Talking about sexual education, e.g., paraphilia (sexual deviation), is still taboo in society. Most people think that discussing sexuality is a negative thing. Whereas, talking about the abnormalities in sexual preference that certain people experience is a form of education and prevention.
Sexual education is actually necessary for teenagers in pre-puberty to prevent unwanted things from happening. Of course, teaching about sexual education also requires supervision from parents so that children learn about sexual education according to their age and portion.
In this post, we will show you one of the sexual education topics, i.e., paraphilia (sexual deviation). This topic is very important to learn since this phenomenon exists in society. Okay, let’s dive into our post to learn about paraphilia, its types, and causes!
What Is Paraphilia (Sexual Deviation)?
Paraphilia, previously known as sexual deviation and sexual perversion, is an emotional disorder characterized by sexually arousing fantasies, urges, or behaviors that occur repeatedly and intensely on certain things, such as situations, items, and targets that they make as an outlet.
This sexual disorder can occur for at least 6 months and can cause significant distress or interfere with the sufferer’s work, social function, or other essential areas of functioning. It is known that this is as opposed to “sexual variants,” which are sexual behaviors that are not typical but are not part of any illness.
Even so, things referring to a sexual disorder cannot necessarily be called a paraphilic disorder since they do not necessarily meet the criteria for a paraphilic disorder.
Sexual deviation that includes psychological disorders starts to be considered a disease if the sexual arousal arising from paraphilic disorder occurs intensely and continuously. Aside from that, there is a stress disorder that causes disturbances in socially related activities or is likely to harm others (small children).
What Are the Types of Paraphilia (Sexual Deviation)?
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), there are various kinds of sexual deviations that can occur in a person. Of course, there are diagnostic guides to identify this in detail.
Here are some types of sexual deviation that occur in society:
1) Fetishism
Fetishism is one of the sexual deviations that relies on inanimate objects or non-living objects as a way to satisfy sexual desires. Fetish commonly refers to things that are usually worn by humans, such as certain clothes.
A person can be said to have a diagnosis of fetishism if the object of the fetish is the “primary source” of sexual arousal or is indispensable for achieving a satisfactory sexual response. However, fetishistic fantasies are commonplace and are not disturbing if they do not cause the individual suffering.
2) Exhibitionism
Exhibitionism is an attempt to expose genitals to other people unexpectedly without any intention of inviting them to a more intimate relationship. People with exhibitionism will feel excited when they see people who are scared, surprised, or fascinated. People with exhibitionism will find it hard to control themselves enough to stop exposing their genitals.
3) Voyeurism
Voyeurism is a person’s tendency to see other people take off their clothes one by one so that not a single thread is wrapped around their body without the person knowing. This sexual deviation also refers to a desire to always watch people who are having sex. It will be followed by sexual stimulation and masturbation.
The risk of being caught is one form of satisfaction for voyeurism sufferers. People with voyeurism can be classified as criminals since their activities are often performed without consent.
4) Pedophilia
Pedophilia is a psychiatric disorder when an adult or older adolescent experiences an exclusive sexual attraction to children, in which case it is usually pre-puberty or early puberty, both male and female. It is known that pedophilia is rare in women but mostly occurs in men.
Just like people with voyeurism, pedophiles can also be categorized as criminals since it refers to the act of child sexual abuse, harming children, and traumatizing children for the rest of their lives.
5) Sadomasochism
Sadomasochism is the act of transmitting or receiving sexual pleasure by physically abusing their partner. It is called masochism if the individual likes to be the person who is exposed to the stimulus (such as humiliation or pain) and sadism if the individual is the perpetrator of the stimulus.
Why Do Paraphilias (Sexual Deviation) Occur?
According to kampuspsikologi.com, paraphilia (sexual deviation) occurs in someone who has a sexual arousal disorder before experiencing puberty. Here are some causes of paraphilia (sexual deviation):
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- Experiencing trauma or anxiety that affects psychosexual development.
- The general pattern, which should be passion, is replaced by another pattern.
- Pattern of increased sexual arousal associated with certain things (e.g., fetishes)
Can Paraphilia (Sexual Deviation) Occur Simultaneously?
Generally, paraphilia (sexual deviation) can occur simultaneously since there is a link from one symptom to another. A simple example is people who have symptoms of sadomasochism have the possibility of having symptoms of fetishism as well. It can be described as a multiple sexual preference disorder.
Conclusion
Those are the types of paraphilia (sexual deviation) according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). It is important to note that asexuality in psychology is not a sexual perversion. Aside from that, homosexuality, bisexuality, and transgender are also not classified as paraphilia, according to the DSM-5.
The writings available on DSM-5 are used for general purposes only. Even though these are brief descriptions of sexual disorders description, but you can understand sexual preference disorders.
The point is, if you find people in your environment who have indications of sexual disorder, you can try to communicate with them with professionals such as psychologists as the first step to prevent unwanted things from happening.
A bookworm and researcher especially related to law and citizenship education. I spend time every day in front of the internet and the campus library.
