Hans Lehfeldt,M.D. October 28, 1899‐June 18, 1993

This article critically reviews the literature related to personality correlates of pedophilia. It is noted that the “slippage” of legal and moral constructs into operational criteria and research methodology in this field have created impediments to sound professional consensus and the accumulation of a coherent data base. When the construct “pedophile” was separated from the construct “sex offender against a minor,” there were no reliable findings regarding “pedophiles.” “Sex offenders against minors” were noted fairly consistently to have experienced early disturbances in mother relationships and were found for the most part to be non‐violent and not aroused by sexually aggressive stimuli involving children (although a smaller portion were violent and/or were aroused by such stimuli). A subgroup of these offenders displayed the passive, lonely and shy profile frequently thought to be associated with the pedophile, although such tendencies were not clinically significant and were similar to profiles found among other types of sex offenders. With the exception of the tautological diagnosis of “sexual deviate,” little clinically significant pathology was found among either “pedophiles” or “sex offenders against minors.” Recommendations are made for more productive approaches for future research.