According to researchers, not all pedophiles molest children. And not all child molesters are pedophiles. Now, many experts view pedophilia as a deep-rooted disposition, much like heterosexuality or homosexuality.
Many researchers taking a different view of pedophilia, on LATimes.com.
Red,
You make a great point when you say
I’ll bet many of those pedophiles who do act out their urges romanticize what they’re doing and convince themselves what they’re doing is a “good” thing, an act of “love,” something the child enjoys as well (or “ought to”), instead of what it is: abuse. This twisted thinking serves a dual purpose, helping to “seduce” a child while allaying the abuser’s conscience at the same time. Rationalization plays an enormous role when humans commit wrongs of all kinds. It lies behind a multitude of sins.
We all have been guilty of rationalization—for example, I smoked for years.
While probably not ALL (100%) of child molesters are psychopaths, just as not all “felony convicts” are psychopaths but 25% are 30+ on the PCL-R and the AVERAGE score is 22, so you can pretty well say that there is a darned good chance if someone is guilty of a felony (of any kind) that they have a HIGH chance of being HIGH in P traits AT THE VERY LEAST.
People who are not HIGH are not apt to COMMIT A FELONY in the first place. So yea, there may be some NON P folks who rationalize away their acts in this ONE ASPECT but act on only that ONE “sin” and are otherwise “normal” folks but having known several pedophiles who were criminals that were caught, one a devout and “devoted” boy scout leader, one a minister, one a state park ranger and volunteer who worked with kids, and one just an “ordinary” diagnosed psychopathic bi polar, who also happened to be left handed….
Naw, while I know it isn’t good to say about us humans “all” and “never” and “always” I think that in OUR culture and society where pedophilia is severely legally sanctioned that anyone who engages in such behavior is a willing law breaker and that puts them at high risk of being high in P traits.
A Pedophile rationalizes/excuses his predatory behavior towards his victim, some even claim romantic ‘Love’. As in LoveFRAUD. Anyone who thinks that act as just another form of LOVE is being a FRAUD, and is demonstrating NO CONSCIENCE, and Obviously showing NO REMORSE. Using the PITY PLAY, b/c they feel Sorry for themselves but NOT for the child who had NO ability to understand how such an act would damage their entire future. NOOOOoooo. ALL the components that are used to define SOCIOPATHS.
ALL those victims of pedophiles that end up committing suicide musta killed thmselves b/c they felt SO LOVED. Oh yeah. It’s society that bad, asserting their unfair judgment on poor little lovers of children. It’s not the ‘predators’ who steal the sense of self of innocent children, nosireebob. That damage musta been done by someone else, someone who did NOT interfere with a child’s sense of self, someone who did NOT have sex with a child. In that case, we should turn ALL our children over to pedophiles so all children can receive such special “LOVE”.
I Am ENRAGED and INCENSED by those arguing that pedophilia is natural, that the outcome of a life hijacked by a pedophile is “no big deal”. There are very few times that I use the word ALWAYS. This one of those times. PEDOPHILES ARE ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS SOCIOPATHS, i.e. “behavior which is antisocial, often criminal, and who lacks a sense of moral responsibility or social conscience”. – as PROVEN by the posts of those who advocate for the PEDOPHILES.
Katy, one of the member of the “family” (what a group of us called ourselves, all of us having been raped by PEDOPHILES. YES, we grouped ourselves together in order to protect ourselves from those %^$&!!! who would “LOVE” us.)
My exspath used to rant and rage against society for putting female child-sex-offenders in prison. He said that if a boy had sex with a woman, he should be grateful and that if the boy turned her into the authorities, the boy should be sent to prison. His “reasoning” was that, as a 12-year-old, he had sex with an 18 year old woman and it was great for him.
That’s what he said, but I think the truth was quite different. I think he was being raped by men and women for years as an adolescent, because he was living with an 18-year old prostitute.
Near the end of our relationshit, when I was starting to figure out that he was evil, we were watching a news report about a female pedophile that abused a very little girl. She got 4 years in prison.
To test the spath, I started to rant and rail about how evil that woman must have been to want to hurt an innocent child. Spath said nothing, so I pushed the issue. Still, no response and I continued to push the issue. Finally he said, “Yeah, 4 years is not long enough.”
I think the truth is that he likes to hear about innocence being stolen. It makes him feel better because then he isn’t the only one who lost his innocence.