Human Behavior and Pedophilia - Research Proposal Example

Human Behavior Human behavior is a set of different forms of expression that humans exhibit, depending on what their physical, mental and emotional state is. The behaviors exhibited by every human being, emanate from what they feel or think about their current surrounding. In respect to this assumption, human behaviors are altered once the current surrounding changes or reverts to an unknown system. The explanation on what influences a certain reaction to a certain occurrence goes beyond the above explained factors. According to research, extraneous factors such as culture, economic aspects and attitudes highly influence the set of behaviors exhibited. Human behavior is sometimes considered as inconsistent and in some cases one cannot predict the expected behavior. Therefore, scientists have come up with various theories that try to shed more light on the form of behavior exhibited. Notably, some behaviors are common across board and do not really depend on gender or any form of variation between the subject under interest. As illustrated earlier, human behaviors are rather unique, the main determinant of the reaction is the mental condition of the subject of interest. Statement of the Problem The problem under analysis affects a small population in the world, irrespective of this condition, the behavior is very common. Pedophilic tendencies are a complex set of behaviors that most people classify as a form illness. This form of behavior is characterized by an abnormal adult sexual attraction to children who are 11 years and below. According to observation, human behavior is very unpredictable therefore, the condition is very rampant. In some cases, pedophile desires extend to children within the age bracket of between 11years to 13 years, with 16 years being the cut off age. Human behavior as illustrated above is very complex, therefore the ability to predict a certain behavior is restricted to a specific portion of people, who are well knowledgeable about the human behaviors. According to observation, the intensity of the problem has been elevated, with the concerned parties putting extreme measures to stop such behaviors. According to observation, the behavior has been on the rise since the first act of pedophilic behaviors was recorded. According to (Cotterill, 2007), 250,000 people in the U.K in the year 2000, were considered to be pedophiles. The extreme nature of pedophilic behaviors had been accounted for; therefore it was referred to as a form of child abuse. In the 1970’s, a legislation was made in the United States of America, which ensured that each form of child abuse was classified depending on the nature of the act. Pedophilia in most cases have been classified as a type of behavior, according to Hall and Hall (2009), pedophilic urges may be as a result of psychological issues. Generally pedophilia is a global menace affecting all people irrespective of their position in the society. Theory This section of the paper will cover the perceived form of reaction that is expected to be exhibited, by a certain section of people who are exposed to various conditions that warrant pedophilic urges. According to observation, on an experiment conducted to gather findings on the reaction exhibited ones a person is subjected to an environment that is expected to enhance pedophilic urges, it is very likely that two people in a population of two hundred, will be amused by the set conditions. An experiment conducted in an art gallery whereby flashes of uncovered prepubescent children are shown, is very crucial in exposing the expected behavior. Many people perceive children as vulnerable beings therefore; the expected behavior will be that of dismay and disgust to the flashed images. The same test should be carried out in different venues whereby the test population is not bounded by similar features and characteristics. Notably, if the test was conducted in an environment that befits a certain trait of people, it would be hard to observe the expected characteristics. In an office whereby people are only bounded by their expertise and not their individual characteristics, it would be very likely that most of the people will advocate against the test. A few minority groups will be fascinated by the test, though they will be cautious not to draw attention to their behavior. Hypothesis In a test conducted in an office environment, it would be evident that depending on the number of test subjects involved, the desired output would conclude that one in the whole population of around two hundred, would exhibit pedophilic tendencies. Therefore, in a test conducted so as to ascertain the results that will be obtained once a group of 800 people is collected for test, it is very likely that three or four people in the collected population is a pedophile. In a test conducted in an art gallery, within an interval of three or four flashes, credible conclusions will have been made in reference to the exhibited behavior. In relation to the number of child molestation cases that happen, 50 percent of the children who were abused were less than 6 years of age. This fact forms the basis on which, the experiment is conducted on. Procedure The test can be conducted in a test room, basically in a house well known to the pedophile so as not to draw any attention to the test in progress. The person conducting the test should ensure that they keep a safe distance, so as not to affect the proceedings and to ensure that the child’s safety is well catered for. According to (Seattle Police Department, 2010),most pedophiles are adult males, and in most casesthey are aware of their behavior. Therefore, whenever faced with an opportunity, it is very likely that they will opt to take their chances so as to satisfy their urge. Therefore, the test should basically be centered on male individuals so as to broaden the scope of the observation. The test should also be conducted in a different location, in a park most preferably, where there have pre-recorded cases of pedophile activitythus broaden the findings. In such a test area, the observer should be disguised as a parent, watching his/her child play. Notably, as illustrated above, caution should be exercised whenever carrying out such an experiment, since it would be unethical if something happened to the child subjected to such conditions. In such an experiment, a control experiment should be carried out, so as to come up with a conclusive result. Results According to (Hall and Hall, 2009), female members are the most vulnerable parties in cases related to pedophiles. The results exhibited would highly depend on the set conditions, with extra caution exercised to ensure that, the parties present are not aware of what is being tested. In a scale of 1 to 10 basing on research done by the (Australian Institute of Criminology, 1997), the results would be conclusive with one or two individuals exhibiting pedophilic characteristics. In an art gallery setup, the test exhibited would indicate that none of the individuals present exhibited any pedophilic urges. The test carried out in an open park where there are no preset conditions and the conditions favor both parties it is very likely that a maximum of two cases of unwarranted contact will occur, since pedophiles are very cautious about their surroundings. Discussion In respect to the statistics exhibited above, the discussion will focus on the results found, and more emphasis will be exercised on developing a system that will provide finer details. The main objective of the experiment conducted above was to establish the extent to which pedophilic urges can be exhibited. The experiment conducted was conducted along pre- set conditions that aided the research team, to reach to a conclusive decision. In the event that the expected pre-set conditions are not set, and the experiment started from scratch, it was established along the experiment that, more time would be required to harmonize the various variables involved. Pedophilia being a form of obsession according to Hall and Hall (2009), the individual under observation would be very unlikely to succumb to the set conditions, which approves the condition that the probability is close to 80 percent. The experiment is in line with the social cognitive theory as the test subject is subjected to prior conditions as illustrated above, which alters his behavior, and is in turn more focused towards the observed practice. References Australian Institute of Criminology, (1997), Pedophilia Policy and Prevention: Pedophilia: Policy and Prevention, 74 Leichhardt Street, Griffith ACT 2603. Cotterill, Janet .The Language of Sexual Crime. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007. Internet resource C. W. Hall Ryan, C. W. Hall Richard, (2009), A Profile of Pedophilia: Definition, Characteristics of Offenders, Recidivism, Treatment Outcomes, and Forensic Issues. Vol. VII, No. 4. Seattle Police Department, (2010), Characteristics and Behavioral Indicators of a Pedophile, U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Seattle. Print Read More