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| {{ otheruses4|the sexual obsession of adults to adolescents|the sexual obsession of adults to prepubescent children|Pedophilia}} | {{ otheruses4|the sexual obsession of adults to adolescents|the sexual obsession of adults to prepubescent children|Pedophilia}} | ||
| ], 5th c. BCE by the Briseis painter. ]]] | ], 5th c. BCE by the Briseis painter. ]]] | ||
| '''Ephebophilia''' refers to the sexual |
'''Ephebophilia''' refers to the sexual obsession for adolescents around 15-19 years of age.<ref name=Blanchard2008>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.'' DOI 10.1007/s10508-008-9399-9.</ref> Experts{{who}} use specific terms for age obsessions: ephebophilia to refer to the sexual obsession for late adolescents, ] to refer the sexual obsession for pubescent persons, and ] to refer to the sexual obsession for prepubescent persons. The term ''pedophilia,'' however, has also been used colloquially to refer broadly to sexual obsession in minors, regardless of their level of physical development. | ||
| Ephebophilia is not listed as a ] in the '']'' (''DSM-IV-TR''), unlike pedophilia, which is categorized as a disorder in the manual. | Ephebophilia is not listed as a ] in the '']'' (''DSM-IV-TR''), unlike pedophilia, which is categorized as a disorder in the manual. | ||
Revision as of 18:25, 25 October 2008
This article is about the sexual obsession of adults to adolescents. For the sexual obsession of adults to prepubescent children, see Pedophilia.
Tondo from an Attic kylix, 5th c. BCE by the Briseis painter. Louvre
Ephebophilia refers to the sexual obsession for adolescents around 15-19 years of age. Experts use specific terms for age obsessions: ephebophilia to refer to the sexual obsession for late adolescents, hebephilia to refer the sexual obsession for pubescent persons, and pedophilia to refer to the sexual obsession for prepubescent persons. The term pedophilia, however, has also been used colloquially to refer broadly to sexual obsession in minors, regardless of their level of physical development.
Ephebophilia is not listed as a paraphilia in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR), unlike pedophilia, which is categorized as a disorder in the manual.
Etymology
The term comes from the Template:Lang-el (ephebos) variously defined as "one arrived at puberty," "a youth of 18 who underwent his dokimasia and was registered as a citizen (Athens)," and "arriving at man's estate;" and φιλία (-philia) "love". It has been used by Dutch psychologist and pro-pedophile activist Frits Bernard as far back as 1950, reprinted in 1960 in the gay support magazine Vriendschap under the pseudonym Victor Servatius, also crediting it to Hirschfeld though giving no exact date.
The term has been described by Frenchman Felix Buffiere in 1980 and Pakistani scholar Tariq Rahman, who argued that "ephebophilia" should be used in preference to "homosexuality" when describing the aesthetic and erotic interest of adult men in adolescent boys in classical Persian, Turkish or Urdu literature.
Characteristics
A sexual preference for individuals in late adolescence is not generally regarded by psychologists as a pathology when it does not interfere with other major areas of one's life. Ephebophilia has not been widely studied scientifically.
Some level of sexual attraction to late adolescents is common among adults of all sexual orientations. The term ephebophilia is used only to describe the preference for late adolescent sexual partners, not the mere presense of some level of sexual attraction. In some cultures, such as those in which adolescent girls are routinely married to older men, it is considered normal for adults to include adolescents among their sexual interests. In these cultures an attraction to adolescents is not necessarily thought to require an essentialist classification in terms of abnormality, deviancy or mental health, but is seen as a possibility or a taste.
See also
- Age disparity in sexual relationships
- Fear of youth (Ephebiphobia)
- Pederasty
- "Lolita", after Nabokov's novel Lolita, is used for female teenagers seen as the object of desire of older men.
Endnotes, references and sources
- 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. DOI 10.1007/s10508-008-9399-9.
- Rahman, T. (1988). Ephebophilia: the case for the use of a new word. Forum for Modern Language Studies, 24(2), 126-141.
- Human sexuality: Definitions of terms involving the sexual abuse of children, retrieved May 252007
- sexology
- Bernard, F. (1998). Selected publications of Dr. Frits Bernard - An international bibliography. Rotterdam: Enclave.
- Servatius, V. (1960, March 15). Ephebophilie en wetenschap . [http://www.ihlia.nl/documents/pdflib/Vriendschap/1960/1960-04.pdf Vriendschap, 35-35.
- Rahman, T. (1990). Boy-Love in the Urdu Ghazal. Annual of Urdu Studies, 7, 1-20.
- S. Berlin, Frederick. "Interview with Frederick S. Berlin, M.D., Ph.D." Office of Media Relations. Retrieved 2008-06-27.