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Chapter Ten

Sexual Variations and Paraphilic Behavior

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What Are Sexual Variations?

• Sexuality can be expressed in a variety of ways

• Atypical sexual behavior is statistically uncommon behavior

• Most variation is not identified as a psychological disorder

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What Is Paraphilia?

• Characterized by recurrent or intense sexually arousing fantasies, sexual urges, or behaviors lasting at least 6 months involving:

1. Nonhuman objects

2. Suffering or humiliation of self or partner

3. Children or other nonconsenting people

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Paraphilia

• The paraphilic behavior is predominant in their life

• Distinction between sexual variation and paraphilia is sometimes a difference of degree, not kind

• Majority of diagnosis involve males

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Paraphilias

• Behaviors tend to be compulsive and long-standing

• May lead to legal and interpersonal difficulties, it may seem irresistible

• Vocabulary and categories change across time

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Judgments of Sexual Behavior

• Nymphomaniacs

• Satyriasis

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Highly Sexual Women

• Historical term: Nymphomaniacs

• Desires sexual stimulation to orgasm 6-7 times per week

• Self identified

• Sexuality an important part of their life and identity

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Noncoercive Paraphilias

• An important aspect of paraphilias is whether they involve coercion

• Noncoercive paraphilias regarded as victimless and relatively benign

• Noncoercive paraphilias are consensual

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Important Distinction

• Consensual variation is not paraphilia or a disorder

• Paraphilia is not the same as consensual variation

• Consensual variation and noncoercive paraphilia may be the same

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Sexual Variation: Domination and Submission

• Consensual sexual role-playing: one person dominates and the other submits

• Also known as sadomasochism (S&M)– A form of fantasy sex carefully controlled by

shared and elaborate scripts– Power is central element– Not considered paraphilic as consensual

• Most widely known form is bondage and discipline (B&D)

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Domination and Submission

• Top and Bottom• Dominatrix• Illusion of harm is

important• Humiliation can

occur in many forms

• Klismophilia

• Urophilia

• Coprophilia

• Infantilism

• Kennelism

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Noncoercive Paraphilias

• Fetishism: sexual attraction to an object which is required or preferred for sexual arousal

• Partialism: exclusive attraction to particular body parts

• To meet APA definition of fetishism as a disorder, one must not be able to have satisfactory sex without the fetish

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Noncoercive Paraphilias: Transvestism

• Wearing of clothing associated with other gender for sexual arousal

• Different from transsexualism • Many value transvestitism as an

important part of their life• Most men who engage in this practice

are heterosexual and masculine in gender role

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Coercive Paraphilias

• Zoophilia: animals are preferred sexual outlet even when other outlets are available

• Voyeurism: nonconsensual observation of others for the purpose of sexual arousal – Video voyeurism

• Exhibitionism: exposure of genitals to a nonconsenting stranger

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Coercive Paraphilias

• Telephone scatalogia: non-consensual telephoning of strangers; often involves obscene language

• Frotteurism: touching or rubbing against a nonconsenting person for the purpose of sexual arousal

• Necrophilia: sexual contact with a corpse

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Coercive Paraphilias

• Pedophilia: recurrent intense sexual urges and sexually arousing fantasies involving sexual activity with a prepubescent child

• A person with pedophilia must be at least 16 years old and at least 5 years older than the child

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Other Sex Pedophilia

• Pedophilia in which the sex of victim and perpetrator are different is more common than same-sex pedophilia

• Most convicted perpetrators are male, most victims female

• The fact that a child is vulnerable is more important than gender

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Pedophilia and Relationships

• Majority of pedophiles know their victim and their family

• About half of pedophiles are or have been married

• Most common activities: fondling and masturbation

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Coercive Paraphilia: Female Pedophilia

• Few reported cases of females with pedophilia

• Stereotypes of female nurturance may hamper recognition of pedophilic activities

• Male child victims may not recognize the event as abuse

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Sexual Sadism and Sexual Masochism

• Sadism: urges or fantasies of intentionally inflicting real physical or psychological pain or suffering on a partner

• Masochism: recurring sexual urge or fantasy of being humiliated or caused to suffer through real acts, not simulated ones

• Autoerotic asphyxia: a form of sexual masochism linking strangulation with masturbatory activities

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Origins and Treatment of Paraphilias

• Paraphilias are likely the result of social/environmental, psychological, and biological factors

• Difficult to treat, relapses often occur• Multi-faceted approaches that include

enhancing social and sexual skills may assist recovery

• Prevention has been shown to be best approach