11/14/2025 - Paraphilic Disorders, Sexual Dysfunctions & Gender Dysphoria - Chapter 11

Paraphilia

Abnormal attraction

Paraphilic Disorders and their essential feature

•  Behaviors in which an individual has recurrent, intense sexually arousing fantasies, sexual urges or behaviors involving 

  • (1) nonhuman objects (2) children or other nonconsenting persons or

  • (3) the suffering or humiliation of self or partner.

- Essential feature of a paraphilic disorder:Becomes psychologically dependent on the target of desire and are unable to experience sexual arousal unless this target is present. Must experience for at least 6 months

Pedophilic Disorder:

• a paraphilic disorder in which an adult is sexually aroused by children or adolescents

  • Must be at least 18 and at least 5 years older than the children whom attracted to

  • Key feature: sexual arousal with children that is equal to or even greater than what is felt with fellow adults.

Exhibitionistic Disorder, and what 2 disorders is this commonly comorbid with

Person has intense sexual urges and fantasies involving the exposure of genitals to a stranger.

Often comorbid w/ major depressive disorder and substance abuse disorder

Voyeuristic Disorder:

• person has a compulsion to derive sexual gratification from observing the nudity or sexual activity of others.

  • Most common paraphilia.

  • Ex: Putting cameras, telescope, holes in the bathroom just to watch

Fetishistic Disorder

Person is preoccupied w/ an object and depends on this object rather than sexual intimacy w/ a partner for achieving sexual gratification

Object: a place ©, shoes

Partialism

: interested solely in sexual gratification from a specific body part other than the genitals, such as feet

Frotteuristic Disorder

Intense sexual urges and fantasies of rubbing against or fondling an unsuspecting stranger

Sexual masochism disorder:

• (“masochism”-seeking pleasure from being in pain) marked by an attraction to achieving sexual gratification by having painful stimulation applied to one’s own body.

  • Enjoys being hurt

• Aroused by being beaten, bound or otherwise made to suffer.

Sexual sadism disorder:

•  sexually aroused from the physical or psychological suffering of another person.

  • Enjoys hurting, smack them, watching and inflicting pain

Transvestic disorder

(“transvestism” or “cross-dressing” refers to the
behavior of dressing in the clothing of the other sex