NCJ Number
185129
Journal
Trauma, Violence, and Abuse Volume: 1 Issue: 3 Dated: July 2000 Pages: 250-263
Date Published
July 2000
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This article argues that the origins of sexual offending lie in the offender's experience of poor quality childhood relationships with their parents.
Abstract
Based on a review of the relevant research, the authors conclude that sexual offenders have poor childhood attachments to their parents. This apparently increases the child's risk of being sexually abused. Being sexually abused then leads to earlier onset of masturbation, and sexual offenders then begin using sexual behavior as a coping strategy when they are under stress. Juvenile masturbation predicts the use of sex as a coping strategy. Further, the use of sex as a coping strategy predicts adult sexual aggression. Conditioning processes instill both a desire for deviant sex and increase the relevance of associated nonsexual desires (e.g., power, control, humiliation of victims, and aggression). Self-induced or externally induced disinhibitions allow sex offenders to abuse others; however, even though a person may be strongly disposed to sexually offend, an opportunity must either arise or be created for an offense to occur. Implications of the aforementioned findings are drawn for policy, practice, and research. 87 references