Assessing the cognitions of child molesters: Use of the semantic differential with incarcerated offenders

Although the importance of examining child molesters’ thoughts about themselves and others is recognized, approaches to the assessment of molesters’ cognitions have yet to be examined in detail. We compared the responses of 57 incarcerated child molesters, 50 incarcerated offenders without sexual offenses, and 30 nonincarcerated men recruited from the community on a specially constructed version of the Semantic Differential. The Semantic Differential data showed a reasonable factor structure and, when repeated on a subgroup of respondents after roughly eight weeks, acceptable temporal reliability. Differences emerged between molesters and nonmolesters in their actual and ideal self‐descriptions (e.g., nonmolesters described themselves as cleaner, harder, more erotic, and more seductive). Women were seen as less erotic by molesters than nonmolesters. Within the child molester group, offenders who had killed their young victims described males as more deceitful but more seductive than did those with less violent offenses. Modifications to the Semantic Differential and implications for further forensic research and clinical work are discussed.