On the other side of the spectrum are those who have lost their sexual desire or never had it in the first place. People with hyposexuality have low sexual fantasies or desire for sexual activity. In Chapter 14 we discussed sexual aversion disorder, in which a person cannot engage in sex, feeling disgust, aversion, or […]

  he convenience of the Internet has helped shape compulsive patterns of online use, espe­cially in the area of sexuality (Boies et al., 2004; Young et al., 2000). Today, men and women can search on­line for information about sex, engage in online chats, and buy sexual products and materials. Some of these Internet activities may […]

Another variation of human sexuality is sexual frequency. Although there is a great range in frequency of sexual contact in the general population (see Chapter 10), some argue that certain people cross over the line from a vigorous sex life to an obsessed sex life. On the other side are those who, for various reasons, […]

Treatment for paraphilias is generally multifaceted and may include group, individual, and family therapy, medication, education, and/or self-help groups (Seligman & Hardenburg, 2000; see Table 16.3). Overall, treatment is aimed at the reduction or elim­ination of the paraphiliac symptoms, relapse prevention, and increasing victim empathy (d’Amora & Hobson, 2003). Whatever the technique, the most important […]

Although the majority of paraphiliacs do not seek treatment and are content with bal­ancing the pleasure and guilt of their paraphilia, others find their paraphilia to be an un­wanted disruption to their lives. Their sexual desires may get in the way of forming re­lationships, may get them into legal trouble, or may become such a […]

People can be sexually attracted to almost anything. An article in the Journal of Forensic Sciences tells of a man who was erotically attracted to his tractor; he wrote poetry to it, he had a pet name for it, and his body was found after he was asphyxiated by suspend­ing himself by the ankles from […]

  n 1994, 7-year-old Megan Kanka was lured into her neighbor’s home in Hamilton Township, New Jersey, by the promise of a puppy. There she was raped, strangled, and suffocated by a two-time convicted sexual offender. Shortly thereafter, the governor of New Jersey, Christie Todd Whitman, signed the toughest sex of­fender registration act in the […]

Pedophilia (pee-doh-FILL-ee-uh ; meaning “love of children”) has been called many things throughout history: child-love, cross-generational sex, man/child (or adult/child) interaction, boy-love, pederasty, and Greek love (Bullough, 1990). The variety of terms shows how differently adult-child sexual interactions have been viewed in different pe­riods of history. In Chapter 17 we will discuss child sexual abuse […]

layne (alter ego of Wayne): Last night I sat in a car with two cross-dressers and held hands. Although we talked only about petty things, we touched. I can express my inner self as Wayne, but when I’m being Elayne, a few more bricks disappear. When I looked into Diane’s eyes [another cross-dresser], she looked […]

In Chapter 3 we discussed the concept of transgenderism. Typically, a transvestite (TV) obtains sexual pleasure from dressing in the clothing of the other sex (see Table 16.2). As the accompanying Personal Voices, “A Cross-Dresser and His (Her?) Wife” illus­trates, a transgendered person typically feels a sense of comfort, whereas a TV typically feels sexual […]