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A psychological classification system based on child molesters' motivations

University of British Columbia

Despite social and legal consequences, child molesters engage in sexual activities with children. Speculation as to why molesters choose children as their sexual partners was examined from seven perspectives: psychodynamic, attachment, three mental functions, psychopathic, physiological, learning, and third force theories. The potential causal variables suggested by these theories were coded using information from the files of 200 male adolescent and adult child molesters. Variables were analyzed using Ward's minimum variance clustering technique to develop a psychological classification system based on child molesters' motivations. Five-cluster solutions were discovered when using either the adolescent or adult child molesters' samples. Clusters from the adolescent sample were labeled: Stable (47%), Pedophilic (13%), Disturbed Conduct (15%), Psychopathic Tendencies (10%), and Dysfunctional Families (15%). The clusters from the adult sample were remarkably similar, yet there were differences. These clusters were labeled Mentally Unstable (25%), Mentally Stable (40%), Brain Damage/Head Injuries (14%), Psychopathic Tendencies (10%), and Dysfunctional Families (11%). Using a split-half test, four of the five clusters for both samples appear to be stable. Only the clusters based on psychiatric diagnoses of pedophilia were unstable when these diagnoses were eliminated from the analysis. Although validation of the five-cluster solution using contrasting variables for the adolescent sample was weak, the five-cluster solution for the adult sample was convincingly validated.

Thesis/Dissertation

application/pdf

2009-07-02

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/9906

Psychology

University of British Columbia

UBCV

DSpace