Saturday, June 30, 2012
To the Editor, The New York Times:
Understanding Pedophilic Behavior
In the Times article," Bishop in Sexual Abuse Case Prompts New Outrage in Belgium", (The Times, April 16 2011, Page A1) it is reported that Bishop Vangeluwe, having been accused of molesting his own nephews, described the incidents as follows: "It was a certain intimacy that took place, the nephews slept with me. It began as a game with the boys, and the abuse was restricted to a touching of the genitals---I never felt the slightest sexual attraction". He showed little guilt or contrition about it, or awareness of its effect on the boys. Then we read of Bishop Bernard Law of Boston,who would write in the records of priests found to be sexually molesting young boys,'"He fools around with kids"---Hardly an accurate description of felonious sexual assault. Apparently he also saw such behavior as harmless , innocent behavior that young boys do all the time. This would explain why the Catholic Clergy failed to identify such behavior as pathological and failed do anything about the widespread pedophilia in the clergy. As one accused Bishop stated regarding his pedophilic behavior 25 years earlier,, " In those days we didn't know it was a condition, We just thought, make a good confession and sin no more." And Jerry Sandusky, during an interview with Tom Costas was slow to respond to a question regarding his alleged sexual attraction to young boys, as if he didn't see it as sexual at all. Sandusky doesn't show the slightest sign of remorse or guilt one would expect from a mature, revered football coach who had sexually assaulted children. One can perhaps understand these phenomena if one thinks that pedophiles may not actually feel overt sexual arousal in this activity, because their main psychological identity is that of the age of the boys they molest. The alleged encounters are more like two young boys innocently exploring their own sexuality ---foollng around--- as many young boys do with each other as a part of their becoming curious about their sexuality, not that of a middle aged man with a young boy. Their predominant emotional identity remains fixated at an early level, even though they appear to be and act in many ways like mature adults. This the only way one could understand how a mature man who is dedicated to educating and coaching young men could not feel the revulsion and overwhelming guilt one would expect.. It is why associates, friends, and university officials find it almost incomprehensible that Jerry Sandusky could be guilty of such evil, damaging, felonious behavior.
Understanding Pedophilic Behavior
In the Times article," Bishop in Sexual Abuse Case Prompts New Outrage in Belgium", (The Times, April 16 2011, Page A1) it is reported that Bishop Vangeluwe, having been accused of molesting his own nephews, described the incidents as follows: "It was a certain intimacy that took place, the nephews slept with me. It began as a game with the boys, and the abuse was restricted to a touching of the genitals---I never felt the slightest sexual attraction". He showed little guilt or contrition about it, or awareness of its effect on the boys. Then we read of Bishop Bernard Law of Boston,who would write in the records of priests found to be sexually molesting young boys,'"He fools around with kids"---Hardly an accurate description of felonious sexual assault. Apparently he also saw such behavior as harmless , innocent behavior that young boys do all the time. This would explain why the Catholic Clergy failed to identify such behavior as pathological and failed do anything about the widespread pedophilia in the clergy. As one accused Bishop stated regarding his pedophilic behavior 25 years earlier,, " In those days we didn't know it was a condition, We just thought, make a good confession and sin no more." And Jerry Sandusky, during an interview with Tom Costas was slow to respond to a question regarding his alleged sexual attraction to young boys, as if he didn't see it as sexual at all. Sandusky doesn't show the slightest sign of remorse or guilt one would expect from a mature, revered football coach who had sexually assaulted children. One can perhaps understand these phenomena if one thinks that pedophiles may not actually feel overt sexual arousal in this activity, because their main psychological identity is that of the age of the boys they molest. The alleged encounters are more like two young boys innocently exploring their own sexuality ---foollng around--- as many young boys do with each other as a part of their becoming curious about their sexuality, not that of a middle aged man with a young boy. Their predominant emotional identity remains fixated at an early level, even though they appear to be and act in many ways like mature adults. This the only way one could understand how a mature man who is dedicated to educating and coaching young men could not feel the revulsion and overwhelming guilt one would expect.. It is why associates, friends, and university officials find it almost incomprehensible that Jerry Sandusky could be guilty of such evil, damaging, felonious behavior.
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