Ephebophilia
Ephebophilia is when an older adult is sexually attracted to post-pubescent teenagers or adolescents but still biologically adults—usually those in the age range 15–19.[1][2] Adults with this attraction are called ephebophiles. Ephebophilia is not just the sexual attraction to teenage partners but is when an adult prefers such sexual partners.[2]
Specific words are used by scientists for chronophilias, which is when people are mostly or only sexually attracted to specific age groups. Along with ephebophilia, another example is hebephilia, which means that a person is mostly or only sexually attracted to younger pubescent people. The word pedophilia means that a person is mostly or only sexually attracted to pre-pubescent children;[2][3] but the term pedophilia is commonly misused to refer to any sexual interest in legally minors under the average legal age of majority of 18 even if they're post-pubescent, and this is also due to the fact that the age of majority (in the states where it is 18 but in other cases it can be higher or lower) and the age of consent are very often confused in the West as the same also due to the fact that in some states they can both coincide[4][5] (confusion perpetuated also by media, including entertainment[6]), and this confusion and misuse of the words can cause not only serious cases of ageism but also severe legal repercussions involving slander or/and defamation.[7][8]
Also, unlike pedophilia, ephebophilia is not classified as a psychiatric diagnosis or disorder.[9][10]
Related terms
changeReferences
change- ↑ Krafft-Ebing, R. V.; Rebman, F. J. (2013). Psychopathia Sexualis: With Especial Reference to the Antipathic Sexual Instinct, a Medico-Forensic Study. Literary Licensing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-4941-2162-4.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Blanchard, R.; Lykins, A. D.; Wherrett, D.; Kuban, M. E.; Cantor, J. M.; Blak, T.; Dickey, R.; Klassen, P. E. (2008). "Pedophilia, hebephilia, and the DSM–V". Archives of Sexual Behavior. 38 (3): 335–350. doi:10.1007/s10508-008-9399-9. PMID 18686026. S2CID 14957904.
- ↑ DeClue, Gregory (June 2009). "Should Hebephilia be a Mental Disorder? A Reply to Blanchard et al. (2008)". Archives of Sexual Behavior. 38 (3): 317–318. doi:10.1007/s10508-008-9422-1.
- ↑ "Too Many Americans Are Clueless About Ephebophilia". PeakD. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
- ↑ "Ephebophilia Isn't Pedophilia! It's Not Even A Psychiatric Disorder". PeakD. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
- ↑ In the season 6 episode "Obscene" of Law & Order: Special Victim Unit, for example, Cragen tells Stabler about the legal marriage between Marquez and Jessie (this latter legally emancipated since she was 14) that "Marquez is 40, Jessie is 16. It's legal pedophilia." This is incorrect, since pedophilia has always been by definition the primary or exclusive attraction to prepuberty, while ephebophilia, instead, is the primary or exclusive attraction to mid-to-late adolescents and biological adults aged 15 and 16 to 18 and 19, which was also accurately clarified by Dr. George Huang in the series.
- ↑ S. Berlin, Frederick. "Interview with Frederick S. Berlin, M.D., Ph.D." Office of Media Relations. Archived from the original on 2011-06-23. Retrieved 2008-06-27.
- ↑ "Someone Called Me a Pedophile Online". HG.org. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
False claims of the character or behavior of a person through certain details such as pedophiliac tendencies may bring the possibility of a defamation case through slander. The inaccurate representation of a person often negatively affects him or her and may expose the individual in light of such false claims to the ridicule or possible prosecution with the neighborhood and local law enforcement.
- ↑ "Ephebophilia Isn't Pedophilia! It's Not Even A Psychiatric Disorder". PeakD. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
- ↑ Miller, Sharon (26 November 2018). The ASAM Principles of Addiction Medicine. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. ISBN 978-1-4963-7100-3.
