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] |
Adipophilia (fat fetishism) | Overweight or obese people. [7] |
Agalmatophilia | Statues, mannequins and immobility. [8] |
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. [9] |
Amaurophilia | Being unable to see. [10] [11] [12] |
Amokoscisia | To slash and mutilate women. [13] |
Andromimetophilia | Trans men. [4] [14] |
Anililagnia | Attraction by young men to older women. [15] |
Anthropophagolagnia | Raping and then cannibalizing another person. [16] |
Anthropophagy | Ingesting human flesh. [16] |
Apotemnophilia | Being an amputee. [5] [17] |
Aquaphilia | A sexual fetish that involves people swimming, posing, or even drowning in water. |
Asphyxiophilia | Being asphyxiated or strangled. [5] |
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 fetish/Alvinolagnia | The midriff or belly. |
Biastophilia/Raptophilia | Raping a person, possibly consensual rape fantasy. |
Rope Fetish/Bondage | The thought of or the action of being tied up. |
Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
---|---|
Candaulism | Exposing one's partner or images of their partner to others. |
Canophilia | Dogs. [29] |
Capnolagnia | Smoking. [30] |
Cheirophilia | Hands. |
Chremastistophilia | Being robbed or held up. [19] |
Chronophilia | Partners of a widely differing chronological age. [19] |
Coprophilia | Feces; also known as scat, scatophilia or fecophilia. [2] [31] |
Crurophilia | Legs. [32] |
Cuckolding fetish | Infidelity. [33] |
Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
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Dacryphilia | Tears or crying. [34] |
Diaper fetishism | Diapers; considerable overlap with paraphilic infantilism. [35] |
Dendrophilia | Trees. [5] |
Dormaphilia/Somnophilia | Being asleep, or pretending to sleep. [36] |
Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
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Emetophilia | Vomit. [4] |
Eproctophilia | Flatulence. [3] |
Erotic asphyxiation | Asphyxia of oneself or others. [37] |
Erotophonophilia/Dacnolagnomania | Murder, often of strangers. [16] |
Exhibitionism | Exposing one's genitals to unsuspecting and nonconsenting others. [2] |
Exophilia | Extraterrestrials. [38] |
Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
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Feederism | Eating, feeding, and weight gain. [39] |
Fictophilia | Fictional characters. [40] |
Formicophilia | Being crawled on by insects. [19] [41] |
Forniphilia | Turning a human being into a piece of furniture. |
Frotteurism | Rubbing against a non-consenting person. [2] |
Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
---|---|
Gerontophilia | Elderly people. [42] |
Gynandromorphophilia/Gynemimetophilia | Transgender women. [4] [43] |
Galactophilia | Breastfeeding or sucking on a woman's breasts. [44] |
Gynephilia | Females or femininity, regardless of one's own sex or gender identity. [45] |
Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
---|---|
Hematolagnia | Drinking or looking at blood. [46] |
Heterophilia | Idealization of heterosexuality and/or people who are "straight-acting", especially by non-heterosexual people. [47] [48] [49] |
Hierophilia | Religious/sacred objects. [12] |
Hoplophilia | Firearms, guns. [50] |
Hybristophilia | Criminals, particularly those who committed cruel or outrageous crimes. [19] [51] |
Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
---|---|
Infantophilia | Children less than five years old; a recently suggested term that is not in general use. [52] |
Impregnation fetishism | The event of being impregnated or impregnating another person. [53] |
Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
---|---|
Kleptophilia | Stealing; also known as kleptolagnia. [4] |
Klismaphilia | Enemas, arousal and enjoyment in receiving, administering, or both. [4] [54] |
Knismolagnia | Tickling. [55] |
Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
---|---|
Lactophilia | Breast milk. [56] |
Liquidophilia | Immersing genitals in liquids. [56] |
Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
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Macrophilia | Giant beings; imagined growth of beings. [56] |
Maschalagnia | Armpits. [3] |
Mazophilia | Female breasts. |
Masochism | Suffering or humiliation; being beaten, bound, or otherwise abused. [2] |
Maiesiophilia | Pregnant women. [57] |
Mechanophilia | Cars or other machines; also "mechaphilia". [58] [59] [60] |
Melolagnia | Music. [61] |
Menophilia | Menstruation. [56] |
Metrophilia | Poetry. [61] |
Microphilia | Shrunken beings; imagined shrinking of beings. [56] |
Morphophilia | Particular body shapes or sizes. [20] |
Mucophilia | Mucus. [56] |
Mysophilia | Dirtiness, soiled or decaying things. [4] |
Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
---|---|
Narratophilia | Obscene words. [4] |
Nasophilia | Noses. [56] |
Navel fetishism | Navel. |
Nebulophilia | Fog or smoke. [62] |
Necrophilia | Corpses. [2] [4] [63] |
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] [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 | Dressing or being treated like a baby, also known as autonepiophilia [19] or "adult baby syndrome"; [64] considerable overlap with diaper fetishism. [35] |
Partialism | Specific, non-genital body parts. [2] [4] |
Pedophilia | Prepubescent children; also spelled paedophilia. [2] [65] |
Peodeiktophilia | Exposing one's private parts. [5] |
Pedovestism | Dressing like a child. [66] |
Podophilia | Feet. [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] |
Pygophilia | Buttocks. [70] |
Pyrophilia | Fire. [71] |
Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
---|---|
Robophilia | Humanoid robots. |
Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
---|---|
Salirophilia | Soiling or dirtying others. [4] |
Sexual fetishism | Nonliving objects. [2] |
Sexual sadism | Inflicting pain on others. [2] |
Shoe fetishism | Shoes, especially high heels. |
Somnophilia | Sleeping or unconscious people. [4] [19] |
Sophophilia | Learning. [72] |
Sthenolagnia | Muscles and displays of strength. [56] |
Stigmatophilia | Body piercings and tattoos. [5] [56] |
Symphorophilia | Witnessing or staging disasters such as car accidents. [5] |
Telephone scatologia | Obscene phone calls, particularly to strangers; also known as telephonicophilia [2] [19] and scatophilia. [73] |
Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
---|---|
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. |
Toucherism | Touching an unsuspecting, non-consenting person with the hand. [74] |
Toxophilia | Archery. [61] |
Transvestic fetishism | Recurrent and intense sexual arousal from cross-dressing which causes clinically significant distress or impairment. [75] |
Transvestophilia | A cross-dressing sexual partner. [19] |
Trichophilia | Hair. [56] |
Troilism | Observing one's partner engaged in sexual activities with another person. [4] [20] |
Timophilia | Gold, wealth, or social status. [76] |
Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
---|---|
Urolagnia | Urination, particularly in public, on others, and/or being urinated on. Also referred to as "water sports". [2] [4] [19] [20] |
Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
---|---|
Vorarephilia | The idea of one person or creature eating or being eaten by another; usually swallowed whole, in one piece; also known as vore. [77] |
Voyeurism | Watching others while naked or having sex, generally without their knowledge; also known as scopophilia or scoptophilia. [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. |
Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
---|---|
Xenophilia | Foreign peoples, cultures, or customs. [78] |
Paraphilia | Focus of erotic interest |
---|---|
Zoophilia | Non-human animals. [2] [4] [19] |
Zoosadism | Inflicting pain on animals, or seeing animals in pain. [79] |
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, though the definition of what makes a sexual interest normal or atypical remains controversial.
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 non-pathological aid to sexual excitement, or 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.
Transvestic fetishism is a psychiatric diagnosis applied to men who are thought to have an excessive sexual or erotic interest in cross-dressing; this interest is often expressed in autoerotic behavior. It differs from cross-dressing for entertainment or other purposes that do not involve sexual arousal. Under the name transvestic disorder, it is categorized as a paraphilia in the DSM-5.
Sadism and masochism, known collectively as sadomasochism, are the derivation of pleasure from acts of respectively inflicting or receiving pain or humiliation. Practitioners of sadomasochism may seek sexual pleasure from their acts. While the terms sadist and masochist refer respectively to one who enjoys giving and receiving pain, some practitioners of sadomasochism may switch between activity and passivity.
Hypersexuality is a term used for a presumed mental disorder 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 and satyriasis 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.
The term chronophilia was used by psychologist John Money to describe varying forms of romantic preference and/or sexual fixation limited to individuals of particular age ranges. Some such fixations, specifically those towards prepubescents and those towards the elderly, constitute types of paraphilia. The term 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.
Psychosexual disorder is a sexual problem that is psychological, rather than physiological in origin. "Psychosexual disorder" was a term used in Freudian psychology. The term "psychosexual disorder" has been used by the TAF for homosexuality as a reason to ban the LGBT people from military service.
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 autonepiophilia and adult baby, is a sexual fetish or non-sexual fetish that may involve role-playing a regression to an infant-like state. Paraphilic infantilism is a form of ageplay. People who practice paraphilic infantilism are often colloquially referred to as "adult babies", or "ABs".
Auto-vampirism is a form of vampirism that refers to drinking one's own blood, typically as a form of sexual gratification. As a mental disorder, this is also called as autohemophagia, which is derived from three Greek words: auto, which means "self"; hemo, for "blood"; and, phag, meaning "to eat". Although closely related to vampirism, the two differ in that vampirism is a sadistic act while auto-vampirism is on the side of masochism. Along with drinking their own blood, most practitioners of auto-vampirism also engage in self-harm in order to obtain the blood.
Ray Milton Blanchard 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. Because of the lack of research on the subject, it is difficult to conclude how prevalent bestiality is. Zoophilia on the other hand, was estimated in one study that 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.
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 have been 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.
Sexual masochism disorder (SMD) is the condition of experiencing recurring and intense sexual arousal in response to enduring moderate or 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.