Generality
Fetishism is a form of sexual perversion that concentrates erotic desire, allowing it to be fulfilled, on an object, a part of the body of another person or a particular situation .
or. For the fetishist, therefore, these "stimuli" take on the prerogative to excite and lead to sexual pleasure, although they are, as a rule, deprived of this power.
Fetishism: what is it?
Fetishism is one of the most widespread forms of sexual perversion, so one takes pleasure exclusively in contact with a specific object, a part of the body or a situation.
- Fetishism is part of the so-called paraphilias, that is those disorders that are characterized by intense and recurrent fantasies, impulses or sexually exciting behaviors, which create clinically important discomfort or disability, involve inanimate objects or other non-consenting adults or involve suffering or humiliation (real or imagined) of oneself or one's partner. In addition to fetishism, examples of paraphilias are: sadism and sexual masochism, pedophilia, exhibitionism and voyeurism.
Fetishism is characterized, therefore, by the displacement of the objective of one's pleasure from the person as a whole to one of his substitutes, or to a part of the body of the partner or to any other inanimate object that belongs to him (usually, a garment).
The term fetishism derives from the Portuguese "feitiço", which means "artificial" and "sorcery" : the slave traders used this term to indicate objects of worship worshiped in religious practice by African natives .
In sexology, fetishism consists in using an inanimate object (a "fetish" ) as a preferred medium for sexual excitement. The most common fetishes include aprons, shoes, leather or latex clothing and women's underwear.
In some cases, the presence of this "cult object" is necessary, if not fundamental, to achieve sexual pleasure . For some fetishists, in fact, seeing, hearing, smelling, swallowing or palpating the object of their attraction is at least as important as normal coitus, if not even more.
However, in common parlance, the term fetishism is often used to describe particular interests, such as that of sexual role play and preference for certain physical characteristics .
Pathological fetishism
A preference for something unusual does not necessarily imply the presence of pathological fetishism.
A minor fetishistic behavior, in addition to consensual sexual behavior, is not considered, in fact, a disturbance, in that lack of discomfort, impairment and dysfunctionality, that is the characteristics to define it as such. Usually, in fact, a certain degree of fetishism falls within the sphere of normal sexuality, if we consider it as the desire to make sexual relations with the partner more spicy or to indulge one's own erotic fantasies in an absolutely healthy way.
The condition becomes pathological only when the fetish completely replaces coitus or when it becomes an exclusive sexual object : the partner is no longer a companion with whom to share pleasure, but a simple vehicle of the object itself.
Thus, more intense and compulsive fetishistic excitement patterns can cause problems within a relationship or become destructive and stressful in a person's life.
Fetish
The fetish can replace typical sexual activity with a partner or be an integral part of intimate behavior with a consenting partner.
The most common fetish objects are:
- Fabrics and materials (such as leather, latex or lace), but also some clothing (gloves, shoes, skirts and socks) or underwear (bra, thong, garters ...);
- Specific parts of the body (such as the breast, buttocks, feet, hands, legs, armpits, nose and hair);
- Biological fluids or excretions, such as sweat, saliva, urine and faeces;
- Some physical characteristics (hair color, hairstyle, glasses ...);
- Special characteristics or conditions (scars or mutilations, pregnant women, people in extreme overweight or elderly ...).
Causes and risk factors
From the psychoanalytic point of view, fetishism is considered a form of conditioning : sexual tensions are directed towards a significant object, occasionally present in the "field" during the first determining experiences of satisfaction.
For some specialists, this specific element alludes to a sort of "female penis", which reassures the male in the face of typical unconscious fears about the possibility of "castration". In the female sex, on the other hand, fetishism is associated with a concatenation of more complex elements that do not end with the classic "penis envy".
According to more recent interpretations, instead, fetishism would be a form of infantile fixation to a "transitional type object", that is to an element that symbolizes the situation of intimacy, protection and satisfaction, typical of the child 's relationship with the mother or with a important part of it (eg hands that dispense caresses, nourishing breast, voice that consoles etc.). When it relates to the ideal partner, then, in the adult something of that "childish" stage resurfaces.
In the onset of fetishism, the following aspects would therefore be involved:
- Anxiety or early emotional trauma interfere with normal psychosexual development.
- The normal pattern of excitement is replaced by another model, sometimes through an early exposure to extremely meaningful sexual experiences, which reinforce the subject's pleasure experience.
- The sexual arousal mode often acquires symbolic and conditioning objects (for example, a fetish represents the object of sexual excitement, but it can be chosen because it has been associated, randomly, with curiosity, desire and excitement) .
The individual who carries this perversion is generally a male, while the reverse situation (feminine fetishism) is much rarer.
Symptoms and behaviors
The first signs of fetishism can be found already in adolescence; over time, this sexual predisposition, like other paraphilias, often tends to become chronic.
Among the known forms of fetishism are:
- Sexual practices that make use of inanimate objects, such as stiletto heels and particular female underwear (often, the subject rubs or sniffs the exciting preferential fetish, while masturbating holding it, or asks his partner to wear the garment or the object during sexual intercourse);
- Sexual behaviors that prefer the use of "toys" such as vibrators, rings and other stimulants;
- Strong attraction for a specific trait of the partner and / or for a very "performing" characteristic such as the physical size (small or large) or parts of the body (breast, lower back ...);
- Specific acts very defined from a sexual point of view such as those concerning suffering and physical pain or humiliation, also known with the acronym BDSM (Bondage, Discipline, Sadism and Masochism).
Other types of relatively common fetishism are coprophilia (the fetish is feces and defecation), foot worship, verbal humiliation, exhibitionism, voyeurism and disguises.
Fetishist behaviors can be classified according to the sensory channel involved: some are primarily aroused by watching, others by sniffing or touching specific materials.
In the course of the practices, then, three different ways can be observed:
- Active : the fetishist actively uses the fetish;
- Passive : the fetishist wants the fetish to be somehow used on another by another person;
- Contemplative : the fetishist takes pleasure from the simple observation of collected fetishes.
Fetishistic behaviors can manifest themselves in a certain gradualness:
- Level 1: there is a slight sexual preference for certain types of partners, stimuli or activities;
- Level 2: coincides with a low intensity fetishism, characterized by a more marked preference for the cases mentioned in the first level;
- Level 3 : moderate-intensity fetishism, where specific stimuli are needed to allow excitement and sexual performance;
- Level 4 : high intensity fetishism, as specific stimuli take the place of the partner.
Fetishists can present a compromised or non-existent ability to become attached, to experience emotional involvement and sexual intimacy with a consenting partner. At the same time, other aspects of personal and emotional adaptation may be compromised.
Diagnosis
Fetishist behaviors are considered pathological only when they become strictly necessary for sexual functioning (ie erection or orgasm cannot occur without the given preferential exciting stimulus), for a period of at least six months .
Another necessary criterion is that such fantasies, impulses and behaviors cause significant distress, impairment or in any case end up compromising social, professional and / or personal functioning .
Finally, fetishism is pathological when the orientation of applicants and continuing fantasies, impulses and behaviors involves inappropriate partners (such as, for example, non-consenting adults).
Some of these subjects also have significant personality disorders (eg antisocial or narcissistic), which make treatment difficult.
Treatment
Fetishism usually involves a long-term individual or group psychotherapy ; this form of therapy can be particularly useful when it is part of an integrated treatment, which includes social rehabilitation, the management of coexisting mental and physical disorders (eg depression, personality disorders, etc.) and drug therapies (usually antiandrogens and SSRIs).
The objectives are both to reduce and / or eliminate the dependence of fetishes as a means to get sexually excited, and to improve the intimate relationships of the subject. To achieve this, the therapist tries on the one hand to create a feeling of aversion towards the fetish and on the other hand to reduce the exciting stimulus linked to the specific object.
The treatment of fetishism can also be addressed to the couple and aims to reduce the dependence on fetishistic behavior within the sexual relationship, and to improve mutual satisfaction between the partners.
