Ratings of the self and of the ideal self were obtained from 215 institutionalized child molesters and 143 child molesters who were living in the community. The discrepancy between the two ratings of the self is seen to be related to the descriptive terms used to depict the self Words that are clearly evaluative in nature did not lead to discrepancies in the two ratings. Words that were descriptive but nonevaluative gave rise to large differences between ratings of the ideal self and the real self. There were few apparent differences between the child molesters in the community and those in the institution.
Successive sets of ratings given to a group of pedophiles revealed a downward trend in the ratings of their actual and their ideal selves. This seeming erosion in morale during 1 yr. suggests a potential for recidivism.
A sample of 143 persons who were on probation or parole who had a history of child molesting were selected and compared with a sample of 215 pedophiles who were selected from a large state hospital. They were then compared on the basis of rating scales for 25 word pairs which were similar to words used by Osgood, et al. (1957) in the study of the semantic differential. The factors derived from the ratings of pedophiles in the community reflected their need to present good stereotypes and acceptable facades. The factors derived from the analysis of patients in an institution seemed to be related to reactions to individual and group therapy treatment. No over-all stereotype of pedophiles' reactions seemed to emerge; rather, the factor structure seemed to be associated with the social climate in which the members of each group were living.
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