Journal of Forensic Research

Sexual Addiction or Rape

Abstract

Scott A. Johnson

Sexual addiction has become the catch-all for infidelity, cheating, promiscuity, and rape. Recently it has become the newest claim for rapists and child molesters. Sexual addiction was defined similarly to how the DSM-5 has defined substance use disorders. Following the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria, as well as how Carnes et al. defined sexual addiction, it sometimes appears as though sexual offenders are sex addicts and are therefore not responsible for their sexually abusive behaviour. Sex offenders may have a sexual addiction in addition to being a sexual offender; however the sexual addiction has nothing to do with sexual offending. No different than a sex offender having a substance use disorder- the drugs or alcohol used never cause the offender to rape, rape is a choice the offender makes whether sober or intoxicated. Sexual addiction involves having intense thoughts involving sexual activities and may include engaging in numerous promiscuous sexual encounters and frequent masturbation. However, those sexual encounters are not about forced sex, just about sex. Sexual offenders rape and molest because of thoughts involving the use of physical or psychological use of force to obtain sex and/or because of sexual thoughts involving children or adolescents.