| Paraphilia | |
|---|---|
| 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 |
|---|---|
| Abasiophilia | People with impaired mobility. [4] |
| Acrotomophilia | People with amputations. [5] [6] |
| Acomoclitism | A lack of pubic hair. [7] |
| Actirasty | The Sun. [8] |
| Acucullophilia | Circumcised genitals. [9] |
| Acralagnia | Extremities, such as fingers, toes, or earlobes. [10] |
| Agalmatophilia | Statues, mannequins and immobility. [11] |
| Agrexophilia | Having other people know about your sexual activities. [12] |
| 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. [13] |
| Anemophilia | Wind. [14] |
| Amaurophilia | Being unable to see, i.e. blindness or the presence of a blindfold. [15] [16] [17] |
| Amelotasis | Limb deformities or malformations. [18] |
| Amokoscisia | Slashing and mutilating women. [19] |
| Amychophilia | Scratching or being scratched. [20] |
| Andromimetophilia | Transgender men. [4] [21] |
| Anililagnia | Attraction by young men to older women. [22] |
| Antholagnia | Flowers. [23] |
| Anthropophagolagnia | Raping and then cannibalizing another person. [24] |
| Apotemnophilia | Being an amputee. [5] [25] |
| Aquaphilia | People swimming, posing, or drowning in water. |
| Armpit fetishism/maschalagnia | Armpits. [3] |
| Asphyxiophilia | Asphyxia or strangling of oneself or others. [5] [26] |
| Attraction to disability | People with one or more physical disabilities. [27] |
| Autagonistophilia | Being on stage or on camera. [28] [29] |
| Autoanilingus | Fantasizing about performing anilingus on oneself. [30] |
| Autassassinophilia | Being in life-threatening situations. [5] |
| Autoerotic asphyxiation | Self-induced asphyxiation, sometimes to the point of near unconsciousness. [29] |
| Autofellatio | Performing oral sex on oneself (male). [31] [32] |
| Autohemofetishism | Making oneself bleed, a type of hematolagnia. [33] |
| Autonepiophilia | The image of oneself in the form of an infant. [28] |
| Autopedophilia | The image of oneself in the form of a child. [34] |
| Autoplushophilia | The image of oneself in the form of a plush. [34] |
| Autovampirism/vampirism | The image of oneself in the form of a vampire. [35] [36] [37] Involves ingesting or seeing one's own blood. [33] |
| Autozoophilia | The image of oneself in the form of an animal. [38] [39] |
| Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
|---|---|
| Balloon fetishism / Balloonophilia | Balloons, including inflating, popping, or rubbing them. [40] |
| Belly fetishism/alvinolagnia | The midriff or belly. |
| Biastophilia/raptophilia | Raping a person, possibly as a consensual rape fantasy. |
| Body inflation fetishism | Fantasizing about the inflation of body parts. [41] |
| Body modification fetishism | Tattoos, piercings, scarification, and other body alterations. [42] |
| Bondage | Being tied up or physically restrained. [5] [28] |
| Breast fetishism/mazophilia | Female breasts. |
| Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
|---|---|
| Cacophilia | Loud or unpleasant sounds. [43] |
| Candaulism | Exposing one's partner or images of their partner to others. |
| Cannibalism/anthropophagy | Ingesting human flesh. [24] |
| Canophilia | Dogs. [44] |
| Capnolagnia | Smoking. [45] |
| Catoptrophilia | Mirrors or reflections. [46] |
| Cenophilia | Empty spaces or voids. [47] |
| Cheirophilia | Hands or hand contact. [48] |
| Chremastistophilia | Being robbed or held up. [28] |
| Chronophilia | Partners of a widely differing chronological age. [28] |
| Claustrophilia | Confined or enclosed spaces. [49] |
| Climacophilia | Falling down stairs. [50] |
| Clothing fetishism | Specific garments such as lingerie, uniforms, or latex wear. [51] |
| Coprophilia/scatophilia/fecophilia | Feces. [2] [52] |
| Coulrophilia | Clowns. [53] |
| Crush fetishism | Crushing objects or small animals. [54] |
| Cryophilia | Ice or cold temperatures. [55] |
| Cuckolding fetishism/troilism | Observing one's partner engaged in sexual activities with another person. [56] [4] [29] |
| Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
|---|---|
| Dacnophilia | Biting or being bitten. [57] |
| Dacryphilia | Tears or crying. [58] |
| Diaper fetishism | Diapers; considerable overlap with paraphilic infantilism. [59] |
| Dendrophilia | Trees. [5] |
| Doll fetishism / Dollophilia | Dolls, especially life-sized or sexualized ones. [60] |
| Dippoldism | Corporal punishment of children. [61] |
| Dysmorphophilia | One's own perceived physical deformities. [62] |
| Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
|---|---|
| Ecdysiophilia | Stripteasing or undressing. [63] |
| Electrophilia | Electricity or electric stimulation, including shocks. [64] |
| Emetophilia | Vomit. [4] |
| Emetolagnia | Watching others vomit (distinct from emetophilia). [65] |
| Enopliophilia | Weapons or armed individuals. [66] |
| Eproctophilia | Flatulence. [3] |
| Erotophonophilia/dacnolagnomania | Murder, often of strangers. [24] |
| Exhibitionism/peodeiktophilia | Exposing one's genitals to unsuspecting and nonconsenting others. [2] [5] |
| Exophilia | Extraterrestrials. [67] |
| Entomophilia | Insects. [68] |
| Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
|---|---|
| Fat fetishism/adipophilia | Overweight or obese people. [69] |
| Feederism | Eating, feeding, and weight gain. [70] |
| Food play/sitophilia | Erotic situations involving food. |
| Foot fetishism/podophilia | Feet. [71] |
| Formicophilia | Being crawled on by insects. [28] [72] |
| Forniphilia | Turning a human being into a piece of furniture. |
| Free use | Being "used" sexually by a sexual partner whenever they are aroused. [73] |
| Frotteurism | Rubbing against a non-consenting person. [2] |
| Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
|---|---|
| Galactophilia | Breast milk or lactation. [74] |
| Galeophilia | Sharks. [75] |
| Gargalophilia | Tickling or being tickled. [76] |
| Gerontophilia | Elderly people. [77] |
| Gynandromorphophilia/gynemimetophilia | Transgender women. [4] [78] |
| Gymnophilia | Erotic interest in nudity or naked bodies. [79] |
| Gynephilia | Females or femininity, regardless of one's own sex or gender identity. [80] |
| Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
|---|---|
| Hair fetishism/trichophilia | Hair. [81] |
| Hand fetishism/cheirophilia | Hands. |
| Hebephilia | Children in early adolescence. |
| Hematolagnia | Drinking or looking at blood. [82] |
| Heterophilia | Idealization of heterosexuality and/or people who are "straight-acting", especially by non-heterosexual people. [83] [84] [85] |
| Hierophilia | Religious/sacred objects. [17] |
| Hirsutophilia | Body hair, especially excessive hair. [86] |
| Homilophilia | Sermons or religious preaching. [87] |
| Homophilia | Idealization or erotic preference for same-sex partners, especially by non-homosexual individuals. [88] |
| Hoplophilia | Firearms, guns. [89] |
| Humiliation fetishism / Humiliophilia | Humiliation or humiliating others. [90] |
| Hybristophilia | Criminals, particularly those who committed cruel or outrageous crimes. [28] [91] |
| Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
|---|---|
| Iconophilia | Religious or sacred images. [92] |
| Ichthyophilia | Fish. [93] |
| Igniphilia | Fire or flames. [94] |
| Infantophilia | Children less than five years old; a recently suggested term that is not in general use. [95] |
| Integumentophilia | Skin or skin contact. [96] |
| Impregnation fetishism | The event of being impregnated or impregnating another person. [97] |
| Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
|---|---|
| Jactitation fetishism | Thrashing or violent bodily movements. [98] |
| Jouissance fetishism | Overwhelming pleasure or ecstatic states, often linked to loss of control. [99] |
| Jelly fetishism | Gelatinous substances such as jelly or slime. [100] |
| Juvenilophilia | Juveniles, typically older children or young adolescents (distinct from hebephilia). [101] |
| Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
|---|---|
| Katoptronophilia | Mirrors. [102] |
| Kleptolagnia/kleptophilia | Stealing; [4] a form of kleptomania. |
| Klismaphilia | Enemas, arousal and enjoyment in receiving, administering, or both. [4] [103] |
| Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
|---|---|
| Lactophilia/galactophilia | Breast milk, breastfeeding or sucking on a woman's breasts. [81] [104] |
| Leg fetishism/crurophilia | Legs. [105] |
| Liquidophilia | Immersing genitals in liquids. [81] |
| Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
|---|---|
| Macrophilia | Giant beings; imagined growth of beings. [81] |
| Masochism | Suffering or humiliation; being beaten, bound, or otherwise abused. [2] |
| Mechanophilia | Cars or other machines; also "mechaphilia". [106] [107] [108] |
| Melolagnia | Music. [109] |
| Menophilia | Menstruation. [81] |
| Metrophilia | Poetry. [109] |
| Microphilia | Shrunken beings; imagined shrinking of beings. [81] |
| Morphophilia | Particular body shapes or sizes. [29] |
| Mucophilia | Mucus. [81] |
| Mysophilia | Dirtiness, soiled or decaying things. [4] |
| Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
|---|---|
| Narratophilia | Obscene words. [4] |
| Navel fetishism/alvinophilia | Navel. |
| Nebulophilia | Fog or smoke. [110] |
| Necrophilia | Corpses. [2] [4] [111] |
| Nose fetishism/nasophilia | Noses. [81] |
| Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
|---|---|
| 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] [28] |
| 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; [28] [112] considerable overlap with diaper fetishism. [59] |
| Partialism | Specific, non-genital body parts. [2] [4] |
| Pedophilia | Preadolescent children; also spelled paedophilia. [2] [113] |
| Pedovestism | Dressing like a child. [114] |
| Pictophilia | Pornography or erotic art, particularly pictures. [4] [28] |
| Piquerism | Piercing the flesh of another person, most commonly by stabbing or cutting the body with sharp objects. [115] |
| Plushophilia | Stuffed toys ("plushies"). [116] |
| Pregnancy fetishism/maiesiophilia | Pregnant women. [117] |
| Pygophilia | Buttocks. [118] |
| Pyrophilia | Fire. [119] |
| Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
|---|---|
| Robot fetishism/robophilia | Humanoid robots. |
| Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
|---|---|
| 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] [28] [120] |
| Sophophilia | Learning. [121] |
| Sthenolagnia | Muscles and displays of strength. [81] |
| Stigmatophilia | Body piercings and tattoos. [5] [81] |
| Symphorophilia | Witnessing or staging disasters such as car accidents. [5] |
| Telephone scatologia/telephonicophilia/scatophilia | Obscene phone calls, particularly to strangers. [2] [28] [122] |
| Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
|---|---|
| Tentacle erotica | Tentacles and tentacle creatures |
| 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. [123] |
| Toucherism | Touching an unsuspecting, non-consenting person with the hand. [124] |
| Toxophilia | Archery. [109] |
| Transvestic fetishism | Cross-dressing. [125] |
| Timophilia | Gold, wealth, or social status. [126] |
| Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
|---|---|
| Urolagnia/water sports | Urination, particularly in public, on others, and/or being urinated on. [2] [4] [28] [29] |
| 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. [127] |
| Voyeurism/scopophilia | Watching unsuspecting people while naked/undressing, engaging in sexual intercourse or other sexual activity, using the toilet, showering/bathing, or inadvertently flashing. [2] [29] |
| 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. [128] |
| Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
|---|---|
| Zoophilia | Non-human animals. [2] [4] [28] |
| Zoosadism | Inflicting pain on animals, or seeing animals in pain. [129] |
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