Guest blog: Minor attraction - A pattern of demonization
In this article, guest blogger Andrew K. discusses how careful choice of language and humanizing stories affect how MAPs are perceived. The thoughts expressed are those of the author, and his preferred referencing style has been maintained.
The article
In the popular imagination, “pedophile” means dangerous sexual predator. News stories supply the image of the average pedophile as a monster. Jeffrey Epstein. Ian Watkins. Jimmy Savile. To add to the stigmatization, pedophilia is studied as a paraphilia or mental disorder, not as a variation of sexual orientation. However, there are organizations and people pushing back on the mischaracterization of the average pedophile, such as B4U-ACT, Mu and Virtuous Pedophiles.
How deeply despised do you think people labeled as “pedophiles” are? If you said something in the ballpark of more hated than psychopaths or sadists, you’d be right. Unsurprisingly, pedophiles seem to be aware of the extent of public stigma against them. One group of studies notes that they often suffer from social isolation and low-self-esteem; not merely from the state of being a pedophile, but because of social reactions to pedophilia. Another more recent study looked at common attitudes toward pedophiles and found that labeling someone a “pedophile” elicited a much stronger and more negative reaction than “person with sexual interest in prepubescent children.” Even if participants were told that pedophilia was malleable, their opinion of pedophiles’ dangerousness didn’t change. Research suggests this overwhelmingly negative attitude is partly due to stigma being a core trait of human societies. Or rather, there is strong social pressure on non-pedophiles to conform with the stigmatization. Therefore, the extreme reactions to us could be driven partly by fear of social backlash toward the speaker should he or she not conform.
But there is a possible solution to the terrible reputation MAPs have. It involves changing the language we use and challenging the popular narratives. In one study, researchers used video and first-person narrative to open people up to pedophiles’ humanity. While there was a regression in attitudes towards pedophiles during a follow-up, they were not as harsh before the initial presentation. In another study, psychology students were impressed by a pedophile’s personal experience of growing up and encountering stigma, leading to a decrease in negative attitudes in general. This implies there may be a use for telling OUR stories, not the stories that the public tells about us, like “violent pedophile arrested”.
Imagine if every time a violent rapist was arrested, the news printed “violent heterosexual arrested”? It’s time to flip the script! We are not Epstein or Ian Watkins wannabes - we are all individuals with our own unique stories to tell. We merely want to live normal, safe lives. MAP (Minor-Attracted Person) will be our calling card, partly because it has shown to be a humanizing and de-demonizing term in contrast to the criminally-associated term “pedophile”.
Telling our stories begins with taking a risk. Even with apparent anonymity, we can potentially be tracked down by vigilantes matching details and phrases. But don’t be discouraged by this possibility. One of the ways you can start the process of humanization is to come out to a select few people, such as family or friends. Don’t do this without preparation, because in the worst-case scenario, you could be outed to the wider public and disowned. I’ve had success disclosing to a close family member, who has accepted me, and a mental health provider, both with positive results. I’ve explained how my attractions are to me, and my commitment to being a respectable member of society. It’s harder to attach stigma to someone you know, and your law-abiding behavior earns others' respect and trust, not just for you, but eventually other MAPs as well. For a lower-risk disclosure, join a MAP support forum, like VirPed or B4U-ACT. Introduce yourself and tell other MAPs how you feel and what led you to realize your minor-attraction. Ultimately, this is not about just your self-acceptance, but acceptance of MAPs in general. A society that has destigmatized pedophilia is one where we can come out with less risk of rejection, threats of violence, and harassment. A better place for all.
Please feel free to discuss this article on MAP Forum.
Recommended reading
Academic
- Jahnke, S., Imhoff, R., & Hoyer, J. (2015). Stigmatization of people with pedophilia: Two comparative surveys. Archives of sexual behavior, 44(1), 21-34.
- Imhoff, R., & Jahnke, S. (2018). Determinants of punitive attitudes toward people with pedophilia: Dissecting effects of the label and intentionality ascriptions. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 47(2), 353-361.
- Harper, C. A., Lievesley, R., Blagden, N. J., & Hocken, K. (2022). Humanizing pedophilia as stigma reduction: A large-scale intervention study. Archives of sexual behavior, 51(2), 945-960.
- Heron, R. L., Schwiekert, L., & Karsten, J. (2023). Meeting a person with pedophilia: Attitudes towards pedophilia among psychology students: A pilot study. Current Psychology, 42(2), 1022-1033.Beyond the criminal justice setting
- Jahnke, S., Blagden, N. & Hill, L. Pedophile, Child Lover, or Minor-Attracted Person? Attitudes Toward Labels Among People Who are Sexually Attracted to Children. Arch Sex Behav 51, 4125–4139 (2022).
- Media Coverage of Pedophilia and Its Impact on Help-Seeking Persons with Pedophilia in Germany—A Focus Group Study.
- Media coverage of pedophilia: Benefits and risks from healthcare practitioners' point of view.
- Gannon, T. A. (2021). A compositional explanatory theory of pedophilia. Aggression and violent behavior, 61, 101662.
- Berlin, F. S. (2014). Pedophilia and DSM-5: The importance of clearly defining the nature of a pedophilic disorder. Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online, 42(4), 404-407.
- O’Donohue, W. (2010). A critique of the proposed DSM-V diagnosis of pedophilia. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 39(3), 587-590.