Editing Zoophilia (section)

=== Research perspectives ===
Zoophilia has been partly discussed by several sciences: [[wikipedia:Psychology|psychology]] (the study of the human [[wikipedia:Mind|mind]]), [[wikipedia:Sexology|sexology]] (a relatively new discipline primarily studying [[human sexuality]]), [[wikipedia:Ethology|ethology]] (the study of [[Animal sexual behaviour|animal behavior]]), and [[wikipedia:Anthrozoology|anthrozoology]] (the study of human–animal bonds and interaction).

In the [[wikipedia:DSM-5|fifth edition of the ''Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders'']] (DSM-5), zoophilia is placed in the classification "other specified paraphilic disorder"<ref name="dsmv">{{Cite book|url=https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/dsm|title=Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders|edition=5th|chapter=Other Specified Paraphilic Disorder, 302.89 (F65.89)|editor=[[wikipedia:American Psychiatric Association|APA]]|year=2013|publisher=American Psychiatric Publishing|page=705|isbn=978-0-89042-575-6|access-date=2024-09-20|df=mdy-all}}</ref> ("[[paraphilia]]s not otherwise specified" in the DSM-III and IV<ref name="dsmiv">{{Cite book|title=Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders|edition=4th|publisher=[[wikipedia:American Psychiatric Association|APA]]|location=District of Columbia, U.S.A.|year=2000|isbn=978-0-89042-025-6|oclc=43483668|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name="milner">{{Cite book|editor-last1=Laws|editor-first1=D. R.| editor2 = O'Donohue, W. T. |last1=Milner|first1=J. S.|last2=Dopke|first2=C. A.|title=Sexual Deviance: Theory, Assessment, and Treatment|edition=2nd|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yIXG9FuqbaIC&pg=PA385|publisher=[[wikipedia:The Guilford Press|The Guilford Press]]|location=New York City|year=2008|pages=384–418|isbn=978-1-59385-605-2|oclc=152580827|chapter=Paraphilia Not Otherwise Specified: Psychopathology and theory|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name="lovemaps">{{Cite book|last=Money|first=John|author-link=wikipedia:John Money|title=Lovemaps: Clinical Concepts of Sexual/Erotic Health and Pathology, Paraphilia, and Gender Transposition in Childhood, Adolescence, and Maturity|publisher=[[wikipedia:Prometheus Books|Prometheus Books]]|location=Buffalo, New York|year=1988|isbn=978-0-87975-456-3|oclc=19340917|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name="seto">{{Cite book|last1=Seto|first1=M.C.|last2=Barbaree|first2=H.E.|editor-last1=Hersen|editor-first1=M.|editor-last2=Van Hasselt|editor-first2=V. B.|year=2000|title=Aggression and violence: an introductory text|chapter=Paraphilias|publisher=[[wikipedia:Allyn & Bacon|Allyn & Bacon]]|location=Boston|pages=198–213|isbn=978-0-205-26721-7|oclc=41380492|df=mdy-all}}</ref>). The [[wikipedia:World Health Organization|WHO]] takes the same position, listing a sexual preference for animals in its [[wikipedia:ICD|ICD]][[wikipedia:ICD-10|-10]] as "F65.8: Other disorder of sexual preference".<ref name="icd10">{{Cite web|url=https://icd.who.int/browse10/2019/en#/F65.8|title=International Classification of Diseases Version:2019|website=World Health Organization (WHO)|access-date=2024-09-22|df=mdy-all|quote=A variety of other patterns of sexual preference and activity, including making obscene telephone calls, rubbing up against people for sexual stimulation in crowded public places, sexual activity with animals, and use of strangulation or anoxia for intensifying sexual excitement.}}</ref>

A slow but broadening trend can be seen in the academic literature of the 21<sup>st</sup> century towards greater acceptance of zoophilia as a legitimate sexual expression rather than a deviant one. In the DSM-5, for instance, zoophilia rises to the level of a "diagnosable disorder" only when accompanied by distress or interference with normal functioning, otherwise being regarded as another element of the psyche to reflect on and harmonize with the rest of one's life.<ref name="dsmv" /><ref name="implications">{{Cite journal|last1=Miletski|first1=Hani|date=2015-01-21|title=Zoophilia—Implications for Therapy|url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01614576.2001.11074387|journal=Journal of Sex Education and Therapy|volume=26|issue=2|pages=85–89|url-access=subscription|doi=10.1080/01614576.2001.11074387|s2cid=146150162|df=mdy-all|quote=Zoophiles may come to the attention of sex therapists, counselors, and educators for a variety of other reasons. Living a life of secrecy, as many zoophiles do, can lead to many psychological issues such as depression, anxiety, feelings of isolation, and suicide ideation.}}</ref>

Zoophilia may also be covered to some degree by other fields such as ethics, philosophy, law, [[animal rights]] and [[animal welfare]]. It may also be touched upon by [[sociology]] which looks both at zoosadism in examining patterns and issues related to [[sexual abuse]] and at non-sexual zoophilia in examining the role of animals as emotional support and companionship in human lives, and may fall within the scope of [[psychiatry]] if it becomes necessary to consider its significance in a clinical context.
The ''Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine'' (Vol. 18, February 2011) states that sexual contact with animals is almost never a clinically significant problem by itself;<ref name="scidirectpii">{{cite journal |doi=10.1016/j.jflm.2011.01.004 |title=A new classification of zoophilia |year=2011 |last1=Aggrawal |first1=Anil |journal=Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine |volume=18 |issue=2 |pages=73–8 |pmid=21315301}}</ref> it also states that there are several kinds of zoophiles:<ref name="scidirectpii"/>

{{div col}}
# Human-animal role-players
# Romantic zoophiles
# Zoophilic fantasizers
# Tactile zoophiles
# Fetishistic zoophiles
# Sadistic bestials
# Opportunistic zoophiles
# Regular zoophiles
# Exclusive zoophiles
{{div col end}}

Additionally, zoophiles in categories 2, 3, and 8 (romantic zoophiles, zoophilic fantasizers, and regular zoophiles) are the most common, while zoophiles found in categories 6 and 7 (sadistic bestials and opportunistic zoophiles) are the least common.<ref name="scidirectpii"/>

Zoophilia may reflect childhood experimentation, sexual abuse or lack of other avenues of sexual expression. Exclusive desire for animals rather than humans is considered a rare paraphilia, and sufferers often have other paraphilias<ref name="LawsO'Donohue2008">{{cite book|author1=D. Richard Laws|author2=William T. O'Donohue|title=Sexual Deviance: Theory, Assessment, and Treatment|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yIXG9FuqbaIC&pg=PA391&dq=zoophilia+rare#v=onepage|date=January 2008|publisher=Guilford Press|isbn=978-1-59385-605-2|page=391}}</ref> with which they present. Zoophiles will not usually seek help for their condition, and so do not come to the attention of psychiatrists for zoophilia itself.<ref name="Roukema2008">{{cite book|author=Richard W. Roukema|title=What Every Patient, Family, Friend, and Caregiver Needs to Know About Psychiatry, Second Edition|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t7Mg3iuc9ygC&pg=PA133&dq=zoophilia+other+paraphilias|date=August 13, 2008|publisher=American Psychiatric Pub|isbn=978-1-58562-750-9|page=133}}</ref>

The first detailed studies of zoophilia date from prior to 1910. Peer reviewed research into zoophilia in its own right started around 1960. However, a number of the most oft-quoted studies, such as Miletski, were not published in [[peer review|peer-reviewed]] journals. There have been several significant modern books, from Masters (1962) to Beetz (2002);<ref name="Beetz2002">Beetz 2002, section 5.2.4 – 5.2.7.</ref> their research arrived at the following conclusions:

*Most zoophiles have (or have also had) long term human relationships as well or at the same time as zoosexual ones, and that zoosexual partners are usually dogs and/or horses (Masters, Miletski, Beetz)<ref name="Beetz2002"/><ref name="Aggrawal2008">{{cite book|author=Anil Aggrawal|title=Forensic and Medico-legal Aspects of Sexual Crimes and Unusual Sexual Practices|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uNkNhPZQprcC&pg=PA257&dq=zoophilia+most+common+animal#PPA258|accessdate=13 May 2012|date=December 22, 2008|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=978-1-4200-4309-9|page=257}}</ref>
*Zoophiles' emotions and care for animals can be real, relational, authentic and (within animals' abilities) reciprocal, and not just a substitute or means of expression.<ref>(Masters, Miletski, Weinberg, Beetz)</ref> Beetz believes zoophilia is not an inclination which is chosen.<ref name="Beetz2002"/>
* Society in general at present is considerably misinformed about zoophilia, its stereotypes, and its meaning.<ref name="Beetz2002"/> The distinction between zoophilia and zoosadism is a critical one to these researchers, and is highlighted by each of these studies. Masters (1962), Miletski (1999) and Weinberg (2003) each comment significantly on the social harm caused by misunderstandings regarding zoophilia: "This destroy[s] the lives of many citizens".<ref name="Beetz2002"/>

Beetz also states the following:

{{quote|The phenomenon of sexual contact with animals is starting to lose its taboo: it is appearing more often in scholarly publications, and the public are being confronted with it, too. ... Sexual contact with animals – in the form of bestiality or zoophilia – needs to be discussed more openly and investigated in more detail by scholars working in disciplines such as animal ethics, animal behavior, anthrozoology, psychology, mental health, sociology, and the law.<ref name="BeetzPodberseck">{{cite book|author1=Anthony L. Podberscek|author2=Andrea M. Beetz|title=Bestiality and Zoophilia: Sexual Relations with Animals|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z-GbOvrbniQC&lpg=PT91&dq=beetz%202002%20zoophilia&pg=PT94#v=onepage|accessdate=13 May 2012|date=September 1, 2005|publisher=Berg|isbn=978-0-85785-222-9|page=94}}</ref>}}

More recently, research has engaged three further directions: the speculation that at least some animals seem to enjoy a zoophilic relationship assuming [[Sadism and Masochism|sadism]] is not present, and can form an affectionate bond.<ref>Masters, 1962.</ref> Similar findings are also reported by Kinsey (cited by Masters), and others earlier in [[history]]. Miletski (1999) notes that information on sex with animals on the internet is often very emphatic as to what the zoophile believes gives pleasure and how to identify what is perceived as [[Sexual consent|consent]] beforehand. For instance, Jonathan Balcombe says animals do things for pleasure. But he himself says pet owners will be unimpressed by this statement, as this is not news to them.<ref>{{cite news|author=Jonathan Balcombe |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2006/may/29/animalbehaviour.evolution |title=Animals can be happy too |newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|accessdate=13 May 2012 |location=London |date=29 May 2006}}</ref>

Beetz described the phenomenon of zoophilia/bestiality as being somewhere between crime, paraphilia and love, although she says that most research has been based on [[criminology|criminological]] reports, so the cases have frequently involved violence and psychiatric illness. She says only a few recent studies have taken data from volunteers in the community.<ref>[http://www.scie-socialcareonline.org.uk/profile.asp?guid=fac3acab-5377-4f9a-a9f0-007248ee2e43 "Bestiality/Zoophilia: A Scarcely-Investigated Phenomenon Between Crime, Paraphilia, and Love"]. Scie-SocialCareOnline.org.uk. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101115133416/http://www.scie-socialcareonline.org.uk/profile.asp?guid=fac3acab-5377-4f9a-a9f0-007248ee2e43 |date=15 November 2010 }}</ref> As with all volunteer surveys and sexual ones in particular, these studies have a potential for [[self-selection]] bias.<ref name="Slade2001">{{cite book|author=Joseph W. Slade|title=Pornography and Sexual Representation: A Reference Guide|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Opv9nz2M5c0C&pg=PA980&dq=%22volunteer+selection%22+sex|year=2001|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-313-31521-3|page=980}}</ref>

Medical research suggests that some zoophiles only become aroused by a specific species (such as horses), some zoophiles become aroused by multiple species (which may or may not include humans), and some zoophiles are not attracted to humans at all.<ref name="earls" /><ref>{{cite journal |pmid=15895645 |year=2005 |last1=Bhatia |first1=MS |last2=Srivastava |first2=S |last3=Sharma |first3=S |s2cid=5744962 |title=1. An uncommon case of zoophilia: A case report |volume=45 |issue=2 |pages=174–75 |journal=Medicine, Science, and the Law |doi=10.1258/rsmmsl.45.2.174}}</ref>

Researchers who observed a monkey trying to mate with a deer in 2017 ([[interspecies]] sex) said that it may provide clues into why humans have interspecies sex.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/jan/10/snow-monkey-attempts-sex-with-deer-in-rare-example-of-interspecies-mating|title=Snow monkey attempts sex with deer in rare example of interspecies mating|first=Hannah|last=Devlin|date=10 January 2017|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|accessdate=12 March 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/01/macaque-monkey-sika-deer-interspecies-mating/|title=Monkey Tries to Mate With Deer in First Ever Video|date=11 January 2017|website=Nationalgeographic.com|accessdate=12 March 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://mashable.com/2017/01/10/snow-monkey-deer/|title=Sex between snow monkey and deer shows different species may mate if they're 'deprived', study says|first=Marissa|last=Wenzke|website=Mashable.com|accessdate=12 March 2018}}</ref>