PEDOPHILIA ATTRACTION TO SAME AGE CHILDREN
Research has provided evidence that pedophilia remains prevalent. Pedophilia includes the chronophilic stigma that the partner is disparate in age to be eligible, which is legally classified as criminal. Pedophilia became an issue in psychiatry due to the forbidden age of the partner (Money, 1988). Musk, Swetz, and Vernon (1997) reported that in the mid-1990Æs over 43,522 child molesters were incarcerated in state prisons and 80 percent of those convicted for child molestation did not serve prison time. Bradford (2000) reported further that by 1940, 24 percent of females reported sexual abuse by a male five years or more older, prior to the age of fourteen years; this included fondling or mild petting in 31 percent of cases and sexual intercourse in 93 percent of the cases. The cost of incarceration for these individuals was in excess of $2 billion in 1992.
The danger to the children abused by the pedophile has also been reported. Around six percent of pedophiles are labeled as sadists and presumed to be extremely dangerous to children. Of those incarcerated for one molestation it has been estimated that 30 more have taken place. Musk, Swetz, and Vernon (1997) reported that the average non-incarcerated pedophile molests 117 victims. Pam and Rivera (1995) further report on the dangers inherent in pedophilia. In a Thematic Apperception Test protocol of a 17-year-old male patient, a disturbing account of sexual perversity, including pedophilia, rape, incest, sadism, exhibitionism, necrophilia, and hermaphroditism were demonstrated.
The causes of pedophilia have been researched and findings have shown that exact roots of the problem remain unknown. It has been suggested that the pedophilia represents a regression or fixation at an earlier level of psychosexual development which has resulted in an adult repetitive pattern of inappropriate sexual behavior. Thus, is it ...