This article is a list of paraphilias, paraphilia being a biomedical term used to describe sexual arousal to objects, situations, or individuals that are not part of normative stimulation and that may cause distress or serious problems for the paraphiliac or persons associated with him or her. A paraphilia involves sexual arousal and gratification towards sexual behavior that is atypical and extreme.[1] Some paraphilias have more than one term to describe them, and some terms overlap with others. Paraphilias without DSM codes listed come under DSM 302.9, "Paraphilia NOS (Not Otherwise Specified)".
A 2009 list contains a total of 547 paraphilias, but leads with the statement that "Not all these paraphilias have necessarily been seen in clinical setups. This may not be because they do not exist, but because they are so innocuous they are never brought to the notice of clinicians. Like allergies, sexual arousal may occur from anything under the sun, including the sun."[2]
Contents |
Note: "common name" is listed only to ease looking up unfamiliar formal terms; common names are sometimes ambiguous or inaccurate descriptions.
| Formal name | Common name | Source of arousal | DSM code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abasiophilia | People with impaired mobility[3] | ||
| Acrotomophilia | Amputee fetish | People with amputations[4][5] | |
| Agalmatophilia | Statues, mannequins and immobility[6] | ||
| Algolagnia | Pain, particularly involving an erogenous zone; differs from masochism as there is a biologically different interpretation of the sensation rather than a subjective interpretation[7] | ||
| Andromimetophilia | Trans men[3][8] | ||
| Anililagnia | Attraction by young men to older women[9] | ||
| Apotemnophilia | Having an amputation[4][10] | ||
| Asphyxiophilia | Asphyxiation or strangulation[4] | ||
| Autagonistophilia | Being on stage or on camera[11][12] | ||
| Autassassinophilia | Being in life-threatening situations[4] | ||
| Autoandrophilia | A biological female imagining herself as a male[13][14] | ||
| Autoerotic asphixiation | Self-induced asphyxiation, sometimes to the point of near unconsciousness[12] | ||
| Autogynephilia | A biological male imagining himself as a female[15] | ||
| Biastophilia | Rape of an unconsenting person; see also consensual rape fantasy[4] | ||
| Chremastistophilia | Being robbed or held up[11] | ||
| Chronophilia | Partners of a widely differing chronological age[11] | ||
| Coprophilia | Scat | Feces; also known as scat, scatophilia or fecophilia[1][16] | |
| Crush fetish | Squashing of animals, food, or other objects | ||
| Dacryphilia | Tears or crying[17] | ||
| Dendrophilia | Trees[4] | ||
| Emetophilia | Vomit[3] | ||
| Erotic asphyxiation | Asphyxia of oneself or others[18] | ||
| Erotophonophilia | Murder[4] | ||
| Exhibitionism | Exposing oneself sexually to others, with or without their consent[1] | ||
| Formicophilia | Being crawled on by insects[11][19] | ||
| Forniphilia | Human furniture | Turning a human being into a piece of furniture[20] | |
| Frotteurism | Rubbing against a non-consenting person[1] | 302.89 | |
| Gerontophilia | Elderly people[21] | ||
| Gynemimetophilia | Transwomen | Transsexual or transgender women [3][22] | |
| Hebephilia | Generally early pubescent children[23] | ||
| Homeovestism | Wearing clothing emblematic of one's own sex[24][25] | ||
| Hybristophilia | Criminals, particularly for cruel or outrageous crimes[11][26] | ||
| Infantophilia | Pedophilia with a focus on children five years old or younger. (Recently suggested term, not in general use.)[27] | ||
| Kleptophilia | Stealing; also known as kleptolagnia[3] | ||
| Klismaphilia | Enemas[3] | ||
| Lactophilia | Breast milk[28] | ||
| Liquidophilia | Immersing genitals in liquids[28] | ||
| Macrophilia | Giants, primarily domination by giant women or men[28] | ||
| Mammaphilia/Breast fetishism | Breasts; also known as mammagynophilia and mastofact.[28] Debate exists on whether the modern widespread sexual attraction to breasts among heterosexual males of western society constitutes a sexual fetish.[29] In clinical literature of the 19th century, the focus on breasts was considered a form of paraphillia, but in modern times this interest is considered normal.[30] | ||
| Masochism | BDSM | Suffering; being beaten, bound or otherwise humiliated[1] | 302.83 |
| Mechanophilia | Cars or other machines; also "mechaphilia".[31][32][33][34][35] | ||
| Menophilia | Menstruation[28] | ||
| Morphophilia | Particular body shapes or sizes[12] | ||
| Mucophilia | Mucus[28] | ||
| Mysophilia | Dirtiness, soiled or decaying things[3] | ||
| Narratophilia | Dirty talk | Obscene words[3] | |
| Nasophilia | Noses[28] | ||
| Navel fetishism | Belly button fetish | Sexual attraction to navels - either their own or someone else's.[36] | |
| Necrophilia | Corpses[1][3][37] | ||
| Olfactophilia | Smells[3][11] | ||
| Paraphilic infantilism | Adult baby/Diaper lover (AB/DL) | Sexual arousal based on dressing or being treated like a baby, also known as autonepiophilia[11] or "adult baby syndrome"[38] | |
| Partialism | Specific, non-genital body parts[1][3] | ||
| Pedophilia | Prepubescent children, also spelled paedophilia. Often confused with hebephilia, ephebophilia, and pederasty.[1][39] | ||
| Peodeiktophilia | Exposing one's penis[4] | ||
| Pedovestism | Dressing like a child[40] | ||
| Pictophilia | Pornography or erotic art, particularly pictures[3][11] | ||
| Piquerism | Sexual gratification through penetration of another person, most commonly by stabbing or cutting the body with sharp objects. | ||
| Podophilia | Foot fetish | Feet. | |
| Pygophilia | Buttocks[41] | ||
| Pyrophilia | Fire[42] | ||
| Raptophilia | Committing rape, possibly consensual rape fantasy[11] | ||
| Sacofricosis | Making a hole in a pocket in order to masturbate unobtrusively in public[43] | ||
| Sadism | BDSM | Inflicting pain on others[1] | 302.84 |
| Salirophilia | Soiling or dirtying others[3] | ||
| Sexual fetishism | Nonliving objects[1] | 302.81 | |
| Somnophilia | Sleeping or unconscious people[3][11] | ||
| Splanchnophilia | Entrails[44] | ||
| Sthenolagnia | Muscle worship | Muscles and displays of strength[28] | |
| Stigmatophilia | Body piercings and tattoos[4][28] | ||
| Symphorophilia | Witnessing or staging disasters such as car accidents[4] | ||
| Telephone scatologia | Obscene phone calls, particularly to strangers; also known as telephonicophilia[1][11] | ||
| Teratophilia | Deformed or monstrous people[45] | ||
| Transvestic fetishism | Cross-dressing | Wearing clothes associated with the opposite sex; also known as transvestism[1] | 302.3 |
| Transvestophilia | A transvestite sexual partner[11] | ||
| Trichophilia | Hair[28] | ||
| Troilism | Cuckolding | Cuckoldism, watching one's partner have sex with someone else, possibly without the third party's knowledge; also known as triolism[12][46] | |
| Urolagnia | Piss play | Urination, particularly in public, on others, and/or being urinated on[1][3][11][12] | |
| Vampirism | Blood play | Attraction to or involving blood[47][48] | |
| Vorarephilia | Vore | The idea of eating or being eaten by others; usually swallowed whole, in one piece[49] | |
| Voyeurism | Watching others while naked or having sex, generally without their knowledge; also known as scopophilia or scoptophilia.[1][12] | 302.82 | |
| Zoophilia | Animals [1][3][11] | ||
| Zoosadism | Bestiality | Inflicting pain on or seeing animals in pain[50] |
Homosexuality and Bisexuality were listed as paraphilias ("sexual deviations" in the original terminology) in early versions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and were removed from the third version.[55][56][57]