Ephebophilia 318751 225870722 2008-07-15T20:03:41Z James Cantor 7480977 Too detailed for the header {{ otheruses4|the attraction of adults to adolescents|the attraction of adults to pre-pubescent children|Pedophilia}} [[Image:Kiss Briseis Painter Louvre G278.jpg|thumb|250px|'''An Ephebe Kisses A Man'''<br />Tondo from an Attic [[Kylix (drinking cup)|kylix]], 5th c. BCE by the Briseis painter. [[Louvre]]]] The term '''ephebophilia''' (sometimes confused with [[hebephilia]]) is the sexual attraction to adolescents (typically teenagers).<ref name="www.usccb.org">{{cite web |first=Frederick|last=S. Berlin|title=Interview with Frederick S. Berlin, M.D., Ph.D.| publisher=Office of Media Relations |accessdate=2008-06-27 |url=http://www.usccb.org/comm/kit6.shtml}}</ref> In everyday English, the term [[pedophilia]], strictly meaning sexual attraction to prepubescent [[child]]ren, is also colloquially used to refer to attraction to adolescents. Ephebophilia is not listed as a [[paraphilia]] in the ''[[Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition]]'' (''DSM-IV''). ==Etymology== The term comes from the {{lang-el|έφηβος}} ''([[ephebos]])'' variously defined as "one arrived at puberty", "a youth of 18 who underwent his ''[[dokimasia]]'' and was registered as a citizen (Athens)", and "arriving at man's estate"; and φιλία ''([[-phil-|-philia]])'' "love".<ref>Rahman, Tariq (1988). "Ephebophilia: the case for the use of a new word," ''Forum for Modern Language Studies'', 24(2), 126-141.</ref><ref>[http://www.religioustolerance.org/sex_devia.htm Human sexuality: Definitions of terms involving the sexual abuse of children], retrieved [[May 25]][[2007]]</ref> It has been used by [[Netherlands|Dutch]] psychologist and [[pro-pedophile activism|pro-pedophile activist]] [[Frits Bernard]] as far back as 1950,<ref>[http://www.nvva.nl/rijzendezon/catalogs/c00137.htm sexology<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> reprinted in 1960 in the gay support magazine ''Vriendschap'' under the pseudonym Victor Servatius,<ref>Bernard, F. (1998) ''Selected publications of Dr. Frits Bernard - An international bibliography'', Rotterdam: Enclave.</ref> also crediting it to Hirschfeld though giving no exact date.<ref>Dr. Victor Servatius (1960). ''Ephebophilie en wetenschap'' ("Ephebophilia and science"), [http://www.ihlia.nl/documents/pdflib/Vriendschap/1960/1960-04.pdf ''Vriendschap'', vol. 15, March 1960], pp. 35-35</ref> The term has been described by [[France|Frenchman]] [[Felix Buffiere]] in 1980 and [[Pakistan]]i scholar [[Tariq Rahman]] in 1988, who argued that "''ephebophilia''" should be used in preference to "[[homosexuality]]" when describing the aesthetic and erotic interest of [[pederasty|adult men in adolescent boys]] in classical [[Persian language|Persian]], [[Turkish language|Turkish]] or [[Urdu]] literature. ==Characteristics== {{Original research|date=September 2007}} {{Refimprove|date=October 2007}} <!-- Commented out because image was deleted: [[Image:Amant.jpg|right|thumb|''[[The Lover]]'', [[Marguerite Duras]]'s autobiographical novel of her teenage affair with an older Chinese man.]] --> Attraction to adolescents is not generally regarded by [[psychologist]]s as [[pathological]] except when it interferes with other relationships, becomes an [[Obsessive-compulsive disorder|obsession]] which adversely affects other areas of life, or causes distress to the subject. Sexual desire that includes adolescents, as well as older individuals, is common among adults of all [[sexual orientation]]s;<ref name=www.usccb.org/> this is not labeled "ephebophilia" because the attraction to adolescents is not exclusive. In some cultures, such as those in which adolescent girls are routinely married to older men, it is considered normal for adults to include adolescents among their sexual interests. In these cultures an attraction to adolescents is not necessarily thought to require an [[essentialism|essentialist]] classification in terms of abnormality, deviancy or mental health, but is seen as a possibility or a taste. In certain [[Middle East]]ern and [[South Asia]]n cultures, as reflected in literature written in Turkish, Persian and Urdu, the expression of love for attractive adolescent boys is found in classical literature.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} In Urdu, for instance, it may be a metaphor for the mystic's quest for an immanent deity; a lover's desire for a woman who, being a veiled lady or a courtesan, is impossible to own; or in some cases, boys who take the place of women in gender-segregated societies (Rahman 1989). This attraction of men to adolescent males is not seen as effeminate or regarded as homosexuality, per se, but is usually considered sinful (Rahman 1988). Nonetheless, an open attraction to adolescents may still be ridiculed or disparaged as inappropriate or unhealthy; an attraction to adolescents is something one is expected to "grow out of". These cultural assumptions have come into contention with the advent of modernity and the resultant exposure to cultures with different views. In [[fairy tales]], adolescent girls are sometimes made the object of romantic attachment by older men. While suggesting it, this is not ephebophilia since the males do not have exclusive sexual preference for young girls. Some fairy tales that are alleged to contain ephebophilia are [[Rimsky-Korsakov]]'s opera version of the [[Snow Maiden]], [[Vasilissa the Beautiful]], and [[Sadko]].{{Fact|date=February 2007}} These themes are sometimes correlated with [[gerontophobia]]. ==Legality== {{POV-section|date=December 2007}} Ephebophilic relationships are against the law in many countries and jurisdictions, depending on the location's [[age of consent]] legislation, which typically asserts that a person below a certain age is not legally capable of consenting to a sexual act. In the [[United States|US]], for example, the adult in such a relationship may be subject to charges of [[statutory rape]], regardless of whether the younger partner agrees to—or even initiates—the sexual activity. Some reasons given for this legal distinction include: * Some adolescents are unable to understand the physical, emotional, and social consequences of sexual activity. According to one study in the August 2006 issue of ''[[Scientific American]]'', the [[neurological]] development of late adolescents is not yet complete, leading to deficits in their higher cognitive functions including judgment, attention, and response to crisis situations. However, late adolescence also includes people over 18, since neurological development is still not complete at this age (by this definition). * Adult sexual relations with adolescents may be the result of an abuse of power, using psychological [[coercion]]. * Sexual relations with adolescents can lead to [[pregnancy]] and parenthood, for which adolescents may not be prepared emotionally and/or financially. Relationships between adults and adolescents that do not include sexual activity are generally legal, assuming no other laws regarding [[child welfare]] are violated. For example, a romantic relationship with an adolescent below the age of consent is generally legal, especially when the adolescent's age is above the age at which their parents could [[marriageable age|consent to marriage]]. In other jurisdictions, this may be illegal. Legal or not, it is generally considered a societial [[taboo]] in most Western cultures. ==See also== *[[Age disparity in sexual relationships]] *[[Ephebiphobia]] *[[Pederasty]] *[[Jailbait]] *"[[Lolita (term)|Lolita]]", after [[Vladimir Nabokov|Nabokov]]'s novel ''[[Lolita (novel)|Lolita]]'' is used for female teenagers seen as the object of desire of older men. == Endnotes, references and sources == {{reflist}} * Ames, A. & Houston, D.A. "Legal, social, and biological definitions of pedophilia." ''Archives of Sexual Behavior'', vol. 19, 1990, pp. 333-342. * Dynes, Wayne R. (ed.) [http://williamapercy.com/pub-EncyHom.htm ''Encyclopedia of Homosexuality.''] New York and London, Garland Publishing, 1990. * Percy, William A. [http://williamapercy.com/pub-Peder.htm ''Pederasty and Pedagogy in Archaic Greece''], Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1996. * Rahman, Tariq. "Boy-Love in the Urdu Ghazal", ''Annual of Urdu Studies'', Vol. 7 (1990), pp. 1-20. [[Category:Adolescence]] [[Category:Paraphilias]] [[Category:Sexuality and age]] [[Category:Pederasty]] [[Category:Youth]] [[br:Efebofiliezh]] [[bg:Ефебофилия]] [[cs:Efebofilie]] [[da:Efebofili]] [[de:Ephebophilie]] [[fr:Éphébophilie]] [[nl:Efebofilie]] [[ja:エフェボフィリア]] [[no:Hebefili]] [[pl:Efebofilia]] [[pt:Efebofilia]] [[ru:Эфебофилия]] [[sh:Efebofilija]] [[fi:Efebofilia]] [[sv:Hebefili]]