Child Abuse: An Epidemic in Our Society

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In studies that have been conducted we see that this is a litigating factor in the molestation of children. The fact of dominance, as well as, power, and control over the subject are all by-products of this theory. The act of child molestation has more to do with power control and dominance that that of satisfaction for the perpetrator. They like to feel that they are the powerful ones, the ones that are in total control. The victim is the underling that is made to be subservient and obedient.

Evolutionary neuroandrogenic theory contends that males are more involved in crime than females due to an evolved female preference for mates who are (or at least appear to be) stable resource provisions. The theory states that males have evolved genetic tendencies to produce high level of testosterone and other androgens that enhance their competitiveness, often to the point of victimizing others. Adolescent expressions of competitive/victimizing behavior are often crude, thus frequently manifesting themselves in the form of behavior that others seek to suppress. In the article by Cooper, Walsh, & Ellis, 2010, ENA theory is elaborated upon and used to explain three phenomena not previously addressed by the theory: (a) the rise of the criminal justice system, (b) the criminalization of victimless offenses, and (c) gang activities and terrorism. According to the theory, all of these phenomena have similar evolutionary and neurohormonal underpinnings.

Our second theory is the differential identification theory. This theory was Sutherland’s major sociological contribution to criminology. He rejected biological determinism and the extreme individualism of psychiatry as an explanation of crime. (Gaylord, 1988:1) In this theory the principle is noted to state that a person becomes deviant because of overload definitions favorable to violation of law over definitions unfavorable to violation of law.

This theory does best demonstrate that criminal behavior is a learned behavior. The Differential Association Theory, established by Edwin Sutherland in 1947, explicit the deviance of an individual's behavior and how it is learned through interaction with others or associations. There are several components that play a role in this theory that determines the main causes of delinquency. One of the components of this theory is, a person do not inherently become a criminal, it is a learned behavior. A person cannot decide one day he wants to commit a crime if he is not influence or challenge by others. When someone engages in criminal acts, they are most likely influence in some way that motivates them to commit the crime. This relates to another important component and that is, when criminal behavior is learned, the learning includes “specific criminal techniques that are learned by acquiring the motives, drives, rationalizations, and attitudes that is associated with particular behaviors” (Sutherland 1947).

The most compelling component to take into consideration is that, people learn either criminal or noncriminal behavior through interaction with other people. Criminal behavior is learned just like every other behavior. It is observe and interpreted through a process of communication. Our behavior is shaped through our own experiences and treatment situations in our lives in the development stages. Statistics have shown that those who have suffered from molestation and abuse will in all likely hood have a higher rate of drug abuse, and tendencies to be molesters themselves.

The third theory we will look at in association with those who are child molesters is that of control theory. Hirsch along with Gottfredson developed a theory in 1990 called ‘General Theory of Crime’. This theory focused on self-control rather than the previous theory that looked at social control. This theory placed much of its emphasis on the parental upbringing of the child. If the child had experienced a negative upbringing such as abuse or negative behavior, they are more likely to become impulsive, insensitive, physical rather than mental, risk-taking and are more likely to partake in criminal and analogous acts.

In this theory, they looked at low self-control which explained an individual’s tendency to commit or abstain from crime. Unlike those who have high self-control who have a higher likelihood to conform to society as they are cautious of their actions. Hirsch and Gottfredson developed five aspects a person would show if they had low self-control. The first being that crime offers instant gratification and those had did have a low self-control were more likely to get involved with drugs, whether it was selling, buying, or using. They could also display promiscuous behavior towards sex. Secondly, crime is risky so those with a low self-control are risk-taking, therefore are more likely to commit crime as they will gain satisfaction from doing so, unlike those who have high self-control who would be cautious. The third point made was; crime provides some long term gains and these can been seen as more achievable than long-term investment such as a career and family. Those with low-self-control are less likely to have a career which follows on from the previous theory of commitment. The fourth claim looked at the level of intelligence that was required to commit a crime as it involved little or no skills and planning. This would appeal to those who had a low self-control as they would have a low intelligence. Finally, crime brings suffering and pain to others, such as theft or assault. Because those who have low-self-control are insensitive towards others this would not affect their actions.

In looking at this theory we see that it very closely fits the profile of one that would perpetrate an act of violation against someone that would be unable to protect themselves. When one refuses to have any government over themselves of self-control or self-discipline then the development of deviant behavior patterns are free to develop. When one feels the need to be the most powerful, the most dominate, they will lean toward the deviant side of society. This is where you will find your perpetrators of sexual abuse against children who are unable to protect themselves.

PART III

In conclusion, we will look at what is being done to help define those among us who prey on the children and use them for exploration and to their sexual advantage. Although a child may not show the effects of experiencing sexual abuse right away, we can be assured that later in his or her adolescent year’s signs of this abuse will come out in many different forms. We see that often children at young ages will turn to drugs, alcohol, promiscuity, cutting, and even aggression to help deal with the pain of the past or many times the present