What’s the Difference Between a Pedophile and a Child Molester?

(Featured January 3, 2005)

By Robert Hugh Farley, M.S.
Consultant to the VIRTUS Programs

In November 2004, I conducted a Crimes against Children training seminar in Hong Kong for INTERPOL and the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children. During the seminar, a student in the class, a member of the Hong Kong Police Technology Crime Unit, asked me, “What is the difference between a “paedophile” and a child molester?” As I explained the differences I thought to myself that during my 28 years of investigating crimes against children I have been asked this very same question time and time again.

The general public, the media, and many child abuse professionals sometimes simplistically refer to all offenders who sexually abuse children as pedophiles. Unfortunately, there is no single or standardized definition for the word pedophile—or outside of the United States what is referred to as a “paedophile.”

For mental health professionals, the term pedophile is a diagnostic term referring to a man or woman who has recurrent, intense sexually arousing fantasies, urges, or behaviors involving prepubescent children occurring over a period of at least six months. This paraphilia is a psychosexual disorder that is defined for clinical and research purposes in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition, Text Revision. Professionals commonly refer to this text as the DSM-IV-TR. The American Psychiatric Association most recently updated the text in 2000.

A paraphilia is a psychosexual disorder and is not a type of child sexual abuse crime. This disorder may or may not involve any type of criminal activity. Some individuals suffering from this paraphilia just engage in fantasy, which, while alarming to the public, is legal. Others having this disorder will illegally act out on their fantasies and sexually abuse a child.

Not all pedophiles are child molesters. As mentioned earlier, a person suffering from a paraphilia can legally engage in this paraphilia simply by fantasizing about children. On the other hand a child molester is an individual who sexually abuses or exploits children. A pedophile might have a sexual preference for children and fantasize about having sex with them, but if he or she does not act out on the fantasy, he or she is not a child molester.

Some pedophiles act out their fantasies in legal ways by simply talking with children at a shopping center or by watching children swimming in a pool or playing at a park. Later, in the privacy of their home, they will fantasize about having sex with the children that they have interacted with or have observed.

Since 1997, many pedophiles have acted out their sexual fantasies by socially interacting with children via the thousands of child-oriented online chat rooms. Frequently, the online pedophile will demand a photograph that, unfortunately, a child talking in a chat room will often provide. It is impossible to estimate how many pedophiles there are who have never actually molested a child. Unfortunately, in addition to fantasy, the offender can also use the computer to troll for actual victims.

It is important to realize that to refer to someone as a pedophile is to say only that this person has a preference to have sex with children. This says little or nothing about the other aspects of his or her character, personality, or even demeanor. Some pedophiles that I have arrested have been described by their friends as “saints,” while others have been called “monsters.” Frequently the public does not recognize the pedophile (as a pedophile) because he or she is a nice person, works very hard, is good with children, and is even kind to animals.

Law Enforcement

Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Kenneth Lanning, who was assigned to the Behavioral Science Unit in Quantico, Virginia, originally developed a typology for identifying child molesters in the mid-1980s. This typology, which was published by the U.S. Department of Justice, has been updated with other collaborators including the author, and is widely disseminated by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).

This descriptive, non-clinical typology was developed specifically for criminal justice purposes, although other child abuse professionals frequently utilize it. The typology or profile divides child molesters into two major categories. The two categories are: the Situational Child Molester and the Preferential Child Molester. These categories are further sub-divided into seven specific patterns of behavior or distinctions that are exhibited by the molester.

Situational Child Molesters

Situational child molesters do not have a true sexual preference for children. They will molest a child for a wide variety of situational reasons. Frequently this molester will abuse children that they have easy access to, such as their own or those they may live with or have control over. Pubescent teenagers are often high-risk sexual targets. Younger children may also be targeted because they are weak, vulnerable, or available. Some situational molesters may select children, especially adolescents, simply because they have the opportunity and think they can get away with it. Others situational molesters may have low self-esteem and will use children as substitutes for their preferred adult sexual partners.

Preferential Child Molesters

Preferential child molesters have a true sexual preference for children. They tend to be more intelligent than situational molesters and frequently are found to be from a higher socioeconomic group. Their behavior is often scripted, compulsive, and is primarily fantasy-driven. Often they are quick to utilize modern technology in the sexual abuse of children. Examples of molestation cases with this technology can involve camcorders, digital cameras, computers, and web-cams.

Preferential child molesters possess certain characteristics, the most significant of which is a true sexual interest in children. In addition they are gender-specific, which means their sexual interest is having sex specifically with children of one particular gender. They are also age-specific which means that they are interested exclusively in pubescent or pre-pubescent children. For example, one preferential child molester that I arrested was interested in molesting pre-pubescent girls. As each victim began getting older—developing breasts and body hair—the molester lost interest in the girl. He then moved on to molest a much younger girl. I have found that it is frequently the “age” of the child that excites this type of offender.

In some cases law enforcement can recognize the highly predictable sexual behavior patterns of the preferential child molesters. Most of these indicators mean little by themselves, but as they are identified and accumulated during the course of an investigation, they can constitute reason to believe a suspect is a preferential child molester. Of course you cannot determine the type of offender with whom you are dealing unless you have the most complete, detailed, and accurate information possible including a detailed background check.

A preferential child molester can usually be identified by the following behaviors:

• Even in early adolescence, begins a pattern that is frequently described as having an unusual interest in younger children.

• While maturing, life centers on being with children.

• Is willing to commit a large amount of time, money, and energy interacting with children.

• Has developed a technique for complete access to many victims.

• Often rationalizes sexual interests in children by believing that the sex is consensual, not harmful, and even good for the child.

• Is able to lie and manipulate, often very skillfully.

• Often will record child sexual fantasies in journals or within computer files.

• Maintains a collection of child-orientated pornography.

• Will utilize pornography to lower the inhibitions of victims.

• Repeatedly collects paraphernalia or souvenirs from the molestations.

• Will focus on targeting specific victims by gender, age, and certain characteristics.

• Acts to turn the fantasy into reality.

Conclusion:

As can be seen, labeling someone’s behavior with a specific name can frequently be difficult. Some pedophiles can be child molesters while some child molesters, such as situational child molesters, in most cases, are not pedophiles. Oftentimes it is easier for the layperson to leave the labeling of a person who sexually abuses a child to the clinician or the child abuse professional. That is probably why most state databases simply refer to these individuals as “registered sex offenders.”

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