What goes on in the head of a pedophile?

How does a person become a pedophile?

What makes him so – biological disorders or deviations in mental development? It’s hard to separate one from the other.

Indeed, many pedophiles in their childhood were themselves victims of sexual acts by other people: indecent touches, “games” with erotic overtones, rape. Among those who were convicted of pedophile behavior, about 30% had such an experience. Slightly fewer of those who were diagnosed with mental retardation (15% of cases). Such a person tends to look for a partner with a level of emotional maturity close to his own. With him, he feels comfortable and confident.

The influence of the environment, education and early impressions also affects the formation of a pedophile orientation. Classic mental disorders (schizophrenia, manic-depressive psychosis) accompany such behavior in only 4% of all cases. In the latter cases, with proper treatment of the disease, it is possible to cope with violations of sexual behavior.

In very rare cases, the trigger is a neurological disorder (such as early dementia) or brain injury. It is also interesting that the vast majority of pedophiles are men. Cases of pedophilia in women are still very poorly studied.

brain anomalies

Recently, neuroscientist James Cantor from the University of Toronto (Canada) discovered a special brain anomaly that occurred in half of the men with a penchant for pedophilia. We are talking about a reduced volume of white matter in the frontal and parietal lobes.

As the authors explain, white matter fibers connect the areas of the brain involved in sexual behavior. First of all, these are the zones in which visual images are formed, and the frontal lobes, which are responsible for self-control. If the connection between these sites is weak, the risk of unacceptable behavior increases.

Another candidate for the main villain (or main victim) is the amygdala. It is responsible for sexual motivation, that is, it determines whether this or that object or person arouses our attraction.

Scientists from the University of Magdeburg (Germany) found that pedophiles with different orientations (hetero-, homo- and bisexual) had smaller tonsils than normal. The researchers speculate that this disruption may have occurred early in the development of the brain, in the womb, or shortly after birth, leading to hormonal imbalances and behavioral changes later on.

Internal brake failure

Another hypothesis that is currently being actively developed is that pedophilia is associated with disorders in the orbitofrontal cortex and other regions that are responsible for containing unwanted sexual impulses. The orbitofrontal cortex acts as a grid that catches our instinctive urges: for example, to beat up a tow truck driver who is taking our car away, or to pounce on a pretty stranger with kisses.

Most often, pedophiles reveal themselves precisely when they cannot restrain their desires and commit violence. It happens that a brain tumor in the orbitofrontal cortex causes pedophilic behavior in an adult who has never experienced anything like this before.

The same problem usually pushes once convicted pedophiles to repeat crimes. This category is considered especially dangerous. Therefore, imprisonment alone cannot be sufficient to re-educate a pedophile rapist. Appropriate treatment is also required, which can protect a person from his own dark thoughts.