A FEW CLINICAL ASPECTS OF PEDOPHILIC BEHA VIOR

The authors review the pedophilia phenomenon which today has a high le vel of medial coverage. This phenomenon results in part from a qualita tive and quantitative social protection that children have never befor e benefited from. Classifications and theorisations of differing schoo ls are reviewed; from A. Moll's outline in the final reworking of Kraf ft-Ebing to recent classifications and North American taxinomies - thi s with the aim of underlining what is most important for clinicians. A long with the presentation of an extreme case, a ''monster'' pervert a nd incestuous pedophile, we also remind the reader of the population o f potential pedophiles that may correspond to various psychic economie s and organisations. The field of perversion goes far beyond the psych iatric caricature and in fact includes various forms of more or less s ocial behaviour including pedophilia and some rare polymorphous perver se and sadistic pedophiles who are pederasts by ricochet. To reconside r the media phenomenon, the scandal of pedophilia in the social sphere from which it originated so as to improve our understanding of the so cial and political fields seems essential so as to adapt answers to th e many requests today encountered. Obviously we have no miracle soluti on for problems beyond mental psychiatric pathology. Nonetheless it is important to adopt an open position which allows psychiatrists to tak e their place in the social field and their modest contribution to the pedophilia question. Field workers (judges and ''educateurs de la jus tice'') have long been aware of the mental problems of long-term priso ners which must be dealt with during the sentence. The prisoner must a lso be prepared for his return into the community. It is too optimisti c to say that psychiatry may be able to provide better protection of v ictims, a clearer understanding of pedophilia and better therapy for s ex-offenders? We must act both in the interest of the victims but also in the interest of sex-offenders... who, in too many cases do not get proper help and therefore commit the same kind of offence time and ti me again. To contribute to treatment, socialisation and prevention of destructive actions, actions with hues that go from moral con tricks t o incapacitating violence - whould this not be worthy of an analyst or therapist? Especially if he were given the means to work in proper co nditions...