por What is ephebophilia?
The ephebophilia It is the sexual attraction of adults towards adolescents and young people, between 15 and 19 years of age. It is a sexual preference that generates much debate among experts. On the one hand, some view it as a paraphilia similar to pedophilia, while others view it as a normal sexual response with problematic consequences.
As a general rule, ephebophilia differs from other similar conditions in the sense that the attraction towards adolescents and young people does not usually occur exclusively. That is, the person with this preference can also enjoy sex with people of the same age, something that generally does not occur in more serious paraphilias, such as pedophilia.
The word comes from the Greek terms ephebos (entered puberty) and filia (love or attraction). The etymology of the word gives us a clue as to why it’s so hard to decide whether or not it’s a disorder: the adolescents these people are attracted to already have similar or the same sexual characteristics as adults.
One of the problems when defining this filia is the age of sexual consent established by the different cultures and laws. It should also be mentioned that ephebophilia is not a psychiatric diagnostic disorder and is not included in the DSM-V.
Symptoms
Ephebophilia is defined as the sexual attraction towards individuals who have passed puberty, but have not yet fully entered adulthood.
This roughly includes an age range between 15 and 19-20 years, that is, people in the last stage of adolescence and the first phase of youth.
This sexual attraction is not exclusive. In most cases, ephebophilics are perfectly capable of being attracted to adults their own age as well. The preference for adolescents and young people can be more or less marked depending on the individual.
Sexual attraction to young people and adolescents can occur in both heterosexual and homosexual people, although it is believed to be more common among men than women.
It is important to distinguish ephebophilia from other similar conditions, but which can become much more problematic. On the one hand, pedophilia is the sexual attraction towards children who have not yet reached pre-adolescence. On the other hand, hebephilia implies the attraction to pre-adolescent individuals, approximately between 12 and 14 years of age.
Causes
There is a great controversy at a social and scientific level about what are the causes of ephebophilia. Some people consider that it is a psychological disorder, similar to pedophilia and hebephilia, that should be treated. However, many experts claim that, unlike these, it is a normal sexual response.
The most accepted explanation of ephebophilia is that adolescents, from approximately 15 years of age, already show a large part of the sexual physical traits present in adults. Because of this, it is common to be instinctively attracted to these characteristics.
This attraction, on the other hand, is usually greatly influenced by the social and cultural environment in which the person lives. Some societies not only did not see ephebophilia as harmful, but promoted it. Throughout history, many cultures encouraged, for example, marriage between adult men and adolescent or young women (and not just Islamic ones).
However, in our current culture this sexual attraction can be quite problematic. This is mainly due to issues such as the legal age of majority, which each country marks differently, and the psychological differences that exist between adults and adolescents.
Consequences
The social reaction towards ephebophilia depends to a great extent on the culture in which it occurs. In earlier times, such as in ancient Greece or medieval Europe, attraction to adolescents was not frowned upon at all. On the contrary, it was considered completely normal, and even encouraged.
For example, in the Middle Ages couples used to consist of an older man and a teenage girl. The idea was that an older man would have more resources to protect and care for his family, at a time when death due to lack of food or warfare was very common.
In our current culture, on the contrary, the general norm is to view ephebophilia as something negative, especially when men are attracted to younger people. Different groups and movements give different responses to this phenomenon, and today there is a great debate on the subject.
For example, from feminism it is usually understood that relationships between adult men and young women imply certain inequalities of power that would cause all kinds of problems in the couple. These inequalities, however, are not usually mentioned when the situation is the opposite.
On the other hand, it is very common to find young people who are attracted to older individuals, which is why many experts consider that this type of relationship should not be problematic in itself. However, it is still necessary to study more in depth the consequences of ephebophilia.
Is treatment necessary?
At first, the attraction towards people of much younger age would not have to be problematic. The exception to this would occur in those cases in which the adult decides to start a relationship of any kind with individuals who have not yet reached the age of consent, which would constitute a crime.
However, most of the time, people who are attracted to others who are much younger do not act on their wishes, especially if they are against the law. Therefore, this condition could not generally be considered as a paraphilia or a sexual disorder to use.
In general, we could say that ephebophilia is a normal expression of human sexuality, but that it can bring negative consequences depending on the society in which it is practiced and the way in which it is carried out.
References
What is ephebophilia? Retrieved from ibtimes.co.uk.
Ephebophilia. Retrieved from psychology.wikia.com.