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1.6 - Theories of Sexual Offending

from Part I - Psychological Underpinnings

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 December 2021

By
Jacinta R. Cording  and
Tony Ward
Edited by
Jennifer M. Brown  and
Miranda A. H. Horvath
Jennifer M. Brown
Affiliation:
London School of Economics and Political Science
Miranda A. H. Horvath
Affiliation:
University of Suffolk
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Summary

Sexual violence is an international public health issue, with high rates of victimisation found across countries, genders, ethnicities and deprivation levels. In this chapter we focus on the current predominant etiological theories of sexual offending, including child sexual abuse, adult sexual abuse, and internet offending. We begin by briefly discussing the importance of theories in forensic contexts, and providing an overview of the classification of sexual violence. We then introduce a framework for understanding different “levels” of etiological theory, before providing examples of some of the most influential theories of sexual offending corresponding to each of these levels. We finish by discussing the potential future of sexual offending theories, namely the current paradigm shifts that are occurring in terms of our understanding of risk and protective factors, and their relationship with sexual offending.

Keywords

Sexual OffendingTheoryClassificationExplanationDynamic Risk Factors
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Handbook of Forensic Psychology , pp. 109 - 127
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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