latimes | Like many forms of sexual deviance, pedophilia once was thought to stem
from psychological influences early in life. Now, many experts view it
as a sexual orientation as immutable as heterosexuality or
homosexuality. It is a deep-rooted predisposition — limited almost
entirely to men — that becomes clear during puberty and does not change.
The best estimates are that between 1% and 5% of men are pedophiles,
meaning that they have a dominant attraction to prepubescent children.
Not all pedophiles molest children. Nor are all child molesters
pedophiles. Studies show that about half of all molesters are not
sexually attracted to their victims. They often have personality
disorders or violent streaks, and their victims are typically family
members.
By contrast, pedophiles tend to think of children as
romantic partners and look beyond immediate relatives. They include
chronic abusers familiar from the headlines — Catholic priests, coaches
and generations of Boy Scout leaders.
Other pedophiles are "good people who are struggling," said Dr. Fred Berlin,
a psychiatrist who heads the Johns Hopkins Sexual Behaviors
Consultation Unit. "They're tortured souls fighting like heck not to do
this. We do virtually nothing in terms of reaching out to these folks.
We drive it underground."
