Pedophilia & Cognitive Impairment: Examining Neurodevelopmental Correlates - Essay Sample

Introduction

According to studies of sexual arousal, the sex offenders who are diagnosed with pedophilia have a lower score on intelligence tests (Eastwood, 1985). For example, men who are diagnosed with the condition indicate a poor visuospatial as well as verbal memory scores. Additionally, pedophiles indicate a characteristic low score on semantic knowledge as well as poor executive functioning levels. Some scholars have suggested that pedophiles have disturbances towards their neurodevelopment in early childhood.

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Kaplan (2015) noted that brain imaging has revealed a neurological cause regarding the condition. When MRIs are conducted to people with pedophilia, the images indicate that sex offenders with the condition have a lower white matter in their brain than people who have not committed sexual crimes on children. It should be noted that the white matter in a person's brain is an imperative pathway within the network of the brain that connects the grey matter areas to each other by carrying the nerve impulse that exists between the neurons. Therefore, there have been speculations that pedophilia may be as a result of poor connections in an individual's brain (Fromberger et al., 2013).

It has been interesting among the psychiatrists who have established that pedophiles are unlikely to have an antisocial personality disorder. It is more likely for pedophiles to experience mental disorders than people without the condition especially mood and anxiety disorders (Drapeau et al., 2008). Impulsivity in pedophilic behavior has also been a major concern in studies. it has been widely assumed that people with pedophilia cannot manage the condition in themselves hence cannot control the impulses towards molesting children. Some psychiatrists have identified that their approach to children is mostly never spontaneous, but rather a predetermined decision.

Recent studies have noted that there is no relationship between impulse-aggressive traits and pedophilia. Besides, the MRIs have not established any evidence that suggests any differences regarding the parts of the brain that relate to self-control and impulsivity. It has been established that attitudes towards sexual abuse among pedophiles differ (Langevin and Lang, 2012). Research has established that in the behavior of some of the people who molest children, is the endeavor to justify their actions regarding the absolving themselves of guilt as well as the responsibility by minimization of the harm to the child. Conversely, some of the offenders are relieved when apprehended where they have a hope that the treatment will help them to correct their behaviors (Imhoff, 2014). On the other hand, virtuous pedophiles oppose any sexual contact with children adamantly. Such contrasting behaviors among pedophiles have brought challenges among researchers to understand the condition and develop common therapies among individuals with the condition.

The current psychological consensus of experts has illustrated that pedophilia is amenable towards appropriate treatment in most of the situations. It should be noted that no treatment can convert sexual interests. In this regard, therapies that have been established to redirect sexual attention from the children towards adults have not fared any better in pedophilia than the same-sex attractions. Therefore, successful treatment of the condition has mainly focused on cognitive-behavioral therapy that is often a combination of medication that can reduce the overall sexual desire.

Profile of Pedophiles

Pedophilia entails a condition where the perpetrator is older than the victim. Generally, it has been considered that for an individual to be considered for pedophilia, they must be at least 16 years of age and should be at least 5 years older than the child. For cases that involve adolescents, it is important to consider other predisposing factors such as emotional and sexual maturity, before the adolescent offender can be considered for diagnosis with pedophilia. According to Hall and Hall on a Mayo Clinic Report (2007), most of the pedophiles mainly indicate their attraction towards children around their puberty age.

The attraction towards children can develop later in their lives. Therefore, the clinical diagnosis of pedophilia has been based mainly by a particular specific action, to ensure that the act was not as a result of intoxication or a result of a particular other mental medical condition that can have an impact on the judgment. According to different studies, about 50% to 60% of the pedophiles are likely to be involved in drugs and substance abuse (Dickey et al., 2002). For such people to be diagnosed with pedophilia, their attraction towards children should be present even when they are sober.

Pedophilia has been established to be related to age and sex. For example, Dickey et al., (2002) established that pedophiles are more common in older adults between the ages of 40 years and 70 years. When the researchers compared the pedophiles with therapists and sexual sadists, it was established that they comprised of 60% of all the older adults (Dickey et al., 2002). This indicates that the pedophiles offend mainly in their later years as opposed to the other sexual offenders. It should be noted that the individuals who engage in sexual activities with pubescent adolescents who are under the legal age of consent (13 - 16 years) are referred to as hebephiles (the ones attracted to females), and ephebophiles (the ones attracted to males). Research has tried to distinguish the hebephiles and pedophiles. Studies have established that hebophiles tend to be more interested in reciprocal sexual affairs or relationships with children. Such people tend to be more opportunists when engaging in sexual acts and have better social functioning than pedophiles.

It should be pointed out that pedophiles can engage in a wide array of sexual acts with young children. Some of the activities may include exhibitionism, undressing a child, voyeurism, and masturbating when they are in the presence of children and maintaining physical contact with such behavior. It has been established that most pedophiles do not use force to have children engage in this behavior (Jahnke et al., 2015). Instead, they coerce them and rely on various forms of desensitization and psychic manipulation including the progression from the innocuous touching and showing pornographic material to children. Such people are likely to minimize their contact with children when confronted with that behavior.

According to the US Department of Justice, pedophiles are likely to indicate 5 psychological defense patterns of denial, justification, minimization, attack, and fabrication. According to Hall and Hall (2007), 50% to 70% of the pedophiles are likely to be diagnosed with having another paraphilia such as sadism, voyeurism, and frotteurism. They are up to three times more likely to engage in physical contact with a child than a simple exhibitionistic or voyeuristic behavior. Additionally, it has been established that pedophiles are more likely to engage in fondling and genital manipulation than sexual intercourse which is common in other types of crimes that involve children. Therefore, sexual crimes are likely to be more psychological.

Generally, most of the pedophiles are males. Tradition...