Paraphilia | |
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Specialty | Psychiatry |
Paraphilias are sexual interests in objects, situations, or individuals that are atypical. The American Psychiatric Association, in its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fifth Edition (DSM), draws a distinction between paraphilias (which it describes as atypical sexual interests) and paraphilic disorders (which additionally require the experience of distress, impairment in functioning, and/or the desire to act on them with a nonconsenting person). [1] [2] Some paraphilias have more than one term to describe them, and some terms overlap with others. Paraphilias without DSM codes listed come under DSM 302.9, "Paraphilia NOS (Not Otherwise Specified)".
In his 2008 book on sexual pathologies, Anil Aggrawal compiled a list of 547 terms describing paraphilic sexual interests. He cautioned, however, that "not all these paraphilias have necessarily been seen in clinical setups. This may not be because they do not exist, but because they are so innocuous they are never brought to the notice of clinicians or dismissed by them. Like allergies, sexual arousal may occur from anything under the sun, including the sun." [3]
Most of the following names for paraphilias, constructed in the nineteenth and especially twentieth centuries from Greek and Latin roots (see List of medical roots, suffixes and prefixes), are used in medical contexts only.
Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
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Abasiophilia | People with impaired mobility. [4] |
Acrotomophilia | People with amputations. [5] [6] |
Agalmatophilia | Statues, mannequins and immobility. [7] |
Algolagnia | Pain, particularly involving an erogenous zone; differs from masochism as there is a biologically different interpretation of the intense sensation rather than a subjective interpretation. [8] |
Amaurophilia | Being unable to see. [9] [10] [11] |
Amokoscisia | To slash and mutilate women. [12] |
Andromimetophilia | Trans men. [4] [13] |
Anililagnia | Attraction by young men to older women. [14] |
Anthropophagolagnia | Raping and then cannibalizing another person. [15] |
Apotemnophilia | Being an amputee. [5] [16] |
Aquaphilia | A sexual fetish that involves people swimming, posing, or even drowning in water. |
Armpit fetishism/maschalagnia | Armpits. [3] |
Asphyxiophilia | Asphyxia or strangling of oneself or others. [5] [17] |
Attraction to disability | People with one or more physical disabilities. [18] |
Autagonistophilia | Being on stage or on camera. [19] [20] |
Autassassinophilia | Being in life-threatening situations. [5] |
Autoandrophilia | Sexual arousal of a female in response to the image of herself as male. [21] |
Autoerotic asphyxiation | Self-induced asphyxiation, sometimes to the point of near unconsciousness. [20] |
Autogynephilia | Sexual arousal of a male in response to the image of himself as female. [21] |
Autohemofetishism | Making oneself bleed, a type of hematolagnia. [22] |
Autonepiophilia | The image of oneself in the form of an infant. [19] |
Autopedophilia | The image of oneself in the form of a child. [23] |
Autoplushophilia | The image of oneself in the form of a plush. [23] |
Autovampirism/vampirism | The image of oneself in the form of a vampire. [24] [25] [26] Involves ingesting or seeing one's own blood. [22] |
Autozoophilia | The image of oneself in the form of an animal. [27] [28] |
Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
---|---|
Belly fetishism/alvinolagnia | The midriff or belly. |
Biastophilia/raptophilia | Raping a person, possibly consensual rape fantasy. |
Bondage | Being tied up or physically restrained. [5] [19] |
Breast fetishism/mazophilia | Female breasts. |
Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
---|---|
Candaulism | Exposing one's partner or images of their partner to others. |
Cannibalism/anthropophagy | Ingesting human flesh. [15] |
Canophilia | Dogs. [29] |
Capnolagnia | Smoking. [30] |
Chremastistophilia | Being robbed or held up. [19] |
Chronophilia | Partners of a widely differing chronological age. [19] |
Coprophilia/scatophilia/fecophilia | Feces. [2] [31] |
Coulrophilia | Clowns [32] |
Cuckolding fetishism/troilism | Observing one's partner engaged in sexual activities with another person. [33] [4] [20] |
Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
---|---|
Dacryphilia | Tears or crying. [34] |
Diaper fetishism | Diapers; considerable overlap with paraphilic infantilism. [35] |
Dendrophilia | Trees. [5] |
Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
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Emetophilia | Vomit. [4] |
Eproctophilia | Flatulence. [3] |
Erotophonophilia/dacnolagnomania | Murder, often of strangers. [15] |
Exhibitionism/peodeiktophilia | Exposing one's genitals to unsuspecting and nonconsenting others. [2] [5] |
Exophilia | Extraterrestrials. [36] |
Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
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Fat fetishism/adipophilia | Overweight or obese people. [37] |
Feederism | Eating, feeding, and weight gain. [38] |
Fictosexuality/fictophilia | Fictional characters. [39] |
Food play/sitophilia | Erotic situations involving food. |
Foot fetishism/podophilia | Feet. [40] |
Formicophilia | Being crawled on by insects. [19] [41] |
Forniphilia | Turning a human being into a piece of furniture. |
Free use | Being "used" sexually by a sexual partner whenever they are aroused. [42] |
Frotteurism | Rubbing against a non-consenting person. [2] |
Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
---|---|
Gerontophilia | Elderly people. [43] |
Gynandromorphophilia/gynemimetophilia | Transgender women. [4] [44] |
Gynephilia | Females or femininity, regardless of one's own sex or gender identity. [45] |
Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
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Hair fetishism/trichophilia | Hair. [46] |
Hand fetishism/cheirophilia | Hands. |
Hebephilia | children who enter puberty |
Hematolagnia | Drinking or looking at blood. [47] |
Heterophilia | Idealization of heterosexuality and/or people who are "straight-acting", especially by non-heterosexual people. [48] [49] [50] |
Hierophilia | Religious/sacred objects. [11] |
Hoplophilia | Firearms, guns. [51] |
Hybristophilia | Criminals, particularly those who committed cruel or outrageous crimes. [19] [52] |
Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
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Infantophilia | Children less than five years old; a recently suggested term that is not in general use. [53] |
Impregnation fetishism | The event of being impregnated or impregnating another person. [54] |
Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
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Katoptronophilia | Mirrors [55] |
Kleptolagnia/kleptophilia | Stealing; [4] a form of kleptomania. |
Klismaphilia | Enemas, arousal and enjoyment in receiving, administering, or both. [4] [56] |
Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
---|---|
Lactophilia/galactophilia | Breast milk, breastfeeding or sucking on a woman's breasts. [46] [57] |
Leg fetishism/crurophilia | Legs. [58] |
Liquidophilia | Immersing genitals in liquids. [46] |
Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
---|---|
Macrophilia | Giant beings; imagined growth of beings. [46] |
Masochism | Suffering or humiliation; being beaten, bound, or otherwise abused. [2] |
Mechanophilia | Cars or other machines; also "mechaphilia". [59] [60] [61] |
Melolagnia | Music. [62] |
Menophilia | Menstruation. [46] |
Metrophilia | Poetry. [62] |
Microphilia | Shrunken beings; imagined shrinking of beings. [46] |
Morphophilia | Particular body shapes or sizes. [20] |
Mucophilia | Mucus. [46] |
Mysophilia | Dirtiness, soiled or decaying things. [4] |
Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
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Narratophilia | Obscene words. [4] |
Navel fetishism/alvinophilia | Navel. |
Nebulophilia | Fog or smoke. [63] |
Necrophilia | Corpses. [2] [4] [64] |
Nose fetishism/nasophilia | Noses. [46] |
Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
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Objectophilia | Specific inanimate objects. [2] |
Oculolinctus | The act of licking the eyes of another person for the purpose of gratification. |
Odaxelagnia | Biting or being bitten. |
Olfactophilia/bromidrophilia | Smells and odors (particularly foul ones) emanating from the body, especially the sexual areas and/or from the opposite sex (as from bad breath, urine, feces, flatulence, etc.). [4] [19] |
Omorashi | Having a full bladder and/or wetting oneself, or from seeing someone else experiencing a full bladder and/or wetting themself. |
Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
---|---|
Paraphilic infantilism/autonepiophilia/adult baby syndrome | Dressing or being treated like a baby; [19] [65] considerable overlap with diaper fetishism. [35] |
Partialism | Specific, non-genital body parts. [2] [4] |
Pedophilia | Preadolescent children; also spelled paedophilia. [2] [66] |
Pedovestism | Dressing like a child. [67] |
Pictophilia | Pornography or erotic art, particularly pictures. [4] [19] |
Piquerism | Piercing the flesh of another person, most commonly by stabbing or cutting the body with sharp objects. [68] |
Plushophilia | Stuffed toys ("plushies"). [69] |
Pregnancy fetishism/maiesiophilia | Pregnant women. [70] |
Pygophilia | Buttocks. [71] |
Pyrophilia | Fire. [72] |
Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
---|---|
Robot fetishism/robophilia | Humanoid robots. |
Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
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Sadism | Inflicting pain on others. [2] |
Salirophilia | Soiling or dirtying others. [4] |
Sexual fetishism | Nonliving objects. [2] |
Shoe fetishism | Shoes, especially high heels. |
Somnophilia/dormaphilia | Being asleep or unconscious, or pretending to be asleep or unconscious. [4] [19] [73] |
Sophophilia | Learning. [74] |
Sthenolagnia | Muscles and displays of strength. [46] |
Stigmatophilia | Body piercings and tattoos. [5] [46] |
Symphorophilia | Witnessing or staging disasters such as car accidents. [5] |
Telephone scatologia/telephonicophilia/scatophilia | Obscene phone calls, particularly to strangers. [2] [19] [75] |
Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
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Teratophilia | Deformed or monstrous people. [3] The term is also sometimes used in a more literal sense (from ancient Greek τέρας, teras, meaning monster) for attraction to monstrous mythical and fictional creatures such as werewolves. |
Tickling fetishism/knismolagnia | Tickling. [76] |
Toucherism | Touching an unsuspecting, non-consenting person with the hand. [77] |
Toxophilia | Archery. [62] |
Transvestic fetishism | Cross-dressing. [78] |
Timophilia | Gold, wealth, or social status. [79] |
Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
---|---|
Urolagnia/water sports | Urination, particularly in public, on others, and/or being urinated on. [2] [4] [19] [20] |
Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
---|---|
Vorarephilia/vore | The idea of one person or creature eating or being eaten by another; usually swallowed whole, in one piece. [80] |
Voyeurism/scopophilia | Watching others while naked or having sex, generally without their knowledge. [2] [20] |
Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
---|---|
Wet and messy fetishism | Messy situations, including, but not limited to, being pied, slimed, or covered in mud. |
Wetlook | The wearing of wet clothing |
Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
---|---|
Xenophilia | Foreign peoples, cultures, or customs. [81] |
Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
---|---|
Zoophilia | Non-human animals. [2] [4] [19] |
Zoosadism | Inflicting pain on animals, or seeing animals in pain. [82] |
A paraphilia is an experience of recurring or intense sexual arousal to atypical objects, places, situations, fantasies, behaviors, or individuals. It has also been defined as a sexual interest in anything other than a legally consenting human partner. Paraphilias are contrasted with normophilic ("normal") sexual interests, although the definition of what makes a sexual interest normal or atypical remains controversial.
Urolagnia is a paraphilia in which sexual excitement is associated with the sight or thought of urine or urination. The term has origins in the Greek language. Golden shower is slang for the practice of urinating on another person for sexual pleasure, while watersports is the more inclusive term. However, Urophilia is not exclusively associated with sexual excitement
Sexual fetishism or erotic fetishism is a sexual fixation on a nonliving object or body part. The object of interest is called the fetish; the person who has a fetish for that object is a fetishist. A sexual fetish may be regarded as a mental disorder if it causes significant psychosocial distress for the person or has detrimental effects on important areas of their life. Sexual arousal from a particular body part can be further classified as partialism.
Sadism and masochism, known collectively as sadomasochism or S&M, is the derivation of pleasure from acts of respectively inflicting or receiving pain or humiliation. The term is named after the Marquis de Sade, a French author known for his violent and libertine works and lifestyle, and Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, an Austrian author who described masochistic tendencies in his works. Though sadomasochistic behaviours and desires do not necessarily need to be linked to sex, sadomasochism is also a definitive feature of consensual BDSM relationships.
The National Coalition for Sexual Freedom (NCSF) is an American sex-positive advocacy and educational organization founded in 1997. NCSF has over one hundred coalition partners, and over sixty supporting members. NCSF advocates on behalf of adults involved in alternative lifestyles with respect to sexuality and relationship composition, specifically for tolerance and non-discrimination of those so identified, as well as education for adults involved in such lifestyles. The organization's main office is in Baltimore, Maryland.
Hypersexuality is a medical condition that causes unwanted or excessive sexual arousal, causing people to engage in or think about sexual activity to a point of distress or impairment. It is controversial whether it should be included as a clinical diagnosis used by mental healthcare professionals. Nymphomania, satyromania and sex maniac were terms previously used for the condition in women and men, respectively.
Hebephilia is the strong, persistent sexual interest by adults in pubescent children who are in early adolescence, typically ages 11–14 and showing Tanner stages 2 to 3 of physical development. It differs from pedophilia, and from ephebophilia. While individuals with a sexual preference for adults may have some sexual interest in pubescent-aged individuals, researchers and clinical diagnoses have proposed that hebephilia is characterized by a sexual preference for pubescent rather than adult partners.
Chronophilia are forms of romantic preferences and/or sexual attractions limited to individuals of particular age ranges. Some such attractions, specifically those towards prepubescents and those towards the elderly, constitute types of paraphilia. The term was coined by John Money and has not been widely adopted by sexologists, who instead use terms that refer to the specific age range in question. An arguable historical precursor was Richard von Krafft-Ebing's concept of "age fetishism". Importantly, chronophilia are technically not determined by age itself, but by human sexual maturity stages, such as body type, secondary sexual characteristics and other visible features, particularly as measured by the stages of the Tanner scale.
Biastophilia and its Latin-derived synonym raptophilia, also paraphilic rape, is a paraphilia in which sexual arousal is dependent on, or is responsive to, the act of assaulting an unconsenting person, especially a stranger. Some dictionaries consider the terms synonymous, while others distinguish raptophilia as the paraphilia in which sexual arousal is responsive to actually raping the victim.
Paraphilic infantilism, also known as adult baby, is a form of ageplay that involves role-playing a regression to an infant-like state. Like other forms of adult play, depending on the context and desires of the people involved paraphilic infantilism may be expressed as a non-sexual fetish, kink, or simply as a comforting platonic activity. People who practice adult baby play are often colloquially referred to as "adult babies", or "ABs".
Ray Milton Blanchard III is an American-Canadian sexologist who researches pedophilia, sexual orientation and gender identity. He has found that men with more older brothers are more likely to be gay than men with fewer older brothers, a phenomenon he attributes to the reaction of the mother's immune system to male fetuses. Blanchard has also published research studies on phallometry and several paraphilias, including autoerotic asphyxia. Blanchard also proposed a typology of transsexualism.
Attraction to disability is a sexualised interest in the appearance, sensation and experience of disability. It may extend from normal human sexuality into a type of sexual fetishism. Sexologically, the pathological end of the attraction tends to be classified as a paraphilia. Other researchers have approached it as a form of identity disorder. The most common interests are towards amputations, prosthesis, and crutches. As a sexual fetish, attraction to disability is known as devotism, and those with the fetish are known as devotees.
Pedophilia is a psychiatric disorder in which an adult or older adolescent experiences a primary or exclusive sexual attraction to prepubescent children. Although girls typically begin the process of puberty at age 10 or 11, and boys at age 11 or 12, psychiatric diagnostic criteria for pedophilia extend the cut-off point for prepubescence to age 13. People with the disorder are often referred to as pedophiles.
Zoophilia is a paraphilia in which a person experiences a sexual fixation on non-human animals. Bestiality instead refers to cross-species sexual activity between humans and non-human animals. Due to the lack of research on the subject, it is difficult to conclude how prevalent bestiality is. Zoophilia, however, was estimated in one study to be prevalent in 2% of the population in 2021.
Martin Paul Kafka is an American psychiatrist best known for his work on sex offenders, paraphilias and what he calls "paraphilia-related disorders" such as sex addiction and hypersexuality.
Courtship disorder is a theoretical construct in sexology developed by Kurt Freund in which a certain set of paraphilias are seen as specific instances of anomalous courtship instincts in humans. The specific paraphilias are biastophilia, exhibitionism, frotteurism, telephone scatologia, and voyeurism. According to the courtship disorder hypothesis, there is a species-typical courtship process in humans consisting of four phases, and anomalies in different phases result in one of these paraphilic sexual interests. According to the theory, instead of being independent paraphilias, these sexual interests are individual symptoms of a single underlying disorder.
Diaper fetishism, or nappy fetishism, is a type of garment fetish in which a person derives pleasure from themselves or partners wearing or using a diaper. Diaper fetishism can be performed on its own or incorporated into other various kinks. These kinks may include paraphilic infantilism, omorashi, and BDSM. When combined with paraphilic infantilism, the fetish is often called adult baby/diaper lover or AB/DL for short.
Erotic target location error (ETLE) is a hypothesized dimension for paraphilias, defined by having a sexual preference or strong sexual interest in features that are somewhere other than on one's sexual partners. When one's sexual arousal is based on imagining oneself in another physical form the erotic target is said to be one's self, or erotic target identity inversion (ETII).
Sexual sadism disorder is the condition of experiencing great sexual arousal in response to the involuntary extreme pain, suffering or humiliation of other people. Several other terms are used to describe the condition, and it may overlap with other conditions that involve inflicting pain. It is distinct from situations in which consenting individuals use mild or simulated pain or humiliation for sexual excitement. The words sadism and sadist are derived from the French writer and libertine Marquis de Sade, who wrote several novels depicting sexualized torture and violence.
According to some classification systems, Sexual masochism disorder is the condition of experiencing recurring and intense sexual arousal in response to enduring moderate to extreme pain, suffering, or humiliation. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5) of the American Psychiatric Association indicates that a person may have a masochistic sexual interest but that the diagnosis of sexual masochism disorder would only apply to individuals who also report psychosocial difficulties because of it.