Naturally, the child victims in the first two groups of Fattah's classification can also be found in pedophiliac crimes. It is important to notice that, especially as regards the offenders, there seems to be certain diagnostic categories in which no participation of the victim is found, or only in a very few exceptional cases. Such is the case at least when the offender is a person who has an antisocial personality (sociopathy) (Virkkunen, 1976). This personality disorder always starts before the age of 15. Its essential features are a history of continuous and chronic antisocial behaviour in which the rights of others are violated, and which carries on into adult life with a failure to sustain good job performances over a period of several years (DSM-III (American Psychiatric Association, 1980)). This personality disorder can be described also as a psychopathy, although this term is generally used in a wider and more indeterminate sense.
The person with an antisocial personality (sociopathy) may sometimes temporarily and very impulsively commit pedophiliac crimes (Swanson, 1968; Virkkunen, 1976). In the study of Gebhard et al. (1965) the investigators' description of their "heterosexual aggressors vs. children" group indicates that this personality disorder was present among these offenders. Gebhard et al. emphasize that, compared with other groups of pedophiliac offenders, these criminals are more recidivistic in criminality of all kinds, and they are usually alcoholics, or at least have sporadic alcohol problems, as well. The typical aggressor in their study was an unskilled or semi-skilled worker who did not graduate from grammar school, and whose employment and marital record was irregular. These facts suit very well the picture of an antisocial personality. The authors themselves, however, do not give a name to this personality disorder.
According to Gebhard et al. (1965) the official records stated that the victim had resisted in 95% of these cases. The offenders themselves said that this had happened in 65% of the cases. Thus, even according to the confessions, the percentage was remarkably high. The crimes were usually very impulsive and committed under the influence of alcohol, which of course also implies a total lack of cooperation on the victim's part.
[page 126] In a study of offenders in pedophiliac cases, Virkkunen (1976) compared those who had an antisocial personality (subjects) with "ordinary" pedophiliac offenders, who had not. The average age of the subjects was 29.9 years; the controls were a little older, their ages averaging 37.8 years. The clearest differences between subjects and controls were found in the total number of recorded crimes of all kinds and, especially, in previous offences against property and sexual offences. A further difference was revealed by ascertaining whether the offender had already been hyperactive in childhood and unable to concentrate (attention deficit disorder). The majority of the subjects were such.
Earlier sexual activity and marriages were more common among subjects than controls. Thus, the controls (i.e. the "ordinary" pedophiliac offenders, whose crimes were often victim-precipitated) had obviously experienced even greater, and more frequent difficulties in creating contacts, particularly with the opposite sex. This was also apparent from the fact that controls were happier in the company of minors and more childish for their age, as well as more shy and more timid, than the subjects were. The intelligence level was in both groups rather low, but more clearly so in the controls. (The average IQ was 90 among subjects and 81 among controls.)
The relative number of pedophiliac crimes committed by those with an antisocial personality is not very great, although sufficient to affect the general opinion concerning the nature of these crimes. (It is possible according to studies by Virkkunen (Virkkunen 1974, 1975, 1976) that also some explosive personalities (intermittent explosive disorder in DSM-III commit the same kinds of occasional, impulsive pedophiliac crimes as antisocial personalities. ) Usually persons with an antisocial personality commit other kinds of sexual and violent crimes (for instance rape) more often than pedophiliac crimes. These are often precipitated by alcohol (Virkkunen, 1979). In the study of Gebhard et al. (1965) there were 199 "heterosexual offenders vs. children" but only 25 "heterosexual aggressors vs. children", which agrees with the fact that these criminals are not very usual among pedophiliac offenders.