This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Montrealais (talk | contribs) at 05:10, 19 October 2002 (reworded very unencyclopedic section (which included a link written as sexual perversion)). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 05:10, 19 October 2002 by Montrealais (talk | contribs) (reworded very unencyclopedic section (which included a link written as sexual perversion))(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Pedophilia, or paedophilia, is sexual attraction to children. One psychiatric definition (see Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition, American Psychiatric Association) states:
Diagnostic criteria for 302.2 Pedophilia
A. Over a period of at least 6 months, recurrent, intense
sexually arousing fantasies, sexual urges, or behaviors
involving sexual activity with a prepubescent child or
children (generally age 13 years or younger).
B. The fantasies, sexual urges, or behaviors cause clinically
significant distress or impairment in social, occupational,
or other important areas of functioning.
C. The person is at least age 16 years and at least 5 years
older than the child or children in Criterion A.
Note: Do not include an individual in late adolescence involved
in an ongoing sexual relationship with a 12- or 13-year-old.
As noted above, clinical pedophilia can be diagnosed solely in the presence of "fantasies" or "sexual urges" on the subject's part -- it need not involve criminal sexual acts with children.
The popular use of the word "pedophilia" to describe sexual activity with underage adolescents does not fall under this definition. While such activity may be illegal in a particular jurisdiction, it frequently exemplifies only borderline pedophilia or no pedophilia at all.
Sometimes a clinical distinction is made between pedophiles and "situational offenders" -- a distinction, however, which is not reflected in the above DSM-IV definition. A pedophile, according to this distinction, is a person whose primary sexual attraction is to children, while a situational offender is someone who engages in sexual activity with children not as their primary sexual preference but due to a particular situation they are faced with, and would not otherwise engage in such activity except for that situation.
Most cases of father-daughter incest, for example, are believed to involve fathers who are situational offenders, rather than pedophiles. One particular situation some have claimed may give rise in that case to such sexual abuse is the absence or withdrawal (especially due to mental illness) of the mother.
Western cultures in general strongly condemn pedophilic urges and especially acts, regarding them as very serious crimes, based on the idea that children are not sufficiently mature to be able to consent to sex and that pedophilic acts are therefore rape.
An earlier term identified with pedophilia was pederasty.