What is Abnormal?

-       1. causes harm to others

-       2. causes distress, impairment

-       changes over time

o  National Health and Social Life Survey

Paraphilias

-       “abnormal attraction”

-       fantasies, behavior include:

o  non-human objects

o  children, non-consenting adults

o  suffering, humiliation

-       characteristics

o  psychologically dependent

o  six months

o  distressed, preoccupied

o  males

-       pedophilia

o  desire towards sexually immature

o  childhood sexual abuse

§    10-15%

§    males

·    75% female victims

o  difficult to treat

o  types

§    1. situational molester

·    times of stress

§    2. preference molester

·    “normal” sexual variation

·    boys

§    3. child rapist

·    violent abuser

o  subtypes of sexual aggressors

§    1. physiological aggressor

§    2. cognitive aggressor

§    3. affective aggressor

§    4. development related personality problems

o  theories

§    biological approach

·    reduce urges

o  endocrine system

o  surgery

§    castration

§    hypothalamotomy

§    psychological approaches

·    early life experiences

o  “victim-to-abuser”

·    birth order

o  many older brothers

·    handedness

·    personality traits

-       treatment

o  penile plethysmograph

§    measures blood flow

o  electroshock

o  criticism from others

o  strengthen self-control

Other Paraphilias

-       exhibitionism

o  expose genitals

o  shock, fear

o  6 months

-       fetishism

o  nonliving object

o  males

o  don’t seek treatment

o  common objects

o  partialism

§    specific body part

o  compulsive

o  interferes with relationships

-       frotteurism

o  “to rub”

o  stranger

o  crowded places

-       sexual masochism

o  pleasure from pain

o  alone or with partner

-       sexual sadism

o  pleasure from harming another

o  requires a partner

o  sadomasochist

§    both

§    common activities

·    danger = excitement

o  sexual homicide

§    rare

§    types

·    sexual sadist

·    mood, personality disorders

-       transvestic fetishism

o  males

o  women’s clothing

o  heterosexual

o  article vs. outfit

o  autogynephilia

§    experiences exclusive to women

o  compulsive

o  ego-dystonic

Theories

-       no sufficient biological theories

-       childhood

-       chronic

-       lovemaps

o  fantasies, preferred practices

o  late childhood

o  develop “misprints’

-       conditioned response

-       deficit of control

Treatment

-       difficult

-       medication

-       therapy

Gender Identity Disorder

-       gender identity

o  perception of gender

-       assigned sex

o  birth certificate

-       sexual orientation

o  sexual attraction

-       gender identity disorder

o  assigned sex vs. gender identity

o  2 characteristics

§    desire to be other sex

§    discomfort with assigned sex

·    usually by 4

§    distress

o  boys

o  girls

o  in adults

§    preoccupied

§    adapt social role, appearance

§    cross dress

o  onset

§    2-4