The psychological functioning modalities of adolescents who commit sexual violence

1️⃣ ANALYTICAL SUMMARY

A professional discomfort and a clinical profile that goes against representations. Adolescents who commit sexual violence provoke marked discomfort among professionals, oscillating between acute concern and trivialisation. The summary recalls data from external sources cited by the author: minors represent nearly half of those accused of sexual violence against minors (Romero 2023); the acts are mostly committed alone (80%) and not in a "gang rape"; 95% of the perpetrators know their victim, a family member in more than one case out of two (Gagnon 2005). Contrary to representations, there is no psychopathological profile or specific personality structure. These young people are often better socially integrated than other delinquent minors, but are strongly marked by victimisation (7/10 traumatic events; sexual victimisation 5× more frequent — Seto & Lalumière 2010) and by the issue of incest.

From the supposed "void" to the "drive freeze": levers for support. The author's unique contribution is qualitative, supported by an action-research framework and projective tests (Rorschach, TAT). She describes defensive recurrences: strong inhibition of thought (sometimes masked by a verbal "false self"), reliance on material and concrete reality, self-framing obsessive processes, and struggle against conflictuality. The "drive freeze" appears as the central mechanism: not an absence of psychic life, but a hidden and frozen internal world. L'autrice écarte la « perversion » comme concept opérant et mobilise l'. L'autrice écarte la « perversion » comme concept opérant et mobilise l'mental unconscious (Dejours) and the incest register (Racamier) to think about these situations. She draws recommendations from it: to welcome the investment in the concrete as a material, to support the work of thought, to alternate individual and multidisciplinary spaces, and to secure professionals through supervision.

2️⃣ KEY POINTS OF THE DOCUMENT

1️⃣ No pathological profile characterises these adolescents. Since the work of Balier (1990s), psychiatrists and psychoanalysts confirm the absence of specific psychiatric pathology and personality structure; at the PJJ, the average age is younger (14 years, compared to 16 years for other cases) and disadvantaged social categories are not overrepresented (section “Who are the adolescents committing sexual violence?”).

2️⃣ Massive victimisation and the centrality of incest (cited external figures). 7 out of 10 adolescents report repeated traumatic events; sexual victimisation is 5× more frequent than among other adolescents; 95% know their victim and, in more than half of cases, it is a family member. The events are most often repeated over months or years (sections “Who are…” and “Incest, at the heart of the issue”).

3️⃣ The “drive freeze” as the main defensive mechanism, not a void. Inhibition of thought, reliance on the material world, and avoidance of conflict form a coherent defensive system. The internal world "is not empty or poorly constructed, but well hidden within" — a decisive point to avoid interpreting silence as refusal (section "Particularities of the observed defensive arrangements").

4️⃣ The "perversion" set aside; the amental unconscious proposed. These adolescents do not exhibit the clinical pictures of adult perversions; the author revisits the concept of amental unconscious (Dejours) — a "second unconscious" of raw, traumatic elements that "emerges" through acting out, somatisations, or freezing, rather than through the return of the repressed (section "A psychic functioning marked by the eruptions of the amental unconscious").

5️⃣ The family and the "incestuous register" at the heart of psychic springs. Drawing from Racamier, the author describes a register where separation becomes impossible and autonomy is hindered; two clinical vignettes (Romuald, Brandon) illustrate the investment in reality as a libidinal detour and the attack on the bond (section "The familial dimension at the heart of psychic springs").

3️⃣ ACTION PATHS FOR LOCAL ACTORS

1️⃣ Welcoming the investment in the concrete as a working material, not as avoidance. When a young person only talks about material tasks or "things", it is often the only available avenue of expression; the resumption occurs "little by little, element by element" (section "Recommendations"; illustration Romuald).

2️⃣ Actively support the work of thought without forcing speech. In the face of inhibition, the adult must be present and supportive, while recognising that they can also become the object of « good/bad » projections. Naming, representing oneself, and associating are levers to prioritise (sections « Particularities… » and « Recommendations »).

3️⃣ Alternate individual spaces and multidisciplinary parent-child spaces. The described system combines « checkpoints » (the young person alone, monthly, focused on speech rather than reframing) and « family interviews »; this alternation limits splitting and « reported speech » (sections « Origins… » / « A research close to the field » and « Recommendations »).

4️⃣ Secure the teams through supervision and collaborative development time. The « phantasmatic overactivation » of professionals responds to the inhibition of young people; supervision times prevent being overwhelmed by the « massiveness of feelings » (sections « Discomfort in the encounter » and « Recommendations »).

5️⃣ Explore family histories of incest and victimisation, and tighten the work with parents. The author relies on Dussy: incest « generally only arises in families where it already exists ». The exploration must be active but cautious, inseparable from supporting the parents (section « Recommendations »).

6️⃣ Anticipate disengagement and the attack on the bond; support the tenacity of the accompaniment. The vignette of Brandon shows a young person who is gradually « disengaging » and testing the consistency of the professionals; maintaining the bond despite passive opposition is part of the work (illustration Brandon).

Unmet needs / adaptations. The document provides neither a standardised protocol, nor a turnkey tool, nor evaluation indicators. It proposes a stance and understanding benchmarks; their transposition requires local adaptation and supervisory support. Young female authors and authors outside PJJ are not covered (see § 8).

4️⃣ ADDITIONAL REFERENCES

1. DPJJ — The pathways of minors who commit sexual offences (summary, 2024). Sociological aspect and complementary "pathways" of this summary (research by Mr. Romero, cited in the document). Highlights vulnerabilities, victimisation and incest among minors. → https://www.justice.gouv.fr/sites/default/files/2026-01/2024_dpjj_synthese_rapport_maics_2.pdf (full report: https://www.justice.gouv.fr/sites/default/files/2024-09/2024_dpjj_rapport_maics_2.pdf)
2. Ministry of Justice / SSER — Sexual violence against minors (Infostat / statistical report, 2025). Recent national quantitative framework (accused, criminal response, share of minor offenders); useful for situating the figures cited in the summary. → https://www.justice.gouv.fr/sites/default/files/2025-06/Rapport_mineurs_violences%20sexuelles.pdf
3. solidarites.gouv.fr — Incest and sexual violence against minors: progress of the CIIVISE recommendations (2026). Public policy and prevention aspect (CRIAVS, education on emotional and sexual life); complementary on the systemic side. → https://solidarites.gouv.fr/inceste-et-violences-sexuelles-sur-mineurs-avancees-des-recommandations-de-la-ciivise

5️⃣ FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)

1️⃣ Are these adolescents "perverse" or "psychopaths"? No. The study and the works it cites find neither psychiatric pathology, nor specific personality structure, nor clinical picture of adult perversion. The "perversion" is deemed non-operational for thinking about their issues (sections "Discomfort in the encounter" and "A... mental functioning").

2️⃣ Are group violences ("collective rapes") the norm? No. The acts are committed alone in 80% of the cases handled (cited external figure); collective rapes are far from being the majority (section "Who are the adolescents committing sexual violence?").

3️⃣ Why do they speak so little and seem to "feel nothing"? This is a defensive inhibition ("drive freeze"), not an absence of psychic life. The internal world is "hidden within"; some even mask this inhibition with a verbose discourse ("false self") (section "Particularities of the observed defensive arrangements").

4️⃣ What does "mental unconscious" mean and why is it useful? Concept by C. Dejours: a "second unconscious" made of raw, traumatic, untreated psychic elements that "emerge" (acting out, somatisations, freezing) instead of returning as repressed. It helps to understand why thought "freezes" in interviews (section "A... mental functioning").

5️⃣ What place for the family and incest in support? Central. The "incest register" (Racamier) makes separation and autonomy difficult; incest mainly occurs in families where it preexists (Dussy). Hence, a close working relationship with the parents and an active but cautious exploration of the background (sections "The family dimension..." and "Recommendations").

6️⃣ How is the monitoring system concretely organised? Three observatories: projective psychological assessment (Rorschach, TAT, with re-test after one year for 3 young people), individual follow-up with educators and the psychologist, and multidisciplinary interviews with the adolescent and their parents. Two spaces structure the work: "check-in points" (young person alone) and "family interviews" (section "Research as close to the field as possible").

7️⃣ What to do about the discomfort and emotional involvement of professionals? Recognise it as an effect of the relationship ("fantasmatic overactivation" mirroring the young person's inhibition) and work on it in a team and in supervision, to avoid splitting and not to be overwhelmed (sections "Discomfort in the encounter" and "Recommendations").

6️⃣ REWRITING IN EASY READ

Who are these adolescents?

They are young people who have committed sexual violence. They do not have a specific mental illness. They are not "monsters" and are not "perverse". Often, they themselves have suffered violence when they were children. Most often, they know the victim. Often, it is a person from their family.

How do they function?

Often, these young people speak very little. They struggle to express what they feel. Sometimes, they give the impression of feeling nothing. But that is false: they feel things. They hide these things deep inside.

Often, they mainly talk about objects or concrete tasks. For example: a garden, work, tools. This is not 'empty'. It's their way of speaking when the words are too difficult.

What the document says to professionals

We must listen to what they say about objects. It's a first step to talk about their emotions later. We must not force the young person to speak. We must be present and patient.

The work is done with the young person alone. The work is also done with their parents. The family is very important in these situations.

Professionals may feel uncomfortable. That's normal. They should talk about it as a team. They can ask for help from a supervisor.

Note: 'mental unconscious', 'incestuous register' and 'false self' are technical words in psychology. In easy-to-read language, we explain them by their concrete effects (the young person freezes, cannot separate, hides their inner world) rather than by their scholarly name.

7️⃣ CROSS-ANALYSIS — VALUES OF HEALTH PRACTICES

• Literacy: the document does not provide tools suitable for different levels of understanding; it is an expert text, and the issue of information accessibility is not addressed.
• Empowerment: partial — the system aims at the subjectivation and empowerment of the young person, but the term and the framework 'empowerment' are not used as such.
• Participation: limited — the 8 adolescents "have agreed to participate" in the action research, but there is no co-construction with users in the sense of health promotion.
• Community health : generally absent — this is individual and family clinical work in a judicial context, without an explicit community or collective dimension.
• Ethics : present — the document combats the reduction to the "monster" and to "perversion", alerts on "abusive stigmatization" and on the "fantasising" of professionals; non-judgment is at the heart of the proposed stance.
• Human rights / equity : implicit — the author reminds us that these authors are often themselves victims, which argues against reductive approaches; a formal "rights" framework is not deployed.
• Intersectorality : partial — judicial / educational / therapeutic articulation (justice, educator, psychologist, unit manager), more interprofessional than intersectoral.
• Partnership : formalised within the institution — multidisciplinary spaces and supervision constitute structured collaboration models.
• Fight against discrimination : the document explicitly deconstructs stigmatizing representations ("monstrous", "abusive stigmatization") and depathologises; the issue of discrimination in terms of equity is not a focus in itself.

8️⃣ EVALUATION OF THE RELIABILITY OF THE RESOURCE

Scientific relevance. Solid in its framework: qualified author (thesis 2025, recognised academic supervision), explicit clinical methodology (action-research, projective tests, discourse process grid at TAT), coherent theoretical grounding (Balier, Dejours, Racamier). Limitations to be aware of: very small sample (n = 8), boys only, one institution, approach mono-paradigmatic (psychodynamic); it is neither a systematic review nor an effectiveness evaluation. Several cited figures are external and sometimes old or of Quebec origin (Gagnon 2005; Seto & Lalumière 2010), transposed to the French context. Transparent institutional positioning: research supported by the DPJJ, author psychologist of the PJJ; the document specifies that the conclusions "only engage its author." To be treated as an enlightening clinical contribution, not as generalisable evidence.

Operational relevance. High for understanding and professional stance: the vignettes and recommendations are directly transposable to placement work. Low in terms of tools: no protocol, scale or ready-to-use indicator. To be combined with more normative or statistical resources (see § 4) for complete use.

9️⃣ STRATEGIC HASHTAGS

#healthpractices #PJJ #SexualViolence #ChildProtection #ClinicalPsychology #Incest #SocialWork #Adolescence