Sexual Deviation

Mental Health Training

Sexual deviation is any sexual activity outside the scope of what is currently conventional. It is known medically as paraphilia. Views of what is conventional can change pretty quickly.

For this reason, any list of deviant practices will, to some extent, be a reflection of the prevailing view of what is expected.

Paraphilias are emotional disorders with sexual behaviours or impulses, distinguished by intense sexual fantasies with an urge that keeps coming back.

The desires and behaviours may involve unusual objects, activities, or situations that are not usually considered sexually arousing by others.

The word paraphilia derives from Greek; para means around or beside, and philia implies love.

It is probably most helpful to look at deviant behaviour as practices that lack the mutuality, affection and tenderness which lie at the heart of conventional sexual rela­tionships.

On this basis, the vast majority of people would regard the follow­ing as deviant, and a total of eight Paraphilias are listed in the DSM V :

1. Paedophilia: Sex with children.

2. Sadism: Inflicting cruelty for sexual arousal.

3. Masochism: Experienc­ing cruelty for purposes of arousal. Masochism is 20 times more common in women than men; paraphilias are almost exclusively diagnosed in men.

4. Exhibitionism: Undesired exposure of the genitals (usually male).

5. Fetishism: Recurrent sexual arousal interest in an inanimate object.

6. Transvestism: Obtaining pleasure by wearing clothes of the opposite sex.

7. Voyeurism: Watching the sexual activity of others.

8. Telephone scatology: Making obscene telephone calls.

9. Frotteurism: Rubbing your manhood, against women, in crowded places.

10. Coprophilia: Sexual plea­sure in being defecated on.

11. Urophilia: Sexual plea­sure in being urinated on.

12. Bestiality: Sex with animals. The research found that the most common paraphilia interest amongst men is often voyeurism and fetishism.

However, many people who suffer from one paraphilia have more than one deviant.

Read the full article, Sexual Deviation