(Somebody Somewhere)
The DSM-IV is the most recent edition of the standard reference for psychiatric diagnosis. Its sections on paraphilias and pedophilia therefore give definitive descriptions of the disorders and the meanings of the terms.
It is important to put this into perspective, however. Social workers actually use the DSM-IV primarily for guidance in filling out insurance forms, according to a study by Herb Kutchins and Stuart Kirk. Another problem with the book is the highly political process by which the diagnostic categories are selected. Thus, good clinicians do not make diagnoses by a literal reading of the language of the DSM, but rather make an individual judgement. Nonetheless, the book is useful, because its definitions allow people to speak the same language, to mean the same thing when using the same word. I actually found its section on pedophilia to be quite helpful.
So what does it say? For one, the primary component of a paraphilia is recurrent, intense sexual fantasies. This is an important distinction, because early editions of the DSM, as well as much popular opinion, would count only behaviors, actions that indicated some sort of sexual deviation. According to the modern definition, though, a person can be a pedophile without ever having molested a child (as I am), or, for that matter, can molest a child without being a pedophile. The two categories have a lot of overlap, but are distinct.
Here are the diagnostic criteria for 302.2 Pedophilia (that 302.2 is one of those insurance form codes):
Note: Do not include an individual in late adolescence involved in an ongoing sexual relationship with a 12- or 13-year-old.
Specify if: Sexually attracted to Males Sexually attracted to Females Sexually attracted to Both Specify if: Limited to Incest Specify type: Exclusive Type (attracted only to children) Nonexclusive Type
There are a few interesting things here. First, why all the reluctance to assign pedophilia to younger people? Most of the research suggests that sexual preferences (including pedophilia) are set at a fairly young age. Certainly, in my own case I know I was attracted to children basically since puberty.
Another interesting point is the focus on prepubescent children. On the other hand, most laws on child abuse draw the line at some particular age, typically 18 years. This discrepancy has created an entire category: ephebophilia, or the sexual attraction towards teenage males. Until recently, this would not have been seen as separate from an attraction to youthful but adult males. Now it is. Interestingly, I don't know of a word for attraction to teenage females. My guess is that because almost all heterosexual males display at least some attraction to such females, we are reluctant to label it as a disorder.
Most of us who have some sexual attraction towards children will at some point ask ourselves: am I a pedophile? In my own case, I found the answer to be yes. The fantasies I have are too insistent, too central to my sexual being, to dismiss them and say, "oh, well, they were just isolated fantasies." Even so, I am making steady progress towards not being a pedophile, at least by DSM-IV standards. I am steadily gaining control of my fantasies, and have broken the pattern of having pedophilic fantasies frequently, almost daily. Further, I have learned a lot about how to compensate for my pedophilia, so it is causing me a lot less distress than it used to, and doesn't really impair me in social, occupational, or "other important areas of functioning." So, I am close to escaping the literal words of this definition. Even so, even if I do gain complete control over my fantasies, cast out the pedophilic ones forever, and achieve a degree of calm, that does not change the core being of who I am. Even if I cast off this disease altogether, I will still have lived many years of my life as a pedophile, and will never be able to ignore that.
Peace,
Somebody Somewhere
NMV (No More Victims) is an anonymous mailing list moderated by Somebody Somewhere (an53307@anon.penet.fi if you want to be anonymous, an15@vox.xs4all.nl or na53307@anon.penet.fi if you don't). Email the moderator for more information.
Many clinicians would say that, if you have had sexual activity with children, that is enough of an "impairment" in an important area of functioning, because it is against the law and socially unacceptable. Indeed, the previous revision of the DSM has for criterion B:
B) The person has acted on these urges, or is markedly distressed by them.
Somebody Somewhere