As you have seen this week, pedophilia and child molestation are two different things. An adult who has sexual contact with an underage minor is a child molester and has committed a crime. A pedophile, on the other hand, is a person with a psychiatric disorder in which they are involuntarily attracted to prepubescent children. Only if they act upon the attraction has a crime been committed. Many individuals with pedophilia actually hate their uncontrollable urges and desires. Many resist acting upon their urges and desires for moral reasons—because they know it would be wrong. In contrast, molesting or sexually assaulting a child is a sex crime and morally wrong no matter the reason.
For this Assignment, you will examine a real-life case involving a pedophile who is also a child molester. You will evaluate the influences and motivations that may have led this pedophile to act on their urges and become a child molester.
Review the Learning Resources for this Assignment.
Consider the trait profiles of and the similarities and differences between pedophiles and child molesters.
Identify a real-life case involving a pedophile who was also a child molester on which to focus for this Assignment.
Conduct your own research online and/or in the Walden Library to identify three or more credible sources of information/evidence (e.g., court documents, documentaries, journal articles, news reports, etc.) about the case you selected.
Consider the influences and motivations that led the perpetrator in the case to engage in the behavior.
Use the APA Course Paper Template (APA 7) found in this week’s Learning Resources to complete your Assignment.
Assignment (3–4 pages, not including title and references pages)
Address the following in your paper:
Evaluate the trait profiles of pedophiles and child molesters.
Describe the ways in which the two trait profiles are similar.
Describe the ways in which the two trait profiles are different.
Describe the factors (i.e., psychological, environmental, or sociological) that may lead to the specific traits associated with each profile.
Identify the real-life case you selected involving a pedophile who was also a child molester.
Evaluate the influences and motivations that may have led the perpetrator to engage in the behavior.
Describe any triggers in their life that may have impelled them toward the behavior.
Describe which traits (from the trait profiles you addressed earlier) are most applicable to the perpetrator.
Describe which traits you believe may have impelled them to become a child molester and actually commit a criminal offense(s) against a minor(s)
