Variations in sexual behavior Flashcards
When is sexual behavior abnormal?
Terms like:
- sexual deviance
- perversion
- sexual variance
- paraphilia
Statistical definition of abnormal sexual behavior
A sexual behavior that is rare or not practiced by many people
Sociological approach of abnormal sexual behavior
Sexual behavior that violates the norms of the society
Psychological approach of abnormal sexual behavior
Criteria include dysfunctional behavior, distress, highly deviant behavior, behavior that is dangerous to the self and others
Medical approach of abnormal sexual behavior
DSM-5 includes 8 atypical sexual interests
Paraphilia
Unusual, unconventional sexual behavior
- coercive and victimizing vs.
- noncoercive and nonvictimizing
Paraphilic disorder
Paraphilia that causes the person distress or impairs their functioning, or causes harm to self or others
The normal - abnormal continuum
- normal and abnormal sexual behavior are not two seperate categories but rather gradations on a continuum
- a mild, or even a strong preference for an object is within the normal range of sexual behavior but is abnormal if it becomes an extreme necessity
Fetish as a necessity
When a sexual fetish becomes a necessity, it becomes abnormal
Fetishism
Sexual fixation on some object other than another human being and attachment of great erotic significance to that object
- tend to develop early in life
2 explanations for fetishdevelopment
- learning theory
- cognitive psychology
(we are not sure what causes fetishes to develop)
Learning theory for fetishes
A learned association is built between the fetish object and sexual arousal and orgasm
Cognitive psychology for fetishes
A serious cognitive distortion; arousal may be caused by guilt and self-loathing
Cross-dressing
Refers to dressing as a member of the other gender
- drag queens/kings
- female impersonators
Drag queens/kings
(Wo)men who dress op as (wo)men
Female impersonators
Men who dress as women, often as part of an entertainment job
Transvestim
The practice of dressing as a member of the other gender to experience sexual arousal
- occasional cross-dressing is one of the harmless, victimless sexual variations
- problematic only when it is the person’s only source of erotic gratification or it becomes a compulsion that causes distress in other areas of the person’s life
Transvestic disorder
A heterosexual man who dresses in female clothing to produce or enhance sexual arousal (almost exlusively a male sexual variation)
- may be often in private
- persists for at least 6 months
- clinically significant distress
Sexual sadist
A person who derives sexual satisfaction from inflicting pain on another person
- Marquis de Sade
Sexual masochist
A person who derives sexual satisfaction from experiencing pain
- Leopold von Sacher-Masoch
Sadism and Masochism
Sadomasochism is a rare form of sexual behavior
- S-M behavior seems to be scripted
- hypermasculinity, administering and receiving, physical restriction, and humiliation
Causes for sadism and masochism
Causes are not precisely known
- a child learns to associate pain with sexual arousal
- a desire to escape from self-awareness