Pedophilia is the sexual attraction to prepubescent children. Pedophilia is a diagnosis applicable to only a portion of individuals who sexually abuse children. Information has been drawn from published research about pedophilia to present the current state of knowledge. Pedophilia is a psychiatric disorder that is not curable but is treatable by psychiatric care and/or medication. The progression of the sexual abuse (pedophilia) is usually a gradual progression. Children who have been sexually abused by a pedophile may have different functional disorders.
The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of pedophilia, the responsibilities of physicians, profiles of the victims, treatment and treatment outcomes. First, a description of pedophilia …show more content…
The essential feature of pedophilia is that an individual is exclusively or in part sexually attracted toward prepubescent children (Glaser, 1998).
The word pedophilia comes from a term "pedophilia erotica which literally means the erotic love of children. The perpetrator is required to be at least 16 years old and at least 5 years older than their victim or victims (Glaser, 1998).
Terms such as "child sexual abuse, "incest, "child molestation and "pederasty are not equivalent to pedophilia. Terms that denote sex with minors are criminal actions; pedophilia is the sexual attraction to children and is a psychiatric disorder. Not all who sexually abuse minors are pedophilic (Fagan, Schmidt, Wise, Berlin, 2002). The use of the Greek term itself despite the implications of its Greek etymology, stated by [e.g., Glaser (1998) "pedophilia is not a love of children but a lust for them (p. 163). ]
For example some who sexually abuse children may opportunistically select minors simply because they are available. Sex with a minor is not a determination of pedophilia. Also, not all individuals who fulfill the diagnostic criteria for pedophilia actually abuse children (Kear-Colwell and Sawle, …show more content…
An individual with pedophilia is not a sexual offender unless he or she commits a legally prescribed act (Kear-Colwell and Sawle, 1996). While the psychiatric disorder may be limited to fantasies, and impulses, the pedophilic behaviors are the primary concern of mental health and criminal justice systems (Glaser, 1998). In pedophilic behaviors (similar to those reported for child molestation) we can expect that offending individually usually begins in the middle to late teen years, while others may act on attraction in middle adulthood (Glaser,
The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of pedophilia, the responsibilities of physicians, profiles of the victims, treatment and treatment outcomes. First, a description of pedophilia …show more content…
The essential feature of pedophilia is that an individual is exclusively or in part sexually attracted toward prepubescent children (Glaser, 1998).
The word pedophilia comes from a term "pedophilia erotica which literally means the erotic love of children. The perpetrator is required to be at least 16 years old and at least 5 years older than their victim or victims (Glaser, 1998).
Terms such as "child sexual abuse, "incest, "child molestation and "pederasty are not equivalent to pedophilia. Terms that denote sex with minors are criminal actions; pedophilia is the sexual attraction to children and is a psychiatric disorder. Not all who sexually abuse minors are pedophilic (Fagan, Schmidt, Wise, Berlin, 2002). The use of the Greek term itself despite the implications of its Greek etymology, stated by [e.g., Glaser (1998) "pedophilia is not a love of children but a lust for them (p. 163). ]
For example some who sexually abuse children may opportunistically select minors simply because they are available. Sex with a minor is not a determination of pedophilia. Also, not all individuals who fulfill the diagnostic criteria for pedophilia actually abuse children (Kear-Colwell and Sawle, …show more content…
An individual with pedophilia is not a sexual offender unless he or she commits a legally prescribed act (Kear-Colwell and Sawle, 1996). While the psychiatric disorder may be limited to fantasies, and impulses, the pedophilic behaviors are the primary concern of mental health and criminal justice systems (Glaser, 1998). In pedophilic behaviors (similar to those reported for child molestation) we can expect that offending individually usually begins in the middle to late teen years, while others may act on attraction in middle adulthood (Glaser,