Are sex offenders sick? Is there some kind of psychological profile of a sex offender?
Sex offenders come from all social classes and occupational groups. In recent years, many of our sex offender clients have come to us from our local communities. We have been surprised at the ubiquity of the problem even in our small communities. Most sex offenders are not psychotic. Except for their sexual behaviour, they do not appear to be seriously psychologically disturbed. A significant minority of sex offenders though qualify for a diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder or psychopathy. As such, they have a history of nonsexual criminal activity and a generally exploitative and irresponsible lifestyle. Similarly, there are no psychological tests or profiles that reliably identify sex offenders. The only exception to this statement is a laboratory test of sexual arousal called phallometric testing. It’s interesting and important to realize that it’s normal for men show some sexual arousal to underage partners and rape, but much less than their arousal to mutually consenting
