David Finkelhor
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David Finkelhor (born 1947) is an American sociologist known for his research into
child sexual abuse Child sexual abuse (CSA), also called child molestation, is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include engaging in Human sexual activity, sexual activit ...
and related topics. He is the director of the Crimes against Children Research Center, co-director of the Family Research Laboratory and professor of sociology at the
University of New Hampshire The University of New Hampshire (UNH) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Durham, New Hampshire, United States. It was founded and incorporated in 1866 as a land grant coll ...
.


Life and career

Finkelhor graduated from
Phillips Exeter Academy Phillips Exeter Academy (often called Exeter or PEA) is an Independent school, independent, co-educational, college-preparatory school in Exeter, New Hampshire. Established in 1781, it is America's sixth-oldest boarding school and educates an es ...
in 1964, then attended
Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...
, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Relations in 1968. While at Harvard, he took courses at the Institut d'Études Politiques, University of Paris in 1967. He earned his M.Ed. in 1971 from the
Harvard Graduate School of Education The Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) is the education school of Harvard University, a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1920, it was the first school to grant the EdD degree and the first ...
, and he received his Ph.D. in sociology from University of New Hampshire in 1978 where he studied under Murray A. Straus. Finkelhor is also a senior faculty fellow and Master in Public Policy faculty member at the Carsey School of Public Policy. Finkelhor began studying the
child abuse Child abuse (also called child endangerment or child maltreatment) is physical abuse, physical, child sexual abuse, sexual, emotional and/or psychological abuse, psychological maltreatment or Child neglect, neglect of a child, especially by a p ...
problems of child
victimization Victimisation ( or victimization) is the state or process of being victimised or becoming a victim. The field that studies the process, rates, incidence, effects, and prevalence of victimisation is called victimology. Peer victimisation Peer ...
, child maltreatment and family violence in 1977. He is known for his conceptual and empirical work on the problem of
child sexual abuse Child sexual abuse (CSA), also called child molestation, is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include engaging in Human sexual activity, sexual activit ...
, reflected in publications such as ''Sourcebook on Child Sexual Abuse'' (Sage, 1986) and ''Nursery Crimes'' (Sage, 1988). He has also written about child homicide, missing and abducted children, children exposed to
domestic Domestic may refer to: In the home * Anything relating to the human home or family ** A domestic animal, one that has undergone domestication ** A domestic appliance, or home appliance ** A domestic partnership ** Domestic science, sometimes cal ...
and peer violence and other forms of
family violence Domestic violence is violence that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. In a broader sense, abuse including nonphysical abuse in such settings is called domestic abuse. The term "domestic violence" is often use ...
. His 2008 book, ''Child Victimization'', sought to unify and integrate knowledge about diverse forms of child victimization in a field he has termed "developmental victimology". Finkelhor has received grants from sources including the
National Institute of Mental Health The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is one of 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NIH, in turn, is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and is the primar ...
, the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect, and the
US Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the U.S. government that oversees the domestic enforcement of federal laws and the administration of justice. It is equ ...
. In 1994, he was given the Distinguished Child Abuse Professional Award by the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children. In 2004 he was given the Significant Achievement Award from the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers. In 2005 he and his colleagues received the Child Maltreatment Article of the Year award, and in 2007 he was elected as a Fellow of the
American Society of Criminology The American Society of Criminology (ASC) is an international organization based on the campus of Ohio State University whose members focus on the study of crime and delinquency. It aims to grow and disseminate scholarly research, with members wo ...
. Finkelhor researches and has authored many studies, articles, and books on child sexual abuse. He is associated with the model which suggests that there are four preconditions which need to be met in order for child sexual abuse to occur: #an offender with a predisposition to sexually abuse a child; #the ability to overcome the offender's internal inhibitions against acting on that predisposition; #an ability to overcome external barriers, such as lack of access to the child or supervision of the child by others; #an ability to overcome any resistance or reluctance on the part of the child. He has stated that he intends to continue his research until he proves "an unambiguous and persuasive case that the problem f child sexual abuseis widespread". According to Ken Plummer, he is "probably the most prominent sociologist at work in the field f child sexual abuse. In 1988 Finkelhor completed an investigation of child sexual abuse in daycares in the United States in response to the
satanic ritual abuse The Satanic panic is a moral panic consisting of over 12,000 unsubstantiated cases of Satanic ritual abuse (SRA, sometimes known as ritual abuse, ritualistic abuse, organized abuse, or sadistic ritual abuse) starting in North America in the 19 ...
panic and co-authored a book with Linda M. Williams. Mary de Young, a sociologist who has written about the
moral panic A moral panic is a widespread feeling of fear that some evil person or thing threatens the values, interests, or well-being of a community or society. It is "the process of arousing social concern over an issue", usually perpetuated by moral e ...
that occurred along with the McMartin preschool trial, criticized the work for a lack of verifiable evidence and incorrect conclusions. It was also cited by Bruce Rind in his controversial work that concluded that the harm caused by child sexual abuse was not necessarily intense or pervasive.


References


External links


Crimes against Children Research Center
{{DEFAULTSORT:Finkelhor, David Living people American sociologists Domestic violence academics Child sexual abuse in the United States 1947 births Harvard Graduate School of Education alumni Phillips Exeter Academy alumni University of New Hampshire faculty Harvard College alumni