If a girl barely fits the medical definition of pedophile, is she a pedophile?

Question

Medical definition: someone at least 16 attracted to someone under 13, and at least 5 years apart. So this girl I know is 16 and she's sexually attracted to a 10 year old boy. She's technically a pedophile, but society reserves that term for men over 30 attracted to kids under 16 or 18. Is she still a pedophile?

Answer 1

yes but if she can restrain herself until he is 18 then id say its cool

Answer 2

The term "paedophile" has been very much hijacked by the public consciousness, who wish to use it to refer to fully grown adults who sexually abuse children, when in fact many of those are not paedophiles, and many paedophiles do not act on their desires. Also, because most people's sexual desires start during adolescence, most people are originally paedophiles. The problem is when that doesn't change, something which usually seems to be caused by brain injury before the age of thirteen, and is therefore probably a developmental issue with an organic aetiology. So yes, she is a paedophile but please note that that word doesn't refer to most of the people who constitute the real problem.

Answer 3

sometimes society will make meanings and words complicated with the intention of framing things a certain way. saying pedophilia is only old creepy men creeping on the littlest kids lets other people get away with things that still involve a power imbalance and the abuse of it.

especially when you're under 13 but also under 16 or 18 your brain is very much still in development, some people think it's okay to be into someone who's in a whole different stage of development because they like the idea of having power/control or they like the idea of taking someone's innocence. alot of society romantacises the idea of taking a young girls innocence away, but that doesn't make it okay for a girl to do the same to someone else. talk to her about it and ask why she really is interested in a 10 year old. chances are it's not the same reasons people like someone closer to their own age. also try and ask if maybe someone older has shown interest in her or she's seen something happen to someone else as she might have the idea that it's okay and even right.

i know people that were abused young by people who weren't adults, sometimes by older siblings. it stays with you for the rest of your life when it happens and can even make you have intrusive thoughts about doing it to someone else. it's much less about the words and about how it feels and affects people that are victim to it.

Answer 4

"society"

What society thinks is not important. The behavior has a definition.

Its an adult attracted to pre puberty children. So in the example yes that is pedophilia.



You speak about society pigeon holing this to men in their 30s. They do yet the most common offender is called dad by the victim. No one whats to speak about that.

Answer 5

Yep, sounds like it.

Answer 6

Attraction to 13-18 does not fit any definition of pedophile (attraction to prepubescent children 12 and under)



A 10 year old is pre pubescent so by all counts yes she technically would be considered a pedophile.



Attractions are things we have no control over and it's okay to be attracted to anyone/ anything . Your actions are what matters ..

Answer 7

Yes. Even if she'd fit any of the excessive amounts of other definitions and variations. That's how the word/situation works. No matter how tortured you might feel about it and how much you could overcompensate. No matter if you do or don't have fantasies, desires, etc or even if you don't have a libido at some point. If a phenomena fits a concept and its term, then consider recognizing the truth to the matching label. Your connotations and feelings are irrelevant.

Answer 8

"Barely fits the definition" is fitting the definition.

Answer 9

She is a pedophile. This condition is not exclusive to males, nor is it exclusive to over the age of thirty.

Answer 10

She is a minor herself, of course. Perhaps she can be helped at this young age.

Answer 11

Almost none are Pedophiles.

Answer 12

Uh gender is irrelevant. Paedophiles usually start noticing their attraction at same age and doesn't become a problem until they get older and are still finding themselves attracted to individuals 13 and bellow. Paedophiles desires usually do not go away with age. So she'll still be attracted to pre and early pubescent even into her 20s, 30s, 40s, even 80s. It won't go away and for her own sake and the sake of other she should avoid children as much as possible and get into therapy so her desires don't cause her to make a mistake. Female paedophiles are just as dangerous and harmful as male paedophiles but they often go undetected because few people ever suspect women of paedophilia unless they're caught in the act even then they usually go easier on them then men. I'm not saying sh'e a monster for having these desires. Only if she acts on them. Encourage her to avoid this boy and to seek therapy. A therapist cannot turn you in for having paedophilia desires only if you admit to having intentions to actually hurting someone or yourself. There is no known cure for paedophilia but getting therapy at a younger age should help her gain control of her urges before she does something that ruins both her and the child's life.