Reviews the 2 predominant psychoanalytic theories regarding the etiology of homosexual pedophilia (child molestation)-the Freudian-based approach and the Kohutian-based approach. Both theories recognize the importance of early (preoedipal) developmental issues as being implicated in this disorder, yet each suggests important differences in what these early developmental issues are and their importance for interpretation and analysis of clinical case material. A case history of a 34-yr-old male homosexual pedophile is presented to illustrate the usefulness of self psychology in understanding cases of this hated and feared disorder. Emphasis is placed on the notion of the self object, the use by the offender of his child victims as mirroring and idealizing objects in order to make up for destructive archaic self objects. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved)