What is the difference between the terms pedophile and sex offender?

FAQ Category:

Adult's Behaviors

There is often a lot of misinformation and confusion about the terms that are used to describe people who have a primary sexual attraction to children, like pedophile, and those who have sexually abused a child, like sex offender. These terms have different meanings and are not mutually exclusive.

What is pedophilia?

Pedophilia is a clinical mental health diagnosis that falls under Paraphilic Disorders [1]. Someone diagnosed as a pedophile identifies a sexual attraction to prepubescent children. Only a licensed professional can diagnose someone with pedophilia; no family member, friend, or individuals online can label someone as a pedophile. Not everyone who has sexual thoughts about minors meets the criteria for pedophilia; there could be other factors involved, like obsessive compulsive symptoms [2]. Additionally, not everyone diagnosed as a pedophile will act on their attraction and sexually abuse a child [3]. Seeking help from a licensed mental health provider is the first step in addressing thoughts or behaviors towards minors, and reducing related distress.

While the term “pedophile” is used to describe someone diagnosed by a professional with pedophilia, it is also frequently used to label and shame someone else, often without knowing anything at all about that person’s sexual thoughts or feelings. As pedophilia is a mental health diagnosis, it’s often not helpful to label someone as a pedophile to describe their thoughts or behaviors with children. Calling someone a pedophile only creates a sense of shame and does not support anyone who might otherwise reach out for help with concerns about sexual thoughts they are having.

What is a sex offender?

Sex offender is a legal term referring to someone who has been charged and convicted of a sex related crime. People on the sex offender registry may have committed a wide range of crimes with some having been convicted of sexually abusing a child. It is important to note that a person who does meet the criteria for pedophilia does not necessarily become a person who sexually abuses a child. There are assumptions that all those who meet the criteria for pedophilia are also committing illegal acts, which is not always the case. People who sexually abuse children may offend due to other factors separate from a sexual attraction, such as opportunity or power dynamics. In addition, not every person who has sexually abused a child is charged and convicted through the legal system, so this term is limited only to those cases that have been reported, investigated, and have gone through the court system.

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References

[1] American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text rev.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787

[2] Paniagua, F. A. (2022). Pedophilia is a mental disorder and sometimes a legal act: A commentary. Revista Caribeña de Psicología, 6(1), e6497. https://doi.org/10.37226/rcp.v6i1.6497

[3] Sigre-Leirós, V., Carvalho, J., & Nobre, P. (2015). Cognitive schemas and sexual offending: Differences between rapists, pedophilic and nonpedophilic child molesters, and nonsexual offenders. Child Abuse & Neglect, 40, 81-92. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2014.10.003