Paraphilia

A 'paraphilia' (from the Greek para- = "near, next to"; and -philia = "love") is a term of psychiatry and sexology, especially in use in psychiatric circles in the United States, which serves to designate a family of sexual behaviors considered deviant. It is this term which has replaced the idea of ​​perversion in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).

A paraphilia exists when the object of deviance is absolutely necessary for sexual arousal: a person who is also capable of having a relationship if this condition is not met would not be a paraphile.

Beyond the strict psychiatric definition, paraphilia can also refer to any sexual attraction or practice that differs from sexual acts considered to be part of normal sexuality vis-à-vis social norms.

If the sole attraction or the paraphilic fantasy is generally not condemnable in the societies, a certain number of practices which it can induce can be repressed by the law.

Lists of medically recognized paraphilias

The DSM lists eight major paraphilias. According to him, for a paraphilia to be diagnosed, the object of the deviance must be the sole source of sexual gratification for a period of at least six months and must cause "significant clinical distress or handicap in the social, professional sphere. or other important functional areas ", or involve a violation of the consent of others2.

• Exhibitionism: the act of obtaining sexual pleasure by showing off (especially in public), in particular by showing one's genitals or by showing off during a sexual relationship, generally illegal, in public places not intended for this effect ;
• "Fetishism": use of non-sexual or non-living objects or parts of a person's body to achieve sexual arousal;
• "Frotteurism": sexual arousal obtained by rubbing against non-consenting people;
• 'Pedophilia' : sexual attraction to prepubescent or peripuberal children;
• 'Sadism' : pleasure obtained by inflicting pain or humiliation;
• 'Masochism' : pleasure obtained by undergoing pain or humiliation;
• 'Fetishist transvestism' : sexual attraction for clothes of the opposite sex;
• "Voyeurism": sexual pleasure obtained by observing other people, especially in their intimate relationships, when they are observed without their knowledge in a private place;
• The 'vincilagnia' : sexual arousal obtained by the restraint (bondage);
• 'Self-Bondage' : sexual arousal by restraint (bondage) without a partner;
• Other rare paraphilias are grouped under the heading Other unspecified paraphilias: 'telephone scatology' (obscene telephone calls); 'necrophilia' (corpses); 'partialism' (exclusive fetishism for one part of the body); the 'zoophilia' (or bestiality), attraction to animals; 'coprophilia' (faeces); the 'klysmaphilie' (enemas); urophilia '(urine); emetophilia '(vomited). The list is not exhaustive.

Note: Homosexuality, that is, sexual attraction to an individual of the same sex, was considered a paraphilia by the DSM until 1973.

Controversies

The definition of various sexual practices as paraphilias is debated, and oppositions exist. Those in favor of changing this categorization argue that, apart from "paraphilias" that involve criminal activity, most of these practices do not have inherent pathological elements, and therefore do not deserve to be stigmatized. by appearing on this list.

Those voicing this opinion hope that, like the withdrawal from homosexuality, future psychiatric publications will not include most of these practices on the list.

Source

• http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paraphilie