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Section 6 Question 6 | Test
| Table of Contents In the last section, we broke down the personality types of pedophiles in order to better educate the parents of victims and the victims themselves. These personality types include: the powerless personality; the antisocial personality; the sexually impotent personality; and the impulsive personality. In this section, we will examine challenges related to the unique world of internet pedophilia and educating the victimized family with these concepts. These concepts include: accessibility; anonymity; and lack of consequences. Reba and John, parents of Troy age 14, were shocked to find out that Troy had been molested. They were even more surprised that all this had taken place through email exchanges and finally a face-to-face meeting. Reba stated, "It all happened in our own home! I couldn’t believe it. This man, this pervert! He lured our son right under our noses! How could this have happened?" To help Reba and John with their confusion, I educated them on the unique role the internet plays in the stalking and seduction of children and teens. ♦ #1 Accessibility Obviously, this makes it a hundred times easier to access children vulnerable to being misled. Not only are the victims accessible to the pedophile, but the internet itself is a readily accessible commodity to the victims. Even if their house does not have internet or a computer, there are libraries and schools who provide internet access. I stated to Reba and John, "The environment in which we live today is one of constant and complete access to everything. This type of mindset makes the internet such a lure because it has become such an easily acquired service. Thus, we have seen an increase in child pornography on the internet and also children and teens being approached by pedophiles who send them sexually explicit pictures and emails." Think of your Reba and John. Do they understand the concept of internet accessibility? ♦ #2 Anonymity I stated, "Exactly. Just like you and Reba, the internet pedophile has difficulty facing people, especially someone whose rights he may violate in the future. The anonymity of the internet dehumanizes the victim to a mere name on the screen. This dehumanization is not in the least daunted by photographs or emotional talks with the victim because the pedophile still has yet to make eye contact with him or her. Also, anonymity provides the opportunity for the pedophile to create an identity which is more relatable to the client. For example, the pedophile may say that he or she is a 14 year old male to attract young, vulnerable, teenage girls." Is there anything else you can think of that would be useful in explaining the concept of anonymity to your client’s parents? ♦ #3 Lack of Consequences Many pedophiles will limit themselves to child pornography and if no family member, coworker, or loved one discovers and reports the incidences, these pedophiles will rarely seek treatment on their own. When an internet pedophile, however, acts on his impulses, it becomes possible to identify and stop him provided the victims speak out in time. Ultimately, the first two concepts, accessibility and anonymity, compound to produce the third. Think of your Reba and John. How would you explain the concept of lack of consequences to them? In this section, we discussed concepts related to the unique world of internet pedophilia and educating the victimized family with these concepts. These concepts included: accessibility; anonymity; and lack of consequences. In the next section, we will examine steps that parents can take to ensure the safety of their children in the future. These steps include: relocating the computer; educating the child; and becoming computer savvy. Shumaker, D., & Manning, C. (2021). Existential implications of internet gaming disorder (IGD). The Humanistic Psychologist. QUESTION 6 |