to curb these ailments through genital mutation of both sexes. However, while minors being seen as sexual beings was taboo, at the same time, child sexual abuse occurred commonly behind closed doors. Child prostitution and pornography flourished during this period, as well as slave owners frequently used rape and sexual abuse to crush the spirit of young African-American girls. Similarly, in the 20th century, many popular stories pushed the idea that young girls were capable of willingly ‘seducing’ older men who were ‘helpless’ and unable to resist the temptation. Likewise, stories such as “Greek Love” by J.Z. Eglinton put forth the idea that boys who were forced into relationships with much older men were simply being prepared for sexual experiences in adulthood. Society often contradicts itself even today. Its said children should not be exploited sexually, yet child pornography thrives and is sought after, child sexual abuse is rampant, victims of CSA are often belittled in court while their abusers are believed and protected; as well television often portrays teenagers, particularly young girls, in “seductive” and sexual ways. While incest has mostly been seen as universally taboo and has been stigmatized, the sexualization of children has often been used to rationalize incest and child sexual

Further exploration discovered that the choice of sexual expression correlates more to the child’s age then the offenders (Sanford, 87). Offenders do not form intimate relationships with other adults (Henderson, 39). Eight-five percent of sexual activity was nonorgasmic with one-fourth of activity ending before any stimulation occurred by the offender (Sanford, 83). Now that we know some offenders characteristics, it is paramount that we learn to identify traits that may be common to youthful victims.

Of the many problems faced by children and adolescents, few provoke such moral outrage as childhood sexual abuse. Many times, as on the television show “To Catch a Predator”, such abuse can be inflicted by strangers who may gradually become familiar with the child online. Sadly, however, often times the perpetrator of sexual abuse on children is someone much more familiar to the child- someone the child may even love.

Throughout the ages, media and society have been concerned over children. Instead of youth as folk devils, children nowadays serve as the victims of folk devils (Critcher, 2002, p.532). With these trigger events popping up, stereotypes are gradually formed. In recent British history, Paedophile had become one of the most terrifying folk-devils (Jenkins, 1992, p.99). Paedophile behaviour is a moral panic one legal case and the panic is generally fuelled by the sensationalism of media in

The atypical sexual behavior that I cannot wrap my head around is pedophilia. I have tried to educate myself on this topic and read a book on treating the offender but my opinion has remained the same. I just cannot understand how or why this occurs and I really don’t think I want to.

As time progresses on, more reports of child sexual abuse (CSA) have been documented. According to Colangelo and Cooperman, CSA is defined as “the use of a child under 18 years of age as an object of gratification for adult sexual needs and desires.” Another definition of CSA is “sexual abuse [that] occurs whenever one person dominates and exploits another by means of sexual activity or suggestion.” (Hall, M., & Hall, J., 2011) it is difficult to

Pedophiles: are those that develop a sexual interest over a long period of time. Commit their crimes for a variety of reasons and go on committing their crimes with little hopes of rehabilitation. The internet serves purpose to many pedophiles today, allowing them to commit a crime and computer crime.

An estimated 39 million survivors of childhood sexual abuse exist in America today (Darness2Light, 2009a ). This figure continues to grow daily as perpetrators of this crime continue in this destructive path. The definition of child sexual abuse is the force, coercion, or cajoling of children into sexual activities by a dominant adult or adolescent. Sexual abuse of children includes touching (physical) sexually including: fondling; penetration (vaginal or anal using fingers, foreign objects or offenders organs; oral sex, or non-physical contact including: sexual comments; indecent exposures; masturbating in a child’s presence; child prostitution or child pornography (Child Welfare, 2009a).

With the Pandora’s Box opened, we may find ourselves forced to rediscover morality due to our natural tendencies. This does not mean accepting adult-child relationships. Figure 3 indicates if we are serious about protecting children, then that ultimately requires some level of understanding, which is a problem for most because that is dangerously close to compassion. On the contrary, the risk they pose is the very reason why we need to support pedophiles who do not want to become sex offenders. We all want the same thing. We do not want them to offend nor their potential victims to offend. In 2008, Michael Seto, a forensic psychologist, published a book stating that the onset of pedophilia is right around the stages of puberty, as with any other sexual orientation. I believe we can prevent a greater number of victims if we put more energy into early detection and providing support before the first offense occurs, rather than solely relying on punishment after the fact. We need to be thinking about the children that pedophiles once were and catch them at their vulnerable stages, which are during puberty. There we can find a sense of compassion and support to want to help. In 2014, Margo Kaplan, an associate professor at Rutgers School of Law, wrote an op-ed in New York Times stating that pedophilia is neurologically rooted, supporting Cantor’s research.

The crime thriller Hard Candy by, Brian Nelson showcase the sociology and criminal of pedophile. A pedophile according to Webster dictionary, is a person with an intense sexual arousal fantasy, sexual urges or behaviors that involves children, nonhuman subjects or non-consenting adults. The movie is about a young teenager 14 years old age who lures a 32 year old man who she believes is a pedophile. The encounter will lead to punishment, abuse, enlightenment and death.

Many theories have come about to try to help explain pedophilia. There is a four factor theory that was created by Finkelhor and Araji. The four factors they contribute to why individuals are attracted to children and do what they do are emotional congruence, sexual arousal to children, blockage, and disinhibition. Emotional congruence helps to explain the “idea of a fit between the adult’s emotional needs and the child’s characteristics” (Finkelhor & Araji, 1986, p. 148). The theories that fall under this category each explain or add to the definition. Hammer and Glueck (1957) and Groth and Burgess (1979) believed pedophiles experience themselves as children and have childish needs (as cited in Finkelhor & Araji, 1986, p. 148). This theory

Most people consider pedophiles to be anyone who has committed a sex offense against a child and that all pedophiles will commit this offense. In both cases that is, at best, a half truth. The DSM-5, which is a tool that outlines the diagnostic criteria for a given disorder, defines pedophilic disorder as, “a paraphilia involving intense and recurrent sexual urges towards and fantasies about prepubescent children that have either been acted upon or which cause the person with the attraction distress or interpersonal difficulty.” With the latter half of this definition, we begin to open up to the idea that there are those who have sexual interests in children who have had no form of inappropriate contact with a child, but rather just have their daily life affected by the feelings that they are having toward

     Harding wrote an article on pedophilia stating that pedophilia is a subcategory of a larger group of sexual disorders commonly classified as paraphilias. “These are defined as recurrent, intense, aphrodisiac fantasies, sexual urges,

In 2002 the Catholic Church was rocked with scandalous reports of Priests sexually molesting young children and particularly boys. The scandal is the result of numerous investigations, allegations, arrests, trials, convictions and imprisonment of Catholic Priests. It became largely reported that once trusted and respected Catholic Priests were pedophiles. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) categorizes pedophilia as a mental disorder if the sexual fantasies or urges involve prepubescent children , if they last six months or longer, if the individual has acted on them, or if they cause marked distress” (American Psychiatric Association, 2000).

The American Psychiatric Association has declared that pedophilia is no longer thought of as a mental disorder. In early studies, (DSM-III-R), pedophilia was characterized as a disorder if "the person acted out on the urges, or was markedly distressed by them" (Medinger 2). Nowadays, the diagnostic description is that pedophilia is a disorder if the offender is mentally impaired, agitated, or experiencing guilt as a result of what he is doing. In other words, a pedophile can "play" all he wants until he becomes irrational about it. Outwardly, the pedophile may, in today's society, seem to be a perfectly normal human being. Pedophilia, like homosexuality and transvestitism, is just a sexual preference (APA).