Child Sexual Abuse

Situational vs. Preferential Sex Offenders: (continued)

Preferential Child Molesters: These individuals have very definite sexual preferences that fuel their choice of victims and how they abuse them. Preferential molesters do not have sex with children out of situational stress or insecurity, they do it because they are solely sexually attracted to children. These molesters have age and gender preferences for their victims, are capable of molesting literally hundreds of children, and are likely to offend their entire lives. Preferential molesters are often work in occupations or have hobbies that place them in proximity to children. They are preoccupied with their sexual urges and will take unusual risks to satisfy them, thus they are capable of making careless mistakes when they offend.

There are four types of Preferential molesters:

1. Seduction: Characterized by “grooming” behaviors in which he will use attention, affection, and gifts to win over a child. He may even use these behaviors with parents to win their trust and gain access to the child. The seduction molester will resort to physical horseplay or portray sexual acts as a game. He is the Boy Scout troop leader who targets the most vulnerable or lonely boys in the group, will molest them simultaneously, and them “dump” them when they grow out of his preferred age.



2. Introverted: Characterized by the same preferences the seducer but lacks the interpersonal skills to pull it off. As a result, he will molest very young children and is likely to be found loitering around areas where children congregate. He will use the internet to communicate with children and may even marry a woman in order to have children so that he can molest them.



3. Sadistic: Characterized by his predominant need to inflict psychological and physical pain and suffering on his victims in order to be sexually gratified. He is the attacker who will abduct and murder his victims.



4. Diverse: Characterized by his need to engage in a wide variety of sexual behaviors as a form of sexual experimentation. He does not necessarily prefer children, they are more a novelty to be added to a larger repertoire of sexual behaviors. He may provide his children to other adults for use in group sex spouse-swapping, or ritualistic sex activities.

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