Paraphilia

Paraphilias are sexual desires or activities that lie outside the cultural norm, and under some conditions are considered mental disorders. The term was defined in its current use by the sexologist John Money[?].

Paraphilias are sometimes called sexual perversions or sexual deviations. What consitutes "perversion" or "deviation[?]" varies from society to society. Some paraphilias have been (and are) crimes in some jurisdictions. Others are viewed as harmless eccentricities by many people.

Some paraphilias are defined as potential mental disorders in the DSM-IV. Professional treatment is usually indicated only when such conditions lead to involvement of non-consenting sexual partners, or are clearly damaging to the physical or mental well-being of the paraphiliac.

Although homosexuality was once considered to be a paraphilia, it is not usually regarded as such any longer. Similarly, consensual sadomasochism, exhibitionism, voyeurism and non-psychotic forms of fetishism, urolagnia and even coprophilia are increasingly becoming culturally acceptable forms of sexuality.

Observation of paraphiliac behavior has provided valuable scientific information on the mechanisms of sexual attraction and desire, such as behavioral imprinting.

Non-consensual and criminal paraphilias:

• exhibitionism: sexual arousal through displaying genitals in public
• lust murder[?]: sexual arousal through committing murder
• necrozoophilia: sexual attraction to the corpses or killings of animals, or necrobestiality
• necrophilia[?]: sexual attraction to corpses
• pedophilia: sexual attraction to pre-pubescents
• frotteurism: sexual arousal through rubbing one's self against a non-consenting stranger in public
• telephone scatologia[?]: being sexually aroused by making obscene telephone calls
• zoophilia: sexual attraction to animals, or bestiality

Other paraphilias include:

• algolagnia: sexual pleasure from pain
• coprophilia: sexual attraction to feces
• emetophilia[?]: sexual attraction to vomit
• fetishism: sexual attraction to a physical object, with common examples being
  • leather fetishism
  • spandex fetishism
  • fur fetishism
  • rubber fetishism
  • shoe fetishism
• hybristophilia[?]: sexual arousal by people who have committed crimes, in particular cruel or outrageous crimes
• klismaphilia: sexual pleasure from enemas
• pictophilia[?]: inability to become sexually aroused except through the use of pictorial pornography
• plushophilia: sexual attraction to stuffed toys
• sadomasochism: taking sexual pleasure in inflicting pain, or having pain inflicted upon one's self. (See also "bondage and discipline" and algolagnia)
• urolagnia: sexual attraction to urine
• voyeurism: sexual arousal through watching others having sex