Good point, Castle. While all pedophiles are child molesters/rapists, not all child molesters are pedophiles. The vast majority of sex abusers I've worked with over the last 30+ years are NOT pedophiles but most have abused children.

The reasons people turn to children for sexual reasons are complex and varied. However, true pedophiles have a strong sexual attraction to pre-pubescent children. The majority of "pedophile priests" are not generally involved with pre-pubescent children but are attracted to young adolescents and older teenagers.

The US Dept of Justice research shows that about 93% of all victims of sexual abuse are related to or are acquainted with the abuser. So, the stranger-danger myth, residency restrictions, public notification registries, etc. don't really protect children and waste resources that could be used for true primary prevention.

If you want some in-depth material, this is a GREAT paper to read. Its written by the pro of pros in the FBI.

http://www.missingkids.com/en_US/publications/NC70.pdf

The link that Robbie posted above is called "Child Molesters: A Behavioral Analysis". A member here pmed me pointing out I was putting child molestation (a behavior) with pedophilia (a psychological disorder). I plead guilty to the lazy or ignorant mixing of the two that many people out there do when referring to pedophiles (or paedophiles like our Brit friends such as Lewis note) with the behavior of child molesting.

The point I was trying to make is that the media and many people call child molesters "pedophiles" when they don't meet the criteria for the illness. While I've worked with many men and women who have molested children, few would meet the criteria for pedophilia.

The problem also exists with those who abuse adolescents. Technically, they would not be pedophiles. Some clinicians would refer to them as "hebophiles" or "ephebophiles" but that is not listed in the DSM-IV and as far as I know is not being considered for the upcoming DSM-5 that is coming out in a couple years.

I actually took the perv that groomed/abused me to court!

Several friends attended different days in court.

The general comment from them was 'I thought he would have looked like some weirdo, however he just looked like everyone else'.

Not exact words for each friend, but that generalises it.

I have a sort of picture in my head as to what pervs look like, but strangely they don't look like the one in my case.

I imagine that they are grossly overweight, with jam-jar glasses, unkempt greasy hair and with a deodorant problem.

Best wishes...Rik

Just some points:
1. Your stereotype/profile of what a pedophile looks like is different then what I consider to be a pedophile to look like. It's not just looks but also their demeanor. When I see a picture of one that was arrested, I am not surprised. It's like the characteristics of a pedophile are so broad that they can be anyone (hence stranger danger) but I have found those characteristics to be way off. For example, a male who works as a kindergarten teacher would probably be suspected as a pedophile (and we all know it) because of what we're told about the profile of a pedophile but the people who get arrested are those that don't make the news because they're more under the radar.
2. I don't think my question about why people become sexually attracted to boys was answered. I guess that means there is no answer to it but that's not surprising since there is so much ignorance (no offensive) on here. It sounds like a lot of people on here probably had too much therapy for their own good. They almost sound as hysterical as the women!
I wanted to know what made this person that I revered for become what he became. That is why I can't really be angry with him because if the professionals can't understand him then how can he? Even more confusing is the suggesting for pedophiles to seek help from people who obviously don't know much about it.
3. Nevertheless, I don't think it happens as much anymore. I think that when it does happen it's more of a cultural thing. For example, I was watching a program with kids who were removed from the homes for being sexually abused and the one common denominator was that they all looked like they just crossed the border. I would be shocked if any of the kids that I knew (especially the boys) were molested. By molested, I don't mean 'covertly.' I see it more as an 'industry' trying to stay alive to sell books or something so they redefine it to include more people that wouldn't have been included 10 years ago.

Yeah, this paper was clearly written for agents and police to be edified in understanding the "bahavior" and nothing more. In reading the thing cover-to-cover, I quickly realed how freakin scary this all is (so it was very triggering) and it taught me some of the realities out there. Though he mentions youthfull offenders (such as in my case) he does not dig deeply enough into the abnormal child psychology for my wishes. He also neglects some enablement found in certain issolating circumstances, but every paragraph was a learning experience for me. Do not read the article in search of any self-understanding or healing information. Its snot there.