Psychopathia Sexualis (book)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Psychopathia Sexualis (Psychopathy of Sex), by Richard Freiherr von Krafft-Ebing, is one of the first texts to write about sexual pathology. First published in 1886 with the subtitle "with Special Reference to the Antipathic Sexual Instinct: A Medico-Forensic Study", the book details a wide range of paraphilias, with a special emphasis on male homosexuality (the "antipathic instinct" of the subtitle). Krafft-Ebing also coined the terms sadism and masochism in the book.
The Psychopathia Sexualis is notable for being one of the earliest works on homosexuality. Krafft-Ebing combined Karl Ulrichs' Urning theory with Bénédict Morel's theory of disease and concluded that most homosexuals have a mental illness caused by degenerate heredity. The book was controversial at the time, arousing the anger of the church in particular.
The book had a considerable influence on continental European forensic psychiatry in the first part of the 20th century.
In 2006 an independent film based on this book was made in Atlanta.
  |
This sex-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
