The role of attachments, intimacy, and loneliness in the etiology and maintenance of sexual offending

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Abstract
Within our general theory of sex offending, the vulnerability of the offender is a critical element. This vulnerability arises primarily from poor quality attachment bonds between the child, who is to become a sex offender, and his parents. Poor attachments lead to low self-confidence, poor social skills and lack of empathy for others. Such deficits make the transition at puberty to peer relationships more difficult and make attractive those social messages that objectify others, portray people as instruments of sexual pleasure, emphasize power and control over others, and deny the need for social skills and compassion for others. Poor quality attachments also provide the basis for loneliness as an adult and poor intimacy in relationships. Emotional loneliness breeds aggression and a self-serving life style. The present paper attempts to integrate all these processes and to demonstrate a connection between poor quality attachments, loneliness and intimacy, and the propensity to sexually offend.
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