Fetishism- A Paraphilia Essay, Research Paper

Fetishism- A Paraphilia

A fetish is a recurring fantasy or sexual desire or manner involving sexual arousal directed toward or acted upon a nonliving or inanimate object or a body part. These fantasies, desires, or manner eventually cause problems in the performance of daily life.

To understand Fetishism it is important to understand the concept and definition of paraphilias. A paraphilia is the modern day psychiatric term for perversion. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, paraphilias refer to intense repetitive sexual urges, fantasies or behaviors where the sexual goal is an unusual situation, activity or object. These arousal patterns are only considered deviant because they are usually required for sexual functioning.

The object of a fetishist’s sexual desire might be used with a partner but more often than not the fetish becomes the entire focus of sexual pleasure.

Fetishism is a perversion that is found, primarily in male heterosexuals, in which orgasm is impossible without the presence of their fetish. A fetish can be any number of things. There are three basic types of fetishes: 1) an inanimate object (e.g. women’s clothing, shoes, gloves, underwear), 2) a part of the human body (e.g. foot, hand, hair, legs, breasts, fingernails), 3) or something odd such as, leather, rubber, the touch of velvet, adult diapers, perfume, music, or fruit.

The object of a fetish is most always used during masturbation. Inanimate object fetishes can be placed into two categories: form fetishes and media fetishes. A form fetish has to do with the shape of the object or object itself such as high-heeled shoes. A media fetish has to do with the material that the object is made out of, such as leather. Those fetishists that have inanimate object fetishes many times have a collection of that object, even if it takes robbery to get the right addition to their collection. The most common form fetish objects are bras, panties, slips, pantyhose, shoes, and gloves. The most common media fetish objects are rubber, fur, silk, and leather. Most of the time the fetishist tries to get objects that have been worn before, but in extreme cases the fetishist may be sexually aroused from a picture or drawing of the object. Animate fetish objects are body parts such as ears, hands, legs, fingernails, noses, buttocks, feet, or hair.

There is a thin line between fetishism and preferences. We all know people or may our selves be attracted to or obsessive about a body part or piece of clothing. The difference is that fetishists are compulsive about their fetish and may not be able to become sexually aroused with out that item. Sexual preferences are normal because the person is not dependent on it.

A Case Study and Freudian Views

As observed by Freud, some fetishes may not even be visible to the other person at all. In one case a patient of Freud was obsessed with the shine on the noses of women. With specific fetishes like that, the fetishist usually needs to look at, touch, or smell during or in preparation for the sexual act. In some cases just the sight of the fetish could result in an orgasm.

The Freudian view of fetishes changed over the years. His early view stated that fetishism was a result of some childhood fantasy or exposure that resulted in the fetish, but he later changed the view. Freud later theorized that the fetish was a fear of castration on the part of the male. He believed that the association with the penis to the female reproductive organ was a reminder to men that castration is possible. This anxiety would cause the fetishist to associate his or her sexual desire with another body part or object. By doing this he or she can link sexual experience with another part of the body and forget about infertility, humiliation, or anxiety. Usually the desire is linked closely to the genitals, it could be something seen when the genitals were first exposed, such as, underwear, or something link-able to the experience (i.e. fur, which could be symbolic of pubic hair).

Paraphilias That Are Often Mistook for Fetishes

In some cases kleptomania has been considered a fetish. Many fetishists develop a compulsive urge to get their fetish by any means possible. They may become sexually aroused when they “peep” on women changing or steal women’s bras or panties from their homes. The risk involved while stealing usually increases the sexual arousal. Pyromania has been seen in a similar way. Since fire is associated with passion, the fire starter, if fire is his fetish, may reach orgasm by watching the fire that he has started. In one case, a patient of Dr. Grant, who discussed his problems in a psychology journal, in 1953, best summed up the fear of being caught as, “I have suffered a great deal of anxiety during my visits to public places where it is easy to watch women’s shoes and legs. In addition to the guilt I feel, there is the danger of detection. Plainclothesmen have haunted me more than once, and I have been questioned on suspicion of loitering.”

Possible Causes of Fetishism

Fetishism itself seems to be the result of two major sources. First, the fetish may be associated with a particular sexual object or style that is worn by someone who the fetishist finds sexually attractive. In some cases it is a perfume or hairstyle that the fetishist has seen or smelled on someone they found sexually attractive that would cause him or her to be attracted to the same article later. Second, there is the insecure man who, for fear of rejection, uses the object as a substitution for the real thing. Because he can not have her lock of hair changes his search so that any lock of hair will do. His original natural interest soon becomes second to his new hobby.

A biological explanation for fetishism is that developmentally, males must transfer their identification with their mothers to their fathers during the preschool or oedipal phase, from about ages 3-6. Females do not have to transfer their identifications. This need to disidentify during development may make the male more exposed and maybe leads to such paraphilias as fetishism.

For the most part, the fetishists who engage in illegal or “perverted” acts to fulfill their fetish, usually fight the idea but find it hard to resist. The connection between the action and sexual satisfaction is usually not understood but if it is the fetishist feels embarrassed, ashamed, or guilty.

Treatment Options and Studies

Long-term individual or group therapy is usually necessary for severe cases of fetishism. In the United States medroxyprogesterone acetate is the treatment of choice for moderate to severe paraphilias. This treatment lowers the levels of testosterone in the male and the fetishist will usually relapse if the treatment is not continued. These drugs are most effective when used as part of a treatment program, which includes therapy. Recent studies on the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or (SSRIs) have been reported to be successful. The results of this study showed that the severity of the fantasies decreased.

The treatment for severe cases of fetishism is to try and help the fetishist alter his feelings or attraction to his fetish through insight and reasoning.

Anthropological Fetishism

Fetishism, anthropologically, can apply to a form of belief and religious practice in which supernatural attributes are given to inanimate objects. In some cases it is a figure carved out of stone, clay, or wood, in which the “believers” will have little ceremonies for the object. In some religions the fetish is attached to a specific place, such as, a tree, rock, or a river. In many cases, the belief becomes similar to the sexual fetishes explained earlier where the believers are unaware of the symbolism that the item has, and they begin to worship the item itself. In this situation the fetishism can be considered as something like a religion.

Conclusions

In conclusion, there seems to be two basically distinctive thoughts about fetishism. There are people who condone it and people who feel it is strictly a sexual perversion. A publicly published article on the Internet by an anonymous author, whose fetish was bestiality, the desire to engage in sexual relations with animals, best sums up the side of the fetishists, “…this is the pain of being ‘different’, shunned by society and the self appointed morals police. Those who simply don’t understand, or they just don’t want to understand are included in that category.”

Bibliography

1) What is a Zoophile? Anonymous. Excerpt from “Fur of the Beast.” Posted on the Internet Site: http://www.av.qnet.com/ stasya/whitiszoo.htm

2) “Fetishism”. Microsoft Encarta 96 Encyclopedia. 1993-1995 Microsoft Corporation.

3) “Fetishism”. Encyclopedia of Human Behavior. Robert M. Goldenson, Ph.D. 1970, Garden City, New York.

4) “Fetishism”. Encyclopedia of Psychoanalysis. Ludwig Eidelberg, MD 1968, The Free Press, New York.

5) “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition”. 1994. American Psychiatric Association. Washington DC