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Is pedophilia a mental illness?

Discussion in 'Chit Chat' started by person57, Dec 9, 2013.

  1. person57

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    I noticed on wikipedia that it says that pedophilia is a mental illness and I was just wondering if this is true.
     
  2. AtheistWorld

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    Nope. It's actually natural for adults to feel attraction to children. A variable often overlooked when people cast judgement on pedophiles is that it's their only sexuality, but most pedophiles are attracted to adults. Richard Dawkins discussed it recently annnd his opinion is relevant and insightful:
    Richard Dawkins Pedophilia Remarks Provoke Outrage

    A few centuries ago it was common for children to be betrothed in their early teens or even as preteens.
     
  3. Aussie792

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    Well, it's an annoyingly controversial issue; anyone conducting a genuinely independent review will immediately be bombarded with accusations of supporting paedophilia or even being one. Largely out of a misplaced fear; rape is rape, so even if paedophilia is given a mental tick, it's still rape and a crime against humanity to act on it.

    I wouldn't necessarily say paedophilia is in itself (and what do we define it as?) an "illness". But there are a lot of variables. Does the adult have attractions that simply include people under the age of consent (read: able to give de facto, but not de jure consent), or does it relate (as is with child rape, or any rape at all) to the desire to control, to taint, to harm? If it's the former, I think it's just that the law is absolute in some cases, but it's not really harmful if pursued with consent (I'm talking about 15 years old or someone reasonably able to consent, but can't legally). If it's the latter, of power and dominance, then it is sick, but the only difference between them and a regular rapist is the victim is generally more vulnerable.

    Rape (of a child or anyone else) is not what I'd describe as an aspect of sexuality. It's sexualised aggression and hatred, which is an important thing to remember. Rape is not sex, and raping a child is an abuse of power and is, by nature of the innocence and inability to consent of a child, a desire to harm/taint/abuse.

    But I'm not a psychologist. I don't know these things, and I doubt many psychologists do, either.
     
  4. Pret Allez

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    Well, you're 14, and as I'm judging that's your picture, you look quite boyish. And I can tell you're super sexual right now, and probably quite interested in other boys your age. It's not wrong to be attracted to them.

    What is bad though, is people having a significantly different age being in a sexual relationship of any kind, because there is a power disparity. And power disparities, de facto, are consent-invalidating.
     
  5. Martin

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    You might not be a psychologist, but you've given a pretty solid answer that not even many social workers I've worked with possess a knowledge of, including some who have done child protection work. Kudos.

    Anyways, the biggest mistake people tend to make when talking about this (beyond what Aussie covered about it generally being taboo and emotionally-loaded) is that there's a common misconception people have about understanding what pedophilia actually is. Many people often try and quantify their understanding by measuring it alongside the age of consent for their culture, which isn't accurate. Pedophilia is an attraction to a pre-pubescent child; therefore, the law highlights that there is no possible misunderstanding that a person can make when engaging in sexual behaviour with them regarding their age. Hebephilia and Ephebophilia covers a sexual interest for those undergoing puberty, with the former attraction tending to range from 11-14, and the latter label having an attraction to people around 14-19. I suspect it varies by country, but you aren't always guilty of statutory rape if you believe that somebody is over the age of consent. There are plenty of cases involving underage people who have gone through puberty at a young age, are still under the age of consent, but who a reasonable person would consider to be more developed than their actual age. As a result, anybody who says an attraction to a teenager is pedophilia is mistaken. A pedophile is somebody like Ian Watkins, whose sexual interest is shown towards young children, or in his case a two year old.

    There's no simple answer to how you classify pedophilia, but it is (controversially to some) classified as a mental illness in the medical field. You'll have people with varying opinions on it, but the issue is very complex and emotive, so you'll find it difficult to get any sort of consensus or conclusion out of that sort of question. Plus, what I and others think is largely irrelevant and will itself not adequately cover the issue in its entirety. There are psychologists, sexologists, social workers etc who will spend their life studying this sort of behaviour, and even they wouldn't be able to give you a simple yes or no answer.
     
  6. Tightrope

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    I've heard and read that it's about control. In a way, the pedophile feels inadequate, and being able to be the dominant party, though they might think of it as guidance, provides a high of some sort. It seems that they are misguided more so than able to provide guidance. I think this situation is probably more developmental than it is genetic, but I'm just theorizing.
     
  7. AtheistWorld

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    Today pedophilia is taboo, and it's no longer a norm like it once was, but it's not a mental illness, yet most people regard it as abject. When people think of pedophiles, they automatically presume they act on their desires even though the majority don't, and with that stigma the people who get urges to be sexual with children don't get help because they'll be villified to no end.

    The witch-hunting mentality adopted against people attracted to children is counter-productive and disastrous as it probably increases the amount of child molestation, because people who may otherwise feel compelled to seek help are instead scared off by the inveighing against pedophilia. The debauchment of children could be lessened if people stopped having this inexcusable anxiety towards pedophiles.

    I don't think any sexuality including zoophilia is a mental illness, though it is maladaptive, illegal and can lead to serious health problems. I do think those who abuse children need to be punished by the law, but at the same time people should understand that pedophilia isn't unusual at all.
     
  8. Foxface

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    So I am a bit confused. Mental disorders and illness are considered maladaptive according to the DSM so in the same paragraph you are saying it's not an illness but technically is.

    Now onto my own thoughts.

    During internship, I had a set of interviews with an active pedophile (not epheb...pedophile)

    This is a really tough area to pin down. When you think of maladaptive behavior it's basically a failure to adapt or adjust to a particular situation. In this case it's the sexual arena. There is the concept that children cannot mentally or emotionally understand the act of sex and thus cannot consent. Because an active pedophile engages in what amounts to harmful behavior with a child, it is maladaptive, thus an illness or disorder.

    In order to diagnose 30.2. Pedophilia, there must be action. That action is harmful, thus maladaptive, thus disorder

    Now...as far as 'thinking' about it or fantasizing about it, I don't feel comfortable telling that client they have a diagnosable disorder

    So take a step back and look at the concept of pedophilia. It was mentioned above a few times and deserves another mention

    I hate that I have to do this but I am going to say it anyway

    I am not condoning pedophilia...just giving a few possible reasons.

    There are a few general ideas of where pedophilia come from in the therapeutic circles (and several more I am sure...I am a trauma specialist not a sex worker or theoretical psychologist). This is merely from the studies I researched while in grad school

    1. The emotional-chronological: This is what many of us think of or hear when a pedophile acts. At some point in the actor's life there was abuse or neglect. Pardon my Freud for a second but there is a good reason they discuss both the emotional AND chronological. Short of having an extremely rare disease, the body will continue to grow whether we want it to or not. However, when you neglect and especially abuse a child, there is an emotional shutdown. What ends up happening is socially and emotionally the child cannot pass that phase in their lives and thus while the body grows, the mind and emotions and social response does not.

    2. The evolutionary: This was stated above. Not long ago (past few hundred years) it was typical and perfectly normal for a girl to marry as a young teenager or a bit earlier. A growing section of researchers are beginning to wonder if we as a people have evolved emotionally past this mode of thinking. We’ve simply changed the rules and laws and thus our mammalian brains have not grown with the rule change. Speaking in terms of behavioral evolution, we have not accepted this in our psyche yet…

    3. The biological: …which brings us to the third and biological theory. As a human being and an animal we are (as a whole…note I am not talking about anyone in specific) males are attracted to she who will complete the cycle and deliver us the most children. This of course is the baser mind speaking. So the question is raised then, who seems a more viable option to our primitive brain? IS it the teenager who is just entering her reproductive cycle or someone older who is nearing the end of their prime.

    Again, I am not really judging which of these (or the myriad other theories) I respond most too but I believe there is a lot to be thought about before we think of a pedophile (non-active) as a disorder or illness

    Kudos if you read all of this

    Foxface
     
  9. CrimsonThunder

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    I once read that pedophillia was a sexual orientation.

    Now I'm not saying this is what I think, I haven't researched the issue (as it's not something I'm interested in learning about) but just throwing it out there if someone knows more about it being an orientation or not.
     
  10. Tightrope

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    True. With a lot of illegal or dangerous activities, the mind set would be to hide them rather than seek help for them. However, that said, if your teenager has a sexual encounter, and many do (raising hand), you'd want it to be with their classmate or friend of approximately the same age and on a consensual basis rather than having them seduced by someone 30 years older for their very first experience. When I've heard people talk about this, they were far more impressionable at the seduction from an adult than they have been if first experimenting with peers, either one-on-one, doing a let's compare, or in a circle jerk.
     
  11. greatwhale

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    It is NOT considered to be a sexual orientation, the American Psychological Assn. recently published this term in error and they immediately issued a correction.