Friday, September 14, 2012

Friday Link Dump 9/14/12



2 comments:

Larry said...

"Most of them are not born so much as made. But there are far more abuse victims than actual abusers. This research could clue us in to the “X factor” of who survives sexual abuse and is able to heal vs who goes on to become a predator."

Did you read the originating Gawker article? It didn't say that pedophiles are "made" that way through being abused. It actually makes a strong point from a science perspective that it could indeed be something they were born with, a sexual orientation.

I read nothing there about any "X factor" that separates "victims who heal" from "those who become predators". Phrasing it that way certainly leads me to believe you didn't read the article, as it suggests either A) all pedophiles that were assaulted as children will become predators, or B) a pedophile that doesn't pray on children is "healed". The article strongly points out that pedophiles are not synonymous with sex offenders, ie, predators.

Adam said...

First of all, I was commenting on the Discovery.com article about the Gawker article. Not the original Gawker article. I was referring to the Nature vs. Nurture argument for sex offenders. What I said about being made rather than born is an observation from working with victims and perpetrators of sexual abuse for over 12 years. I am aware (as I’m sure you are) that not every person who is sexually abused becomes a sexual abuser. The vast majority of abusers are victims of abuse. The “X factor” I was talking about is a colloquialism often used in the field referring to the different reactions to and resiliency from trauma. So when I think of a “Pedophile” I think of the DSM-IV diagnosis under Paraphilia. There is no specific diagnosis for those with the sexual urges who do not act on them. The urge and the action are part of the same diagnosis as comorbid behavior. There is a debate in Psychology right now about adding a specific diagnosis for the “non-offending pedophile”. It is well documented that their brains are different. It is also well documented that childhood trauma, specifically sexual abuse changes your brain. There is no way of knowing what percentage of “natural pedophiles” were abused as children because no one knows how many exist.
As I said, I was commenting on the Discovery article. My two sentence comment was thought-association. I honestly did not read the Gawker source article at the time of the posting, but I’m glad you did. That’s the point of the FLD after all. Thanks for reading.