Childhood Sexual Victimization and Lack of Empathy in Child Molesters: Explanation or Excuse?

Abstract

There are reports that childhood sexual victimization is more prevalent among child molesters than among males in the general population. It has been hypothesized that past victimization is causally related to sex offending. The causal link, however, is not well defined, and the rate of sexual victimization among molesters is similar to that reported among other forensic and psychiatric populations. It has also been argued that victimization has a paradoxical, negative effect on victim empathy. The role of cognitive or emotional empathy in offending, though, remains unclear. The value of promoting victim empathy in an attempt to reduce offending is questionable. This article describes child molesters whose behavior is inconsistent with the victimization-based explanations they offer for their offending. Some implications for intervention are briefly reviewed, and the relation of victimization and lack of empathy to cognitive distortions is considered.