The study confirmed the theory of Ward et al. (1995) that sexual offenders who have a preoccupied attachment style will seek an affectionate relationship with a child whom they can control and who will admire or approve of them. The "preoccupation" attachment style is derived from the work of Bartholomew (1990), who classifies adult attachment patterns as either secure or insecure. Securely attached persons are comfortable in relationships and typically meet their intimacy and companionship needs satisfactorily; whereas, insecure attachment patterns tend to be unsatisfying and produce anxiety. The "preoccupied" attachment pattern, according to Bartholomew, is characterized by a negative view of self and a positive view of others. These individuals desperately seek intimacy, but are also afraid of closeness. As a result, they tend to rush into relationships without due consideration of their compatibility with their partner. Once in a relationship, they control the level of intimacy and seek approval and affection from their partner. They tend to have fluctuating but never satisfactory levels of intimacy. The features of the preoccupied attachment style seem to be related to the choice of victim (children) and the way in which they persuade their victims to comply with their sexual demands (nonviolent grooming). The current study involved 32 males convicted of sexual offenses (16 rapists and 16 child molesters). Attachment style was assessed with two measures that have been used extensively in attachment research (Feeney, Noller, and Hanrahan). Further research is needed to replicate these findings. 1 table and 24 references