ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the main theoretical ideas that have emerged in the literature concerning sexual offending. The models described here are specific descriptions of the development of sexually abusive behaviour and its maintenance rather than a recasting of the traditional theoretical paradigms within psychology (such as behaviourist theory or psychoanalytic theory) to explain sexual offending. Initially many of the specific models were concerned with the development of sexual offending behaviour among adults. However, over time theorists have expanded their conceptual thinking to incorporate ideas on the development of sexually abusive behaviour in adolescents and children. A common theme that emerges in this literature is that sexually abusive behaviour can be understood as reflective of a developmental pathway in life that often begins in childhood with experiences of emotional, physical and sexual abuse. These experiences unfold a number of potential developmental trajectories including healthy recovery, prolonged experiences of personal distress, and in some instances, the emergence of individual psychological characteristics, when combined with situational and cultural factors, that lead to a vulnerability to engage in sexually abusive behaviour. Most theorists have based their models on some combination of three key ingredients. These are (i) observations based on clinical experience of working with adults, adolescents and children who engage in sexually abusive behaviour; (ii) existing empirical findings concerning people who abuse others; and (iii) other theoretical models. An important challenge exists regarding the need for stringent a priori empirical research to evaluate each model in terms of its value in understanding the development of sexually abusive behaviour and its implications for sound assessment and intervention. One aspect of many of the models that has an as yet unproven potential value is that they imply different typologies that could be applied to people who engage in sexually abusive behaviour. It is conceivable that those in different typological categories may require and respond differently to various forms of assessment and
intervention. This is one of the many ideas that requires the attention of researchers in this field.
