Child molestation is a deviant behavior which is an incurable disorder. Child molestation falls into the same category as pedophilia with a few exceptions. Child molestation is used to describe actual sexual contact between an adult and someone who has not reach the legal age of consent. Pedophilia is an adult who is sexually attracted to children but does not always act on those desires. Many times child molesters go unnoticed because there involvement with children appears to be well intentioned. There are however certain traits to look for in child molesters and those children victimized by the molester. For a pedophilia to be diagnosed they must meet certain criteria. There are two subtypes of child molesters. One is a situational child molester and the other is a preferential child molester. Due to the fact that the etiology of child molestation is not fully understood, child molestation can never be cured even with treatment.
             Theory and Research in the Understanding
             Child molestation is becoming a much more prevalent issue in today's society as more and more cases are being reported and subject to media acknowledgement. Child molestation is closely related and categorized with pedophilia, but there is a definite difference between the two disorders. The two disorders differ from each other because child molestation is the act of an adult having any type of sexual experience with another child (twelve years old or younger), while pedophilia is the mental disposition toward sexual fantasies with prepubescent children without necessarily committing child molestation. The first step in understanding child molestation is to know and understand the facts about child molesters. This involves knowing the signs and symptoms of child molestation, the diagnostic criteria, the different types of child molesters, the etiology of child molestation, and the various types of treatment for this disorder. (Abel, H...