I am studying Psychology at 6th Form and can't begin to understand the mind of a paedophile. In the 6 years at my secondary school we had 3 paedophiles working thereand subsequently sacked (all ICT teachers coincidentally) I was wondering if anyone knew waht specifically drives a paedophile in terms of psychology why are they like that is is there fault or is it in there genes ?
This is a complicated topic. I myself have only read the scant guidelines that the DSM-IV-TR has to offer on the matter (scant because this is not complete but merely for the sake of further research). Simply put, there are a number of distinctions that should be observed: a) the difference between those who are primarily attracted to pubescent teens (ephebophile) as opposed to children, and then to neonates b) the common motivations within these presentations. There are a number of behavioral and psychosocial profiles including the abused and sociopathic ones; however I have yet to see any evidence that this could not be a congenital condition (in the same way that there is no evidence that predilection to homosexual behaviors is not hardwired...think about how difficult this is to prove for a start), so I would not exclude the possibility that some people are predisposed to such attractions, alien as this may seem.
Furthermore as I've said on other threads (I think it was the asexuality one), this takes a backseat to issues of management as currently there is really very little in the way of actual information regarding the 'aetiology' of paedophilia.
I would assert that the only people qualified to forward an opinion (the rest of you are nonetheless entitled, just not qualified to do so) would be those who have specifically worked in a professional setting with either those who are convicted of/have professed to be paedophiles or have been abused as children. Is there anybody here who has such a background? For my part I can only relate literature and primary accounts of those who do.
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Talo's approach is interesting but I am worried that it may also be misleading. As far as I know the questions I would wish to ask (some of which have already been answered) would be:
* Onset (varies, tends to be rarely self-reported due to stigma). * Age range and sex of primary sexual subject. * Childhood abuse, parental relationships and social development. * Level of education, employment. * Nature of attraction- has it been acted upon, is it fantasy, has any illegal behavior taken place. * Any other disruptions or influences to behaviors- frequent schoolgrounds, career etc. * Patient perspectives- does patient find this distressing, or feel the need to justify themselves in any way.
In this particular case, there are two bits of history that influence my line of thought. They are this:
My attraction started when I was 14 to those of the same age range as me, but has never changed with my own age.
and this
I often fantasize about kidnapping a young impressionable girl and "train" her as a house slave.
From this I would try to discern whether there were any significant events around the age of 14 (talking about onset in this manner is iffy because being attracted to girls within the age of 11-17 when you are 14 is well within normal limits and so it is unclear as to when the abnormal behaviors were first noted- by definition this description is retrospective so care must be taken). I would furthermore direct my questioning at trying to discern whether Tom has elements of any other personality disorder particularly with characteristics of control. It's a bit old-school and Freudian but I imagine questions about relationships esp. with parents would be asked. But that's all I can say as I haven't done the appropriate training yet.
I understand you want to keep a topic like this in the hands of professionals, but I think most people just want to discuss it at their level. Any answers or outcomes from this thread would not be eve dance of the truth, but rather a sharing of opinions about the subject. I Personally Didn't understand a few things you said, but then again, my Degree wasn't in psychology or English. Let's see if Tom can't answer a few of those questions as he didn't want to say too much and cause the rating of this thread to go up.
* Onset (varies, tends to be rarely self-reported due to stigma). I am not really sure what the question is, but if you're asking why I, Tom, would come out and talk openly about this? I would have to say that I accept what I do and think is wrong, but they still occur. Admitting you have a problem is always the first step. Also as this is online, I can always resort to denial. * Age range and sex of primary sexual subject. 11-17 year old girls
* Childhood abuse, parental relationships and social development. No childhood abuse; parents are actually still married with a good relationship with each other and myself; Socially accepted during all phases of life with a rich life of friends, sports and social events. Morals come from a childhood admiration of the Medieval Knight's code of honor.
* Level of education, employment. BS in 6 years right out of High School in Computer Science wile working full time as a store cashier. From Graduation until current, I have held a programing position with a private company were I work from home. The occasional normal girlfriend from time to time.
* Nature of attraction- has it been acted upon, is it fantasy, has any illegal behavior taken place. Mostly fantasy, but have over the years tricked girls out of their clothing were they were groped, some against their will. No crime was reported as they would risk being caught, and punished, doing something they shouldn't.
* Any other disruptions or influences to behaviors- frequent schoolgrounds, career etc. Movies, media, porn depicting Lolita type girls as forbidden fruit.
* Patient perspectives- does patient find this distressing, or feel the need to justify themselves in any way. I know what I do is wrong, but that is part of the thrill. It's more about the idea of having them do things with tears in their eyes than the physical gratification.
Note From Talo: Let me know if this get's too out of hand or detailed as I like to write short stories and I get really detailed with my characters to the point this may be an adult themed discussion.
I understand you want to keep a topic like this in the hands of professionals, but I think most people just want to discuss it at their level.
Not really. I just want us to keep in mind that none of us are qualified to be an authority on the subject.
It is important that topics like this are discussed publicly, however it's likely that a lot of things that are said here are inaccurate, and frankly I would rather minimise the amount of misinformation that takes a hold of the public consciousness.
Next question...this is not an accusation in any way but I'm curious- where did you get this scenario from? If not a direct source (for which you would have required consent anyway), what elements of your background enable you to post the above? This patient appears to me not to be primarily paedophilic but rather having a fixation on control and perhaps humiliation aspects of sexual dynamics. That's why I'm wondering about the onset (meaning how it came on)- because I honestly have no clue how prevalent this kind of history is, but the age of subjects seems to be secondary here.
I'm pretty sure that there are forums out there for the discussion of such subjects though most of you would not want to be caught dead in such places as they would have to be pretty deep underground given the sentiments of this day and age. But they would probably be your best bet in terms of information.
I can't really go into detail explaining were Tom came from as this is a punishable offense. In the extreme, If I were to say that I am actually Tom, then there could be some problems, you see. Like most good lies, there is a bit of truth to every word. The personality that is Tom can be relied on as being real as far as this forum.
Either work. With consent I typically take a different path, treating them more like you would a little sister.... but with the sex. Ever read about the Dungeon Master? He had some good ideas, but I would just modify the basement with better facilities. Most of my original ideas came from Cool Devices and Japanese Bondage. Something about training in a "dungeon" just is so attractive. This may be a random thing to say, but I like the way a young girl's skin tastes. Not going to start with the hose and the lotion though
I dunno, at this point I've pretty much run out of constructive questions without having to go into the nitty-gritty of every last detail, which I feel would not be appropriate for this forum.
