Paraphilia and Related Topics

Kink (sexuality)

Use of non-conventional sexual practices, concepts or fantasies.

The term "kink" has been claimed by some who practice sexual fetishism as a term or synonym for their practices, indicating a range of sexual and sexualistic practices from playful to sexual objectification and certain paraphilias.

Havelock Ellis, a pioneering figure in the movement towards sexual emancipation in the late 19th century

Sexology

Scientific study of human sexuality, including human sexual interests, behaviors, and functions.

Hirschfeld's books were burned by the Nazis in Berlin for being "un-German".

Topics of study include sexual development (puberty), sexual orientation, gender identity, sexual relationships, sexual activities, paraphilias, and atypical sexual interests.

An 1814 American medical text showing British English spellings that were still in use ("tumours", "colour", "centres", etc.).

Pedophilia

Psychiatric disorder in which an adult or older adolescent experiences a primary or exclusive sexual attraction to prepubescent children.

Pedophilia is termed pedophilic disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), and the manual defines it as a paraphilia involving intense and recurrent sexual urges towards and fantasies about prepubescent children that have either been acted upon or which cause the person with the attraction distress or interpersonal difficulty.

John Money

New Zealand psychologist, sexologist and author known for his research into sexual identity and biology of gender.

Money introduced the terms gender identity, gender role and sexual orientation and popularised the term paraphilia.

Sexual arousal

Sexual arousal (also known as sexual excitement) describes the physiological and psychological responses in preparation for sexual intercourse or when exposed to sexual stimuli.

Two birds that appear to be exhibiting affection

When sexual arousal is achieved by or dependent on the use of objects, it is referred to as sexual fetishism, or in some instances a paraphilia.

Foot fetishism, the most common sexual fetish

Sexual fetishism

Sexual fixation on a nonliving object or nongenital body part.

The sensory regions for the feet and genitals lie next to each other, as shown in this cortical homunculus.

Paraphilias such as urophilia, necrophilia and coprophilia have been described as fetishes.

The Hatred, painted by the artist Pietro Pajetta, 1896.

Necrophilia

Sexual attraction towards or a sexual act involving corpses.

A male black and white tegu mounts a female that has been dead for two days and attempts to mate.

A male Ameiva ameiva mounts a dead female and attempts to pair cloacae.

It is classified as a paraphilia by the World Health Organization (WHO) in its International Classification of Diseases (ICD) diagnostic manual, as well as by the American Psychiatric Association in its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM).

Romeo and Juliet, depicted as they part on the balcony in Act III, 1867 by Ford Madox Brown

Love

Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure.

Fraternal love (Prehispanic sculpture from 250 to 900 AD, of Huastec origin). Museum of Anthropology in Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico

Wall of Love on Montmartre in Paris: "I love you" in 250 languages, by calligraphist Fédéric Baron and artist Claire Kito (2000)

Roman copy of a Greek sculpture by Lysippus depicting Eros, the Greek personification of romantic love

愛 (Mandarin: ài), the traditional Chinese character for love contains a heart (心) in the middle.

The love stories of the Hindu deities Krishna and Radha have influenced the Indian culture and arts. Above: Radha Madhavam by Raja Ravi Varma.

Robert Indiana's 1977 Love sculpture spelling ahava

Love and not a one-way street in romanticism

In Islam, one of the 99 names of God is Al-Wadūd, which means "The Loving"

Kama (left) with Rati on a temple wall of Chennakesava Temple, Belur

If sexual passion is also involved, then this feeling is called paraphilia.

"Mercury and Herse", scene from The Loves of the Gods by Gian Giacomo Caraglio, showing Mercury, Herse, and Aglaulos

Voyeurism

Sexual interest in or practice of watching other people engaged in intimate behaviors, such as undressing, sexual activity, or other actions usually considered to be of a private nature.

Candaules, King of Lydia, Shews his Wife by Stealth to Gyges, One of his Ministers, as She Goes to Bed by William Etty. This image illustrates Herodotus's version of the tale of Gyges (see: candaulism).

The American Psychiatric Association has classified certain voyeuristic fantasies, urges and behaviour patterns as a paraphilia in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV) if the person has acted on these urges, or the sexual urges or fantasies cause marked distress or interpersonal difficulty.

Roman oil lamp depicting a zoophilic act, 1st–3rd century A.D.

Zoophilia

Hokusai's (1760–1849) The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife.

Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock print from Utagawa Kunisada's series, "Eight Canine Heroes of the House of Satomi", 1837.

An 18th-century Indian miniature depicting women practising zoophilia in the bottom register.

The taboo of zoophilia has led to stigmatised groups being accused of it, as with blood libel. This German illustration shows Jews performing bestiality on a Judensau, while Satan watches.

Man having intercourse with a horse, pictured on the exterior of a temple in Khajuraho.

"Ancient Greek sodomising a goat", plate XVII from 'De Figuris Veneris' by F.K. Forberg, illustrated by Édouard-Henri Avril.

Zoophilia is a paraphilia involving a sexual fixation on non-human animals.