Book contents
- The Cambridge Handbook of Forensic Psychology
- The Cambridge Handbook of Forensic Psychology
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Preface
- Forensic Psychology
- Part I Psychological Underpinnings
- 1.1 Cognitive Theories of Crime
- 1.2 Child and Adolescent Offending
- 1.3 Investigative Psychology
- 1.4 Neurological Theories
- 1.5 Personality
- 1.6 Theories of Sexual Offending
- 1.7 The Psychology of Violent Behavior
- 1.8 Investigative Decision-Making
- Part II Psychology and Criminal Behaviour
- Part III Assessment
- Part IV Interventions
- Part V Civil Proceedings
- Part VI Professional Practices
- Index
- References
1.6 - Theories of Sexual Offending
from Part I - Psychological Underpinnings
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 December 2021
Book contents
- The Cambridge Handbook of Forensic Psychology
- The Cambridge Handbook of Forensic Psychology
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Preface
- Forensic Psychology
- Part I Psychological Underpinnings
- 1.1 Cognitive Theories of Crime
- 1.2 Child and Adolescent Offending
- 1.3 Investigative Psychology
- 1.4 Neurological Theories
- 1.5 Personality
- 1.6 Theories of Sexual Offending
- 1.7 The Psychology of Violent Behavior
- 1.8 Investigative Decision-Making
- Part II Psychology and Criminal Behaviour
- Part III Assessment
- Part IV Interventions
- Part V Civil Proceedings
- Part VI Professional Practices
- Index
- References
Summary
Sexual violence is an international public health issue, with high rates of victimisation found across countries, genders, ethnicities and deprivation levels. In this chapter we focus on the current predominant etiological theories of sexual offending, including child sexual abuse, adult sexual abuse, and internet offending. We begin by briefly discussing the importance of theories in forensic contexts, and providing an overview of the classification of sexual violence. We then introduce a framework for understanding different “levels” of etiological theory, before providing examples of some of the most influential theories of sexual offending corresponding to each of these levels. We finish by discussing the potential future of sexual offending theories, namely the current paradigm shifts that are occurring in terms of our understanding of risk and protective factors, and their relationship with sexual offending.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Cambridge Handbook of Forensic Psychology , pp. 109 - 127Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2021
References
Barth, J., Bermetz, L., Heim, E., Trelle, S., & Tonia, T. (2013). The current prevalence of child sexual abuse worldwide: A systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Public Health, 58(3), 469–483.Google Scholar
Bonta, J., & Andrews, D. A. (2017). The psychology of criminal conduct (6th ed.). Routledge.Google Scholar
Beggs Christofferson, S. M. (2019). Is preventive treatment for individuals with sexual interest in children viable in a discretionary reporting context? Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 34(20), 4254–4280.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bickley, J. A., & Beech, A. R. (2003). Implications for treatment of sexual offenders of the Ward and Hudson model of relapse. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 15(2), 121–134.Google Scholar
Blakemore, T., Herbert, J. L., Arney, F., & Parkinson, S. (2017). The impacts of institutional child sexual abuse: A rapid review of the evidence. Child Abuse and Neglect, 74, 35–48.Google Scholar
Carr, A., Duff, H., & Craddock, F. (2018). A systematic review of reviews of the outcome of noninstitutional child maltreatment. Trauma, Violence, and Abuse.Google Scholar
Connolly, M. (2004). Developmental trajectories and sexual offending: an analysis of the pathways model. Qualitative Social Work, 3(1), 39–59.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cording, J. R., & Beggs Christofferson, S. M. (2017). Theoretical and practical issues for the measurement of protective factors. Aggression and Violent Behaviour, 32, 45–54.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cording, J. R., Beggs Christofferson, S. M., & Grace, R. C. (2016). Challenges for the theory and application of dynamic risk factors. Psychology, Crime and Law, 22(1–2), 84–103.Google Scholar
Cording, J. R., Grace, R. C., & Beggs Christofferson, S. M. (under revision). Addressing the cause: An empirical test of Ward and Siegert’s Pathways Model of child sexual abuse. Sexual Abuse.Google Scholar
Cossins, A. (2000). Masculinities, sexualities, and child sexual abuse. Martinus Nijhoff.Google Scholar
Cossins, A. (2016). The sociology of sex offending: The offender, culture, and context. In Boer, D. P. (Ed.), The Wiley handbook on the theories, assessment and treatment of sexual offending (pp. 267–288). Wiley.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dombert, B., Schmidt, A. F., Banse, R., Briken, P., Hoyer, J., Neutze, J., & Osterheider, M. (2016). How common is men’s self-reported sexual interest in prepubescent children? The Journal of Sex Research, 53, 214–223.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gannon, T., Terriere, R., & Leader, T. (2012). Ward and Siegert’s Pathways Model of child sexual offending: a cluster analysis evaluation. Psychology, Crime & Law, 18(2), 129–153.Google Scholar
Garcia-Moreno, C., Jansen, H. A. F. M., Ellsberg, M., Heise, L., & Watts, C. (2005). WHO multi-country study on women’s health and domestic violence against women: Report on the first results.Google Scholar
Haig, B. D. (2014). Investigating the psychological world: scientific method in the behavioral sciences. MIT Press.Google Scholar
Hanson, R. K., & Morton-Bourgon, K. E. (2005). The characteristics of persistent sexual offenders: A meta-analysis of recidivism studies. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 73(6), 1154–1163.Google Scholar
Kafka, M. P. (2003). Sex offending and sexual appetite: the clinical and theoretical relevance of hypersexual desire. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 47(4), 439–451.Google Scholar
Kingston, D. A., Firestone, P., Moulden, H. M., & Bradford, J. M. (2007). The utility of the diagnosis of pedophilia: A comparison of various classification procedures. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 36(3), 423–436.Google Scholar
Kingston, D. A., Yates, P. M., & Firestone, P. (2012). The self-regulation model of sexual offending: Relationship to risk and need. Law and Human Behavior, 36(3), 215–224.Google Scholar
Lambine, M., & Leguizamo, A. (2010). Pedophilic, rapist, and mixed sexual offenders: An application of the self-regulation model. American Psychology – Law Society Annual Conference. https://docs.rwu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1033Google Scholar
Laws, D. R., & Marshall, W. L. (1990). A conditioning theory of the etiology and maintenance of deviant sexual preference and behavior. In Marshall, W. L., Laws, D. R., & Barbaree, H. E. (Eds.), Handbook of sexual assault: issues, theories, and treatment of the offender (pp. 209–229). Springer.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mann, R.E., Hanson, R.K., & Thornton, D. (2010). Assessing risk for sexual recidivism: Some proposals on the nature of psychologically meaningful risk factors. Sexual Abuse, 22, 191–217.Google Scholar
Middleton, D., Elliott, I. A., Mandeville-Norden, R., & Beech, A. R. (2006). An investigation into the applicability of the Ward and Siegert Pathways Model of child sexual abuse with Internet offenders. Psychology, Crime & Law, 12(6), 589–603.Google Scholar
Peterson, Z. D., Voller, E. K., Polusny, M. A., & Murdoch, M. (2011). Prevalence and consequences of adult sexual assault of men: Review of empirical findings and state of the literature. Clinical Psychology Review, 31(1), 1–24.Google Scholar
Plummer, M. (2019). Explaining the transition from victim to offender among men who experienced child sexual abuse. University of New South Wales.Google Scholar
Purvis, M., & Ward, T. (2006). The role of culture in understanding child sexual offending: Examining feminist perspectives. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 11(3), 298–312.Google Scholar
Salerno, L. M. (2014). A structural examination of integrative theories of sexual offending and reoffending. Rutgers University.Google Scholar
Seto, M. C. (2012). Is pedophilia a sexual orientation? Archives of Sexual Behavior, 41(1), 231–236.Google Scholar
Seto, M. C. (2019). The Motivation-Facilitation Model of sexual offending. Sexual Abuse: Journal of Research and Treatment, 31(1), 3–24.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Seto, M. C., Cantor, J. M., & Blanchard, R. (2006). Child pornography offenses are a valid diagnostic indicator of pedophilia. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 115(3), 610–615.Google Scholar
Sheldon, K., & Howitt, D. (2008). Sexual fantasy in paedophile offenders: Can any model explain satisfactorily new findings from a study of Internet and contact sexual offenders? Legal and Criminological Psychology, 13(1), 137–158.Google Scholar
Taxman, F. S., & Caudy, M. S. (2015). Risk tells us who, but not what or how: Empirical assessment of the complexity of criminogenic needs to inform correctional programming. Criminology & Public Policy, 14, 71–103.Google Scholar
van Bommel, R., Uzieblo, K., Bogaerts, S., & Garofalo, C. (2018). Psychopathic traits and deviant sexual interests: The moderating role of gender. International Journal of Forensic Mental Health, 17(3), 256–271.Google Scholar
Ward, T. (2016). Dynamic risk factors: Scientific kinds or predictive constructs. Psychology, Crime & Law, 22(1–2), 2–16.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ward, T. (2017). Prediction and Agency: The Role of Protective factors in Correctional Rehabilitation and Desistance. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 32, 19–28.Google Scholar
Ward, T. (2019). Why theory matters in correctional psychology. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 48, 36–45.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ward, T., & Beech, A. R. (2015). Dynamic risk factors: a theoretical dead end? Psychology, Crime, & Law, 21, 100–113.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ward, T. & Carter, E. (2019). The classification of offending and crime related problems: A functional perspective. Psychology, Crime, & Law, 25, 542–560.Google Scholar
Ward, T., & Fortune, C. (2016). The role of dynamic risk factors in the explanation of offending. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 29, 79–88.Google Scholar
Ward, T., & Hudson, S. M. (1998a). A model of the relapse process in sexual offenders. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 13(6), 700–725.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ward, T., & Hudson, S. M. (1998b). The construction and development of theory in the sexual offending area: A metatheoretical framework. Sexual Abuse: Journal of Research and Treatment, 10(1), 47–63.Google Scholar
Ward, T., & Hudson, S. M. (2000). A self-regulation model of relapse prevention. In Laws, D. R., Hudson, S. M., & Ward, T. (Eds.), Remaking relapse prevention with sex offenders: a sourcebook (pp. 79–101). Sage.Google Scholar
Ward, T., & Hudson, S. M. (2001). Finkelhor’s precondition model of child sexual abuse: A critique. Psychology, Crime and Law, 7(4), 291–307.Google Scholar
Ward, T., Polaschek, D. L. L., & Beech, A. R. (2006). Theories of sexual offending. Wiley.Google Scholar
Ward, T., & Siegert, R. J. (2002). Toward a comprehensive theory of child sexual abuse: A theory knitting perspective. Psychology, Crime & Law, 8(4), 319–351.Google Scholar
Ward, T., Wilshire, C. E., & Clack, S. (2020). Symptom descriptions in psychopathology: How well are they working for us? Paper under review.Google Scholar
Wilson, L. C., & Miller, K. E. (2016). Meta-analysis of the prevalence of unacknowledged rape. Trauma, Violence, and Abuse, 17(2), 149–159.Google Scholar
Yates, P. M., & Kingston, D. A. (2006). The self-regulation model of sexual offending: The relationship between offence pathways and static and dynamic sexual offence risk. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 18(3), 259–270.Google Scholar