Published: 15 March 2014
Aim. To study personal features of individuals who have committed crimes against sexual integrity of minors. Methods. Theoretical analysis of the causes of such psychological characteristics as aggression and destructiveness of individual behavior is carried out. The empirical research revealed the relations of the factors determining deviant behavior through the use of quantitative and qualitative methods of data processing. Results. On the basis of empirical data analysis a socio-demographic and psychological portrait of an offender was made; extensive use of tests revealed such features as: lack of confidence, aggressive inclinations, immersion in a fantasy world, quite high level of adaptability to social environment and, at the same time, life instability, dependence on the opinions of others, low self-esteem, certain sexual prejudices. A conclusion was made that the surveyed group of people can be prone to pedophilia. Scientific novelty. Scientific novelty is in an integrated approach to studying the personality of a pedophile. A combination of different research methods through socio-psychological analysis allowed to confirm the judgment and to question conclusion often found in the scientific literature on the failure to identify pedophiles as a special group of people with psychosexual disorders.