An Ephebe Kisses A Man
Tondo from an Attic kylix, 5th c. BCE by the Briseis painter. Louvre

Ephebophilia or Hebephilia has been defined as the primary or exclusive sexual attraction to adolescents.^[1] In everyday English, the term pedophilia, strictly meaning sexual attraction to children, is also colloquially used to refer to attraction to adolescents. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1870x2000, 2276 KB) Description Description: Erastes (lover) kissing his eromenos (beloved), detail from a red-figure Attic cup by the Briseis Painter, ca. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1870x2000, 2276 KB) Description Description: Erastes (lover) kissing his eromenos (beloved), detail from a red-figure Attic cup by the Briseis Painter, ca. ... Kylix by Euergides (circa 500 BC) in the British Museum, London. ... This article is about the museum. ... Adolescent redirects here. ... Pedophilia or paedophilia (see spelling differences) is the primary or exclusive sexual attraction by adults to prepubescent youths. ... For other uses, see Child (disambiguation). ...

The term comes from the Greek: έφηβος (ephebos) variously defined as "one arrived at puberty", "a youth of 18 who underwent his dokimasia and was registered as a citizen (Athens)", and "arriving at man's estate"; and φιλία (-philia) "love".^[2][3] Despite this classical etymology it is a term of modern coinage, created by German scientist Magnus Hirschfeld in 1906.^[4] It has been used by Dutch psychologist and pro-pedophile activist Frits Bernard as far back as 1950,^[5] reprinted in 1960 in the gay support magazine Vriendschap under the pseudonym Victor Servatius,^[6] also crediting it to Hirschfeld though giving no exact date.^[7] Ephebos (often in the plural epheboi), also anglicized as ephebe, is a Greek word for an adolescent age group or a social status reserved for that age in Antiquity. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Suffixes with the common part -phil- (-phile, -philia, -philic) are used to specify some kind of attraction or affinity to something, in particular the love or obsession with something. ... Magnus Hirschfeld in 1933 Magnus Hirschfeld (Kolberg, May 14, 1868 - Nice, May 14, 1935) was a prominent German-Jewish physician, sexologist, and gay rights advocate. ... Pro-pedophile activism or Pro-paedophile activism (Commonwealth usage) encompasses pro-pedophile organizations and activists that argue for certain changes of criminal laws and cultural response associated with pedophiles and adult-minor sexual relations. ... Frits Bernard (born 28 August, 1920 in Rotterdam[1], died 23 May, 2006[2]) was a Dutch psychologist, sexologist, and pedosexual activist. ...

The term has also been used by the Frenchman Felix Buffiere in 1980 and described at length by Tariq Rahman in 1988 who argues that it should be used in preference to 'homosexuality' for describing grown men's aesthetic and erotic interest in adolescent boys (See Pederasty) when classical literatures in Persian, Turkish or Urdu are under discussion. This article is about the country. ... Homosexuality refers to sexual interaction and / or romantic attraction between individuals of the same sex. ... Pederasty or paederasty (literally boy-love, see Etymology below) refers to an intimate or erotic relationship between an adolescent boy and an adult male outside his immediate family. ... Farsi redirects here. ... Urdu ( , , trans. ...

Ephebophilia is not listed as a paraphilia in the DSM-IV. Look up paraphilia in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, published by the American Psychiatric Association, is the handbook used most often in diagnosing mental disorders in the United States and other countries. ...

Characteristics

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The Lover, Marguerite Duras's autobiographical novel of her teenage affair with an older Chinese man.

Attraction to adolescents is not generally regarded by psychologists as pathological except when it interferes with other relationships, becomes an obsession which adversely affects other areas of life, or causes distress to the subject. Image File history File links Emblem-important. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The Lover (French title: LAmant) is an autobiographical novel by Marguerite Duras, published in 1984 by Les Éditions de Minuit. ... Marguerite Donnadieu, better known as Marguerite Duras, (April 4, 1914 – March 3, 1996) was a French writer and film director. ... A psychologist is a person who studies psychology, the systematic investigation of the human mind, including behavior, cognition, and affect. ... Pathology (in ancient Greek pathos = pain/pation and logos = word) is the study of diseases. ... OCD redirects here. ...

Sexual desire that includes adolescents, as well as older individuals, is common among adults of all sexual orientations;^[8] this is not labeled "ephebophilia" because the attraction to adolescents is not exclusive. In some cultures, such as those in which adolescent girls are routinely married to older men, it is considered normal for adults to include adolescents among their sexual interests. In these cultures an attraction to adolescents is not necessarily thought to require an essentialist classification in terms of abnormality, deviancy or mental health, but is seen as a possibility or a taste. In certain Middle Eastern and South Asian cultures, as reflected in literature written in Turkish, Persian and Urdu, the expression of love for attractive adolescent boys is found in classical literature.^{[citation needed]} In Urdu, for instance, it may be a metaphor for the mystic's quest for an immanent deity; a lover's desire for a woman who, being a veiled lady or a courtesan, is impossible to own; or in some cases, boys who take the place of women in gender-segregated societies (Rahman 1989). This attraction of men to adolescent males is not seen as effeminate or regarded as homosexuality, per se, but is usually considered sinful (Rahman 1988). Nonetheless, an open attraction to adolescents may still be ridiculed or disparaged as inappropriate or unhealthy; an attraction to adolescents is something one is expected to "grow out of". These cultural assumptions have come into contention with the advent of modernity and the resultant exposure to cultures with different views. Sexual orientation refers to the direction of an individuals sexuality, usually conceived of as classifiable according to the sex or gender of the persons whom the individual finds sexually attractive. ... In philosophy, essentialism is the view, that, for any specific kind of entity it is at least theoretically possible to specify a finite list of characteristics —all of which any entity must have to belong to the group defined. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... Map of South Asia (see note on Kashmir). ...

In fairy tales, adolescent girls are sometimes made the object of romantic attachment by older men. While suggesting it, this is not ephebophilia since the males do not have exclusive sexual preference for young girls. Some fairy tales that are alleged to contain ephebophilia are Rimsky-Korsakov's opera version of the Snow Maiden, Vasilissa the Beautiful, and Sadko.^{[citation needed]} These themes are sometimes correlated with gerontophobia. A fairy tale is a story, either told to children or as if told to children, concerning the adventures of mythical characters such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, giants, and others. ... Nikolay Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov (Russian: Никола́й Андре́евич Ри́мский-Ко́рсаков), also Nikolai, Nicolai, and Rimsky-Korsakoff, (March 18, 1844 &#8211... Snegurochka pictured in a Russian childrens book Snegurochka (Russian: ), or the Snow Maiden, is a character in Russian fairy tales. ... Ivan Bilibins illustration of the red rider from Vasilissa the Beautiful. ... Sadko, Palekh painting Sadko (Russian: ) was a legendary hero of a Russian bylina (epic tale) with the same name, a merchant and gusli musician from Novgorod. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ...

Legality

Ephebophilic relationships are against the law in many countries and jurisdictions, depending on the location's age of consent legislation, which typically asserts that a person below a certain age is not legally capable of consenting to a sexual act. In the US, for example, the adult in such a relationship may be subject to charges of statutory rape, regardless of whether the younger partner agrees to - or even initiates - the sexual activity. Image File history File links Unbalanced_scales. ... Age of consent laws Worldwide While the phrase age of consent typically does not appear in legal statutes,[1] when used with reference to criminal law the age of consent is the minimum age at which a person is considered to be capable of legally giving informed consent to any... For other uses of terms redirecting here, see US (disambiguation), USA (disambiguation), and United States (disambiguation) Motto In God We Trust(since 1956) (From Many, One; Latin, traditional) Anthem The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City National language English (de facto)1 Demonym American... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

Some reasons given for this legal distinction include:

• Some adolescents are unable to understand the physical, emotional, and social consequences of sexual activity. According to the August 2006 issue of Scientific American, the neurological development of late adolescents is not yet complete, leading to deficits in their higher cognitive functions including judgment, attention, and response to crisis situations. However, late adolescence also includes people over 18, since neurological development is still not complete at this age (by this definition).
• Adult sexual relations with adolescents can be an abuse of power, using psychological coercion.
• Sexual relations with adolescents can lead to pregnancy and parenthood, for which adolescents may not be prepared emotionally and/or financially.

Relationships between adults and adolescents that do not include sexual activity are generally legal, assuming no other laws regarding child welfare are violated. For example, a romantic relationship with an adolescent below the age of consent is generally legal, especially when the adolescent's age is above the age at which their parents could consent to marriage. In other jurisdictions, this may be illegal. Scientific American is a popular-science magazine, published (first weekly and later monthly) since August 28, 1845, making it the oldest continuously published magazine in the United States. ... Neurology is a branch of medicine dealing with disorders of the central and peripheral nervous systems. ... For other uses, see Coercion (disambiguation). ... This article is about human pregnancy in biological females. ... In the United States, the term child welfare is used to describe a set of government services designed to protect children and encourage family stability. ... . ...

See also

• Age disparity in sexual relationships
• Child sexual abuse
• Child sexuality
• Ephebiphobia
• Pederasty

Significant age disparity in sexual relationships has been a feature of couples in many cultures and societies. ... Child sexual abuse is an umbrella term describing criminal and civil offenses in which an adult engages in sexual activity with a minor or exploits a minor for the purpose of sexual gratification. ... Child sexuality refers to sexual feelings, behavior and development in children. ... Ephebiphobia (from Greek ephebos έφηβος = teenager, underage adolescent and fobos φόβος = fear, phobia), also known as hebephobia (from Greek hebe = youth), denotes both the irrational fear of teenagers or of adolescence, and the prejudice against teenagers or underage adolescents. ... Pederasty or paederasty (literally boy-love, see Etymology below) refers to an intimate or erotic relationship between an adolescent boy and an adult male outside his immediate family. ...

Footnotes