Student/trainee-professional implicit theories of paedophilia

McCartan, Kieran

Abstract

This research investigates student/trainee-professional implicit theories of paedophilia and their explanations for the current crisis of paedophilia. The research methodology is based on a previous research design (Sternberg, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 49, 607 627, 1985), and consists of two interrelated studies. Study 1 (n = 60) develops scales for student/trainee-professional implicit theories of paedophilia and Study 2 (n = 188) uses these scales in conjunction with other scales to define the student/trainee-professional implicit theories of paedophilia and to measure the potential explanations for the current crisis of paedophilia. The findings indicate that student/trainee-professional implicit theories of paedophilic personalities (pathology, abusive and mentally disordered old offender) and behaviours (devious, child focused, cognitive distortions, secretive, child lovers, sexual abusers, socially inept and grooming) seem to reflect both previous research and expert opinion. These tentative findings suggest that student/trainee-professionals' implicit theories of paedophilia, and as such the current crisis of paedophilia in modern society, seem to have developed in part from the transfer of expert knowledge (explicit theories), the impact of the media, and social constructionalism; and not from the student/ trainee-professionals' individual personality and coping traits. © 2010 Taylor & Francis.

Citation

McCartan, K. (2010). Student/trainee-professional implicit theories of paedophilia. Psychology, Crime and Law, 16(4), 265-288. https://doi.org/10.1080/10683160802614144

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: May 1, 2010
• Deposit Date: Nov 22, 2010
• Journal: Psychology, Crime and Law
• Print ISSN: 1068-316X
• Electronic ISSN: 1477-2744
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis (Routledge)
• Peer Reviewed: Not Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 16
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 265-288
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10683160802614144
• Keywords: paedophilia, implicit theories, lay perceptions, double-hermeneutic model, factor analysis
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/981305
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10683160802614144