Fetishism

Fetishism

Fetishism is a perversion that is found, primarily in men, in which genital discharge is impossible without the presence of their fetish. A fetish, however can be a variety of things, yet there are three basic types of fetishes: an inanimate object (e.g. women's clothing, shoes, gloves, underwear), a part of the human body (e.g. foot, hand, hair, legs, breasts), or something odd such as, leather, rubber, the touch of velvet. Some fetishes, as observed by Freud, may not even be visible to the other person at all. In one case a patient of Freud was obsessed with the shine on the noses of the women he was attracted to. With regards to specific fetishes such as that the fetishist usually needs to look at, touch, or smell during or preparing for the sexual act. In some cases just the sight of the fetish could result in an orgasm.

The Freudian view of fetishes changed over the years. His early view stated that fetishism was a result of some childhood fantasy or exposure that resulted in the fetish but he later changed the view. Freud later theorized that the fetish was a fear of castration on the part of the male. He believed that the association with the penis to the female reproductive organ was a reminder to men that castration is possible. This anxiety would cause the fetishist to associate his or her sexual desire with another body part or object.

By doing this he or she can link sexual experience with another part and forget about infertility, humiliation, or anxiety. Usually the desire is linked closely to the genitals, it could be something seen when the genitals were first viewed, such as, underwear, or something associatively linkable to the experience (e.g. fur, which could be symbolic of pubic hair).

In some cases kleptomania has been considered a fetish. Many fetishists develop a compulsive urge to obtain their cherished articles by any means possible. They may become sexually aroused when then "peep" on women changing or steal women's undergarments from their homes. The risk involved while stealing usually increases the sexual excitation. Pyromania has been given similar interpretation. Since fire is associated with passion the arsonist, if fire is his fetish, may reach orgasm by watching the fire that he has started.

In one case the fear ...

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...lusion, there seems to be two basically distinctive sides to fetishism, those who condone it and those who feel it is a sexual perversion when it gets out of hand. A publicly published article on the Internet by an anonymous author, whose fetish was bestiality, the desire to engage in sexual relations with animals, best sums up the side of the fetishists, “...this is the pain of being 'different', shunned by society and the self appointed morals police. Those who simply don't understand, or they just don't want to understand are included in that category.”

Bibliography

1. What is a Zoophile?. Ananamous. Excerpt from “Fur of the Beast”, posted on the Internet, site: http://www.av.qnet.com/~stasya/whtiszoo.htm 2. "Fetishism". Microsoft Encarta 96 Encyclopedia. 1993-1995

Microsoft Corp.

3. "Fetishism". Encyclopedia of Human Behavior. Robert M.

Goldenson, Ph.D. 1970, Garden City, NY.

4. "Fetishism. Encyclopedia of Psychoanalysis. Ludwig Eidelberg,

M.D. 1968, The Free Press, NY.