Are paedophiles brains wired differently?
25th November 2015
There has always been interest into what causes paedophiles to act the way they do. Some believe that if we can find out why paedophiles behave and feel the way they do we can protect potential future victims.
Dr James Cantor of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto has been studying the brains of paedophiles. His research has led him to conclude that paedophilia is a sexual orientation that one is born with and that doesn’t change over time. MRI scans have found that a Paedophile’s brain is wired very differently from others. It is described as a “cross-wiring” where the brain’s sexual responses are triggered by inappropriate stimuli.
Another study published in May last year suggested that a Paedophile’s different brain wiring is linked to abnormal facial recognition. Adults are programmed to respond with nurturing behaviour or sexual behaviour when they see a child’s or an adult’s face respectively. The research, conducted by Posetti et al. suggests that paedophilia is due to an abnormal tuning to immature faces.
Research such as that detailed above has understandably been met with a lot of resistance from those working with survivors of abuse believing that it further stigmatises and devalues the victim’s experiences. However, Cantor and others who have studied the differences in the way paedophiles’ brains are structured have argued that the work is important as by knowing more about what makes paedophiles act and feel the way they do we are in a better position to prevent the behaviour occurring.
There are many programmes that claim to offer treatment for those who have paedophilic urges. In Germany, paedophiles are treated rather than punished. Project Dunkfeld allows those wishing to address their attraction to children to be anonymously put in contact with a therapist who can help them control their urges. Many who have been through the project have commended the approach and feel that by being offered help they were able to overcome some of the stigma they felt. Indeed offering treatment rather than solely punitive measures not only means we understand more about what causes paedophilia but also gives those struggling with paedophilic thoughts and urges permission to seek help early hopefully leading to a reduction in overall behaviour.