I want to bring into the light more details on everything that concerns MAP stigma. I often hear it from antis that maps are supposed to hate themselves and their attractions, that it somehow shows they have morals and guarantees they will never offend. This is a very scary mistake. It couldn't be farther from the truth. Not only map self hate is one of the diagnostic criteria of pedophilic disorder (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/conditions/pedophilia), so according to doctors a self hating map is in need of treatment, but it's also considered a major risk for CSA.
“Stigmatization and societal punitiveness about pedophilia have a range of potential consequences, such as the social isolation of people with sexual interest in children, and the formation of policies that are not consistent with empirical research findings. Previous research has shown that people with pedophilic sexual interests use societal thinking to self-stigmatize, which in turn may actually serve to increase their risk of committing a sexual offense.”
Here are links to this study and several others:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323515098_The_Stigma_of_Pedophilia_Clinical_and_Forensic_Implications
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/311545002_Reducing_Stigma_and_Punitive_Attitudes_Toward_Pedophiles_Through_Narrative_Humanization
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/315895306_Obstacles_to_Help-Seeking_for_Sexual_Offenders_Implications_for_Prevention_of_Sexual_Abuse
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/264231704_Stigmatization_of_People_With_Pedophilia_A_Blind_Spot_in_Stigma_Research
http://sci-hub.tw/10.1177/1079063218797713
The logic behind this common mistake is the same as behind trying to shame fat people into dieting. Once an anti actually asked me why aren't we supposed to shame pedophiles if shaming overweight people helps them lose weight. I didn't have any studies on this issue back then, now I do - “Weight stigma is likely to drive weight gain and poor health and thus should be eradicated. This effort can begin by training compassionate and knowledgeable healthcare providers who will deliver better care and ultimately lessen the negative effects of weight stigma.”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6092785/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5249118/
Shaming people for any health condition will have the opposite effect, because they start feeling isolated, left alone with only their “flaw”. It's never good for their mental state and life management skills. But even this is only one half of the problem, this article already turned out very cold and technical, and I want to make one more remark before I finish it. Preventing CSA is not my main motivation to urge people to stop shaming maps. I want maps to live a life free of stigma first of all because they're human beings, and all human beings deserve love and respect. Just, please, don't try to justify your intention to harass maps by caring about children.
