Ted, Not pedophiles but they were born being attracted to boys. They just never grew out it.
How do you "grow out" of a genetic predisposition? And why can't the same be said of homosexuality?
Sexual attraction can start as early as 5 although the child doesn't define it in that way. Some boys have gotten erections when they are 6 or 7. As a child ages, his sexual attractions also matures and since his/her peer group usually is the focus of those attractions, when he's nine he's attracted to other 9 year olds. When he's 11, other 11 year olds.....and so on. All of this behavior is not clearly defined and that's why a boy will slug a girl he likes. Until puberty and even after, there is a certain ambivalence to such attractions by both boys and girls.
The theory behind pedophilia [and its not the only theory but the one that makes the most sense] is that pedophiles are people whose attractions to either the opposite sex or to the same sex or to both get 'stuck' at a particular young age. Some prefer their victims to be sub teen; others at the teenage level. In long term relations between a pedophile and his/her victim, its not uncommon for the pedophile to stop having relations with his/her victim when the child reaches a certain age. The child becomes too 'old'.
Most altar boys are around the age of 10 and up. It would seem that the priests who molest them are 'stuck' at that age level in terms of their sexual attractions. Part of it, of course, is that they like having complete control over their victims. They also like behaving at that age level and often times will put themselves in situations where there are lots of kids of a certain age. In other words, the priests who perpetrate such behavior, and they are a small minority within the church, suffer from arrested development. That part of them did not mature with the rest of them. That's what I meant when I said they didn't "grow out" of their juvenile attractions.
And let me add..........while I find the whole subject of pedophilia disgusting, all of us have parts of us that are not as mature as other parts. That's why shrinks talk about the inner child in all of us. In certain situations or interactions, we all act immaturely. However, most adults prefer their sexual relations with people who are adults.
People ought to be careful with the whole genetic argument. You'll see once the first indicted pedophile uses it as a legal defense.
Why is knowing that its genetic bad? If anything, it gives us hope that we can stop such behavior by tweaking the gene that causes the problem. Pedophilia damages the lives of many small kids and teenagers. If we can stop it, I think that would be a major boon for all of us.
ted |
