What is a pedophile?
What you can do if you see warning signs Warning signs of sexually harmful behavior
Are pedophiles typically attracted to children of the opposite sex, same sex, or is there no particular pattern?
Symptoms & Treatments of Mental Disorders
Is pedophilia more common among men or women?
PERSONALITY DISORDERS
Does the medical community consider pedophilia to be a mental disorder?
Can pedophilia be treated?
Are pedophiles only attracted to children?
THE PROFILE OF PEDOPHILES Pedophiles and child molesters share some characteristics. …show more content…
When boys are victims, sexual abuse may take place outside the home, and perpetrators may be strangers. Perpetrators of sexual abuse of children often claim that they themselves were victims of childhood sexual abuse. Psychological profiles are helpful but are compromised partly because many perpetrators are prisoners and control groups are lacking for this research. Pedophilia is a psychiatric disorder in which an adult or older adolescent is sexually attracted to young children. Pedophiles can be anyone, old or young, rich or poor, educated or uneducated, non-professional or professional, and of any race. However, pedophiles often demonstrate similar characteristics, but these are merely indicators and it should not be assumed that individuals with these characteristics are pedophiles. But knowledge of these characteristics coupled with questionable behavior can be used as an alert that someone may be a pedophile.
In most cases, the pedophile is someone known to the child at school or another activity, such as a neighbor, teacher, coach, and member of the clergy, music instructor, or babysitter. Family members such mothers, fathers, grandmothers, grandfathers, aunts, uncles, cousins, stepparents, and so on may also be sexual …show more content…
Once inside the home, they have many opportunities to manipulate the children -- using guilt, fear, and love to confuse the child. If the child's parent works, it offers the pedophile the private time needed to abuse the child. Pedophiles work hard at stalking their targets and will patiently work to develop relationships with them. It is not uncommon for them to be developing a long list of potential victims at any one time. Many of them believe that what they are doing is not wrong and that having sex with a child is actually "healthy" for the