Explaining sex offenders: The concept of imprinting

Abstract

The concept of “imprinting” is used to explain, in part, the origin of someone becoming a sex offender. Many sex offenders were sexually abused during their childhood or youth. Two case histories of male sex offenders, a 16-year old and an 18-year old in a prison treatment program, provide insights and have implications for treatment. The imprinting comes from the sex offender's own sexual abuse, typically in childhood and often at the hands of a parent or relative. If this imprinting/modeling concept is correct, they learn sex offending in a way that is emotional, at an early age, and is difficult to overcome. © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.