Infantophilia

Infantophilia is an attraction to babies (children under one year old). It may be regarded as a subcategory of nepiophilia or as a synonym for it[1]. However, it is also used as independent label by members of the map community.
History of the label
The term is derived from Latin īnfāns ("speechless", "newborn") and Greek φιλία ("love"). That makes this term's literal meaning identical to the one of nepiophilia.
According to most researchers, the word "infantophilia" in its modern interpretation was first mentioned in Infantophilia—A New Subcategory of Pedophilia?: A Preliminary Study by David Greenberg[2], described there as "a sexual orientation for children less than five years old." This was later elaborated upon in A Profile of Pedophilia: Definition, Characteristics of Offenders, Recidivism, Treatment Outcomes, and Forensic Issues[3]. Previously it was interpreted along with the term nepiophilia by John Money as: "If the eligible partner is an infant, 'infantophilia' is the diagnostic term. If it is essential that the infant be wearing diapers, however, the Greek-derived term for the diapered infant, 'nepiophilia,' applies"[4]. However, this interpretation was later rejected because of the vagueness of the origin of such a peculiar and unconfirmed definition. Greenberg, on the other hand, is an exceptionally reliable source, as he studied actual maps rather than relying on theoretical assumptions.
Usage of the term by maps
Unlike researchers, some maps see infantophilia as distinct from nepiophilia and applying solely to attraction towards babies. This shift in meaning may have been influenced by the word "infant" referring predominantly to a child under one year old[5].
References
- ↑ Infantophilia, Wiktionary.
- ↑ Greenberg, David M.; Bradford, John; Curry, Susan. (1995). Infantophilia—A New Subcategory of Pedophilia?: A Preliminary Study. Bull Am Acad Psychiatry Law, Vol. 23, No. 1.
- ↑ Hall, Ryan C. W. and Hall, Richard C. W. (2007). A Profile of Pedophilia: Definition, Characteristics of Offenders, Recidivism, Treatment Outcomes, and Forensic Issues. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, Vol. 82, No. 4.
- ↑ Money, John. (1990). Pedophilia, New Phylism Theory, and Paraphilic Lovemaps. In Jay Feierman (Ed.), Pedophilia, Biosocial Dimensions, 451. Springer. Retrieved from Library Genesis.
- ↑ Infant, Wikipedia.