Aggression and Erotic Attraction Toward Children in Incestuous and Pedophilic Men

Abstract

Twenty-one incest offenders and 22 heterosexual pedophiles were compared to 22 violent offenders, and 17 normal controls recruited from the community. The groups were compared with respect to: 1) the pattern of coercion and sexual behavior used in their offences; 2) erotic attraction to children, pubescent and adult females, based on measures of penile tumescence; and, 3) their propensity for violence. About a third of incest and pedophilic offenders assessed actually penetrated their victims, engaging in both physical (e.g. slapping, hitting) and emotional (e.g. yelling, threatening) coercion in order to obtain compliance from uncooperative children. As predicted, some sexual perpetrators do appear to engage in "gratuitous" violence. The data suggest that 15 (68%) of the heterosexual pedophiles preferred fondling and mutual masturbation with children, while 7 others (32%) were more aroused by scenes depicting forced penetration (both digital and genital), contrary to their initial self-reports. Incest offenders reacted most to sexual interactions with adults but they also showed comparable reactions to consenting sex with children. Both incest perpetrators and pedophiles were less violent generally than the nonsexually violent offenders but more violent than community controls. The results support recent research findings that violence may be a more common and integral part of the sexual behavior of some pedophiles or incest offenders, than previously believed. The data also lend credence to the growing body of evidence which suggests that "violence" in pedophilic offences has been underestimated and needs serious reexamination.