Kurt Freund

Phallometric Diagnosis of Pedophilia.

We investigated the sensitivity of our phallometric test for pedophilia (and hebephilia). An initial sample of subjects included 47 men accused of sexual offenses against minors and 26 control subjects-men accused of offenses against adult women (exhibitionism, rape, or sexually sadistic activity). A second sample included 107 offenders against minors and 30 control subjects. In both samples, the offenders against minors were further classified according to the targets of their sexual offenses (girls, boys, or both) and according to the extent to which they admitted an erotic preference for the immature physique. Computerized diagnostic rules were developed with the first sample and cross-validated with the second. The sensitivity of the test in detecting pedophilia or hebephilia in complete nonadmitters is probably greater than or equal to 55% but is certainly less than 100%. Its specificity appears to be over 95%.

Diagnosing homo- or heterosexuality and erotic age-preference by means of a psychophysiological test

Abstract The diagnosis of erotic preference by means of penis volumetry is described in the case of twenty-seven heterosexual and twenty homosexual pedophiliacs, twenty-three ephebophiliacs, twenty-five androphiliacs and thirty-five heterosexual controls. Experience with the application of the method in various additional cases is provided as supplementary data.

Assessment of the sensitivity and specificity of a phallometric test : an update of phallometric diagnosis of pedophilia

The specificity and sensitivity of the phallometric test of an erotic preference for minors was assessed. The specificity was determined to be 96.9% if using a group of sex offenders against female adults and 80.6% if using a group of paid volunteers. Test results of 27 sex offenders against at least 2 female children each and of 22 offenders against at least 2 male minors each (either against children or against pubescents, but not against both), demonstratedsensitivitiesof 78.2% for heterosexual pedophiles and 88.6% for homosexual pedophiles or hebephiles. From these test sensitivities, the percentage of subjects preferring minors in a group of offenders against only 1 female child each, a group of offenders against at least 1 female child and at least 1 female pubescent each, and a group of offenders against only 1 male minor each (child or pubescent) were determined as being 44.5%, 74.6%, and 86.7%, respectively. The differential diagnosis between the various erotic preferences can be established by means of the phallometric test, which uses continuous recording of penile volume changes while a subject views potentially arousing pictures on screens or listens to such taped narratives (Abel, Becker, Murphy, & Flanagan, 1981). The current study was limited to the phallometric test of pedophilia and homosexual hebephilia as it is used in the differential diagnosis between pedophilia or homosexual hebephilia and gynephilia (Freund, Diamant, & Pinkava, 1958; Quinsey, Steinman, Bergersen, & Holmes, 1975).

Erotic preference in pedophilia

Abstract Penis volume changes in response to pictures of males and females of varying ages served as the basis for determining the order of erotic preferences in groups of homo- and heterosexual pedophiliacs, normals, androphiliacs and ephebophiliacs. The order of age ranking, in the non-preferred sex, was considered in an attempt to test three hypotheses regarding the character of erotic appetence in pedophilia. In homosexual pedophiliacs, the child of the non-preferred sex was preferred, in contrast to the findings with androphiliacs where female children occupied the last place. A similar trend was only suggested in the comparison of heterosexual pedophiliacs with normals. In each S group, with the exception of normals, the age group in the non-preferred sex attaining the highest rank corresponded to the age group of the most preferred object. Possible causes of differences between homo- and heterosexual groups regarding erotic preference for the non-preferred sex were discussed. Results argue against the validity of any hypothesis which attempts to explain pedophilia solely on the basis of preference for, or aversion to, particular sex-specific signs. The desirability of exploring further the role of sexually neutral signs is indicated.

The female child as a surrogate object

Because most heterosexual pedophilic offenses are committed by males who in fact erotically prefer adult females, the hypothesis was tested that males with nondeviant erotic preferences are generally prone to react in a sexual way to female children. With nondeviant subjects, penile volume changes (PVCs) were measured to stimulus slides and movie pictures of males and females, varying in age. There were significant differerences in PVCs to each of the female age groups shown, and responses were greater to all female age groups than to the male ones. PVCs to the youngest female age group (6 to 8 years) were clearly different not only from those to pictures of males but also from those to neutral slides. Reactions to certain parts of the female and male bodies at various stages of development were also assessed. Of female children, only the pubic region, and to some degree the buttocks, elicited clearly distinctive reactions.

The courtship disorders

This study tested parts of the hypothesis that voyeurism, exhibitionism, toucheurism and frotteurism, obscene telephone calling, and at least some cases of the preferential rape pattern are all based on the same disturbance. In Part One, a frequency count of patients referred for one of these activities who subsequently reported having engaged in others of this same class was in accord with the clinical impression that there is a high degree of concomitance among at least some of these activities. In Parts Two and Three, relative preference for anomalous vs. normal erotic interactions was assessed by monitoring penile volume changes during verbally presented descriptions of corresponding situations. Part Two demonstrated that patients who suffered from one of the disorders in question other than voyeurism and who denied voyeuristic activity or tendencies, nonetheless responded more to narratives describing voyeuristic situations than did controls. Part Three showed that exhibitionists who denied toucheuristic activity or tendencies responded more to toucheuristic stimuli than did controls.

Diagnosing heterosexual pedophilia by means of a test for sexual interest

Abstract A modification of the penis plethysmograph test of sexual interest is described. The efficacy of this method in the differential diagnosis of heterosexual pedophilia in male adults is discussed. Results obtained from 20 suspected pedophiliacs are presented and compared with those obtained from 20 control subjects.

Extension of the Gender Identity Scale for Males.

Our earlier Feminine Gender Identity Scale for males appeared to measure a strong single factor which was reliable and displayed substantial discriminant validity. However, the number of items was small and there was substantial overlap between items with respect to their meaning. In an attempt to overcome these limitations, in the present study the scale was extended and validated on subject samples corresponding to those on which the earlier scale had been validated. Each item of the new scale differentiated among the groups in an experimental sample and, subsequently, in a cross-validation sample. A secondary finding was the significantly higher feminine gender identity scores of homosexual patients over homosexual nonpatients.

Does sexual abuse in childhood cause pedophilia: An exploratory study

The reliability of the notion that pedophilia is caused by sexual abuse in childhood was explored by examining retrospective self-reports of 344 males. Included in the study were 77 heterosexual pedophiles, 54 homosexual pedophiles, 51 nonpedophilic sex offenders against children, 36 sex offenders against physically mature females, 75 heterosexual paid volunteers who erotically preferred mature females, and 51 homosexual clients who preferred mature males. For each sex offender the differential diagnosis of an erotic preference for minors vs. a preference for physically mature partners was made by means of the phallometric test of erotic gender and age preferences. The analysis of self-reports confirmed that the proportion of pedophiles who report having been sexually abused in childhood by mature persons is larger than that of men who were not charged for or accused of a sex offense against a child though the difference is relatively small (28.6 vs. 13.9 and 10.7% for the heterosexual pedophiles and the two groups of gynephiles, respectively, and 25.9 vs. 11.8% for the homosexual pedophiles and androphiles, respectively). Further analysis demonstrated, however, that pedophiles who admitted having an erotic interest in children significantly more often claimed that they had been sexually abused as children than pedophiles who did not admit having such feelings. This interdependence renders the reliability of these self-reports questionable.

Phallometric diagnosis with 'nonadmitters'.

Abstract The phallometric method of assessing erotic value of presented stimuli has two main tasks, one is in the breaking down of complex (potentially) sexual stimuli into components, the other is in diagnosing anomalous erotic preferences in ‘Nonadmitters’, i.e. in persons whose behaviour would imply there is such an anomaly, but who deny its presence. Differentiation between Admitters and Nonadmitters was attained by two verbal Admitter scales. Comparison of the scores on these scales with results of phallometric assessment showed (by mutual validation) that the phallometric method diagnoses Admitters more accurately than Nonadmitters. After that, the validity was tested of a new mode of the phallometric method, designed for diagnosing pedo- or hebephilia in Nonadmitters. In cases of homosexual pedophilia or hebephilia (but not in the heterosexual cases) the new Nonadmitter mode was superior to the Standard procedure.