Skip to main content
Springer Nature Link
Log in

Paraphilia

  • Reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science

Synonyms

Kinks; Nonconforming sexuality; Variant sexuality

Definition

A paraphilia is a preferred sexual interest (philia: love) considered to be unusual (para: outside the norms).

Introduction

Descriptions of paraphilias are highly controversial. In this entry, the concepts of paraphilia and paraphilic disorder will be presented. Correlates of paraphilias will also be described, along with a proposition for a novel definition based on evolutionary criteria.

Official Definitions of Paraphilias

According to psychiatric diagnosis manuals, certain sexual interests (fantasies, urges, and/or behaviors) are uncommon, atypical, or anomalous (e.g., APA 2013). Typical examples of atypical sexual interests include voyeurism (observing an unsuspecting person who is naked, disrobing, or engaging in sexual activity), exhibitionism (exposure of one’s genitals to an unsuspecting person), frotteurism (touching or rubbing against a non-consenting person), sexual masochism (being humiliated, beaten,...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
€34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Chapter
EUR 29.95
Price includes VAT (Germany)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
EUR 5,349.99
Price includes VAT (Germany)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
EUR 5,349.99
Price includes VAT (Germany)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

') var buybox = document.querySelector("[data-id=id_"+ timestamp +"]").parentNode var buyingOptions = buybox.querySelectorAll(".buying-option") ;[].slice.call(buyingOptions).forEach(initCollapsibles) var buyboxMaxSingleColumnWidth = 480 function initCollapsibles(subscription, index) { var toggle = subscription.querySelector(".buying-option-price") subscription.classList.remove("expanded") var form = subscription.querySelector(".buying-option-form") var priceInfo = subscription.querySelector(".price-info") var buyingOption = toggle.parentElement if (toggle && form && priceInfo) { toggle.setAttribute("role", "button") toggle.setAttribute("tabindex", "0") toggle.addEventListener("click", function (event) { var expandedBuyingOptions = buybox.querySelectorAll(".buying-option.expanded") var buyboxWidth = buybox.offsetWidth ;[].slice.call(expandedBuyingOptions).forEach(function(option) { if (buyboxWidth buyboxMaxSingleColumnWidth) { toggle.click() } else { if (index === 0) { toggle.click() } else { toggle.setAttribute("aria-expanded", "false") form.hidden = "hidden" priceInfo.hidden = "hidden" } } }) } initialStateOpen() if (window.buyboxInitialised) return window.buyboxInitialised = true initKeyControls() })()

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • American Psychiatric Association (APA). (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Arlington: American Psychiatric Association.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Joyal, C. C. (2015). Defining “normophilic” and “paraphilic” sexual fantasies in a population-based sample: On the importance of considering subgroups. Sexual Medicine, 3, 321–330.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Joyal, C. C., & Carpentier, J. (2017). The prevalence of paraphilic interests and behaviors in the general population: A provincial survey. Journal of Sex Research, 54, 161–171.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kafka, M. P. (1997). A monoamine hypothesis for the pathophysiology of paraphilic disorders. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 26, 343–358.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Langevin, R., & Lang, R. A. (1987). The courtship disorders. In G. D. Wilson (Ed.), Variant sexuality: Research and theory. London: Croom Helm.

    Google Scholar 

  • Långström, N., & Hanson, R. K. (2006). High rates of sexual behavior in the general population: Correlates and predictors. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 35, 37–52.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Quinsey, V. L. (2012). Pragmatic and Darwinian views of the paraphilias. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 41, 217–220.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wakefield, J. C. (1992). The concept of mental disorder: On the boundary between biological facts and social values. American Psychologist, 47, 373–388.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wakefield, J. C. (2011). DSM-5 proposed diagnostic criteria for sexual paraphilias: Tensions between diagnostic validity and forensic utility. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 34, 195–209.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wismeijer, A. A., & Assen, M. A. (2013). Psychological characteristics of BDSM practitioners. Journal of Sexual Medicine, 10, 1943–1952.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Quebec, Trois-Rivieres, QC, Canada

    Christian Joyal

  2. Department of Psychology, Ã…bo Akademi University, Turku, Finland

    Jan Antfolk

Authors
  1. Christian Joyal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jan Antfolk
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Christian Joyal .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA

    Todd K Shackelford

  2. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA

    Viviana A Weekes-Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. Division of Psychology, School of Social and Health Sciences, Abertay University, Dundee, UK

    Christopher D Watkins

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2021 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Joyal, C., Antfolk, J. (2021). Paraphilia. In: Shackelford, T.K., Weekes-Shackelford, V.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-19650-3_3387

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics