49 Key Identifiers of Pedophilia and Differences in Pedophile Brain Morphology: A Comparative Approach By: Kristina Haran Abstract cortex and the amount of gray and white mater. Lastly this paper outlines hormone n the late 1800s to the early 1900s, treatment and its negative effect on pedophilia was considered a sexual pedophilic compulsions. With further Iperversion for weak minded people. understanding of pedophilia, better With its official addition to the DSM- treatments, even cures can be produced. II (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders- II) in 1952, Keywords: Pedophilia, White/Gray pedophilia began to be viewed by experts Matter, Testosterone, Frontal Cortex, as a mental disorder. Within the past Phallometric Testing few decades, a collection of research has been devoted to gaining a better understanding of how pedophilia can be detected and what are its causes. hen compared to schizophrenia, Research concludes that the pedophilic a well-researched disorder that brain is different from the brain of a affectsW 1 in 100 individuals, the prevalence healthy person in a few different aspects. of pedophilia is startling (Schizophrenia). This review first considers different Researchers speculate that approximately methods for determining if a person 1 – 5 out of every 100 men are pedophiles has pedophilic tendencies such as IATs (Zarembo, par 9). Despite the high (Implicit Association Tests), phallocentric prevalence of pedophilia in the population, testing, and fMRIs (functional magnetic experts still know very little about the resonance imaging. Then this paper looks causes and cures for this condition. at identified differences in the pedophilic Pedophilia is defined as being sexually brain such as abnormalities in the frontal aroused and attracted to children and 50 adolescents. One common misconception Emerging research on pedophiles is that those who were sexually abused proves that pedophiles have a different during their own childhood will become brain morphology compared to a healthy pedophiles; in reality, only about 1/3 person specifically in the frontal cortex and of pedophiles reported a history of white and gray matter amounts. While childhood sexual abuse (Zarembo, par the research does have its limitations 16). Another misconception is that by such as small sampling sizes, the research being a pedophile, a person will with is still a valuable tool for understanding certainty molest children, and anyone pedophilia. Society ostracizes pedophiles who molests children is a pedophile. and punishes them for their compulsions, However, pedophilia does not necessarily instead of approaching pedophilia as mean that the person has ever or has the a disorder in need of sound and viable intention of physical interactions with a treatments. child. Further, some people claim that pedophiles are merely attention addicts What is the history of who choose children primarily because Pedophilia? those relationships are forbidden or taboo (Zarembo). The concept of pedophilia is not a Still, some experts such as psychiatrist recent phenomenon; in fact behaviors of Dr. Fred Berlin, agree that pedophiles pedophilic nature have been identified in experience the same level of desire for ancient Greece and the Roman Empire. romantic and sexual relationships as a The term pedophilia erotica was first healthy person does with adults. These used by Viennese psychiatrist Richard experts claim that pedophilia is a sexual von Krafft-Ebing in 1886, where it was orientation, rather than a desire to be described as a “psycho-sexual perversion” socially deviant (Zarembo, par 12). Many (Ebing, 1892). Sigmund Freud (1905) pedophiles agree that their urges are morally briefly wrote about pedophilia in his book wrong and wish that they could better Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality. control or eradicate their compulsions. In it, Freud claimed that pedophiles Berlin claims that pedophiles are often are weak people who cannot control “good people who are struggling… their sexual urges enough to wait until tortured souls fighting like heck not to another adult was available to occupy do this. We do virtually nothing in terms their attention and instead make “use of reaching out to these folks. We drive of such substitutes” (pg 18-20). In 1908, it underground”(Zarembo, par 10-12). Auguste Forel, a Swiss psychiatrist and Better understanding the causes of this neuroanatomist recognized a distinction condition will allow us to better treat, and of people with organic brain conditions perhaps even prevent pedophilia, rather who had compulsions towards children. than punishing pedophiles after they act Forel believed that these sexual urges on their compulsions. were deeply rooted in the person’s psyche 51 and therefore unchangeable. In 1952, the term pedophilia was formally added to How can the IAT be used to detect the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of pedophilia? Mental Disorders (DSM)-II as a type of There are different ways that sexual deviation and was later given a full researchers can test a person for pedophilia; description in the DSM-III released in some being more time and expense costing 1980. than others. As technologies and our Since its induction into the DSM, understanding of the condition improve, pedophilia has been the subject of countless experts can begin to identify the most research studies aimed at identifying the useful and cost effective types of tests. causes and effective treatments for the Recently, there are three types of tests disorder. Recent research suggests that used by researchers and law enforcement pedophilia is a biological condition rooting alike that can be used to identify someone in neurological functioning (Cantor, 2008; as a pedophile. First is the IAT, or Implicit Fromberger, 2013; Schiffer &Peschel, Association Test, which is to date the 2007; Schiffer & Paul, 2008; Schiffer most accurate examination to identify & Vonlaufen, 2011; Walter, 2006). For pedophilia. When taking the IAT, a person instance, roughly 30% of all pedophiles is given various words and must place the are left-handed or ambidextrous, three words into different categories. The various times the prevalence in the general categories include sexual words, non- population. Experts argue that since hand sexual words, adult words, child words, and dominance is developed through various female words. The categories are paired gene combinations, the high prevalence together, for example, sexual words could of left-handedness is a strong indicator be paired with either adult words or child that some sort of dysfunction occurred words in order to create larger categories. while the person was in the womb. In a Experts then measure the time it takes different study, researchers discovered that for the person being tested to categorize on average, pedophiles are almost an inch the words into their distinct groupings. shorter and 10 IQ points lower than the People who are pedophiles responded general population (Zarembo,18-20). This quicker when sexual words and child could indicate that pedophiles experienced words were paired together than when developmental issues while in the womb sexual words and adult words are paired. or during infancy. This research has the Healthy people responded faster to sexual potential to change the way society views words and adult word pairings. The IAT people with pedophilia from being sexual is far from perfect, and even though it can deviants to having a diagnosable mental identify pedophiles with a 72% success disorder. rate, it will incorrectly label healthy people as pedophiles 42% of the time (Gray, How can pedophilia be 2005). Researchers speculate that the tested for? some of the incorrect identification can be 52 attributed to the fact that the test does not data is unavailable. The data could be account for any traumas that the person inaccessible due to a variety of reasons faced during childhood, such as sexual including time, cost, and responses being abuse; which could create a connection insignificant. In many studies, a person between sexual words and child words. who is undergoing Phallometric testing The incorrect labels could potentially will also be given a brain scan during the be caused by men who were currently procedure in order to see what areas of the attempting to conceive children, which brain become active as the penis becomes would explain, even subconsciously, the aroused (Cantor, 2008). tie between sexual words and child words. (Gray, 2005). As research continues, the How can fMRI tests be used to detect IAT can evolve to encompass and account pedophilia? for external factors which will make the Brain scans and functional magnetic test more reliable. resonance imaging (fMRIs ) are useful tools for understanding what makes the How can Phallometric testing be used to brain of a pedophile different than the detect pedophilia? brain of healthy person. fMRI tests are Written and word association tests are usually conducted while the subject is not the only way that pedophilia can be exposed to a variety of visual or auditory detected and studied. Phallometric testing stimuli, similar to a Phallometric test involves exposing subjects to visual and (Poepll, 2011; Schiffer, Paul, 2008; or auditory stimuli while measuring the Walter, 2007). The brain scans are then changes in their amount of penile blood reviewed in attempt to find similarities (Cantor, 2008). A penile plethysmograph in the functioning of a pedophile’s brain is used to record the circumference versus a healthy person. Using fMRIs change of the penis in response to how to better understand brain morphology sexually aroused the stimuli makes the in pedophilia is still a relativity new subject (Phallometric Testing). The practice; however, the results have been visual stimulus consists of adult women fruitful. fMRIs are providing evidence or children in neutral or provocative that pedophiles may in fact have a positions, while the auditory stimulus neurological disorder rather than weak usually consists of a person narrating tendencies to make “use of substitutes,” various sexual acts on adult women or as Freud put it.