The Origins of Sexual Offending

Abstract

This article proposes that the origins of sexual offending lie in the offender's experience of poor quality childhood relationships with their parents. This is said to increase their risk of being sexually abused, which in turn, feeds into the sexual fantasies they entertain, particularly during adolescence. The juvenile sexual history of sexual offenders involves high relative rates of masturbation, which becomes a preferred way of coping with stress. These high rates of masturbating, along with a lack of self-confidence in relationships, increase the likelihood that sexual fantasies will both incorporate elements of power and control and become more deviant over time. All of this is thought to create a disposition to offend that will be released only when the male's social constraints are disinhibited and he has an opportunity to offend.