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Bailey JM, Hsu KJ. Psychometric Evidence That Paraphilia Is a Natural Kind. ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR 2024:10.1007/s10508-024-02941-2. [PMID: 39090436 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-024-02941-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Revised: 06/11/2024] [Accepted: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 08/04/2024]
Abstract
Is the category paraphilia a natural kind? That is, do different paraphilias share anything scientifically interesting or are they classified together because they are unusual and sometimes problematic? We investigated this question systematically in 11 samples of paraphilic males (N = 4,617) and 11 samples of control males (N = 1,494). Primary data consisted of responses to the 11-item Paraphilic Interests Scale. Contrary to our initial hypothesis, the scale mean was similar for paraphilic and control samples. Using logistic regression and the same items, we derived three highly correlated measures that robustly discriminated paraphilic and control samples (ds ranging from 0.86 to 0.92). These successful measures capitalized on the unanticipated fact that some items (especially those assessing transvestism and masochistic humiliation) were positively associated with membership in paraphilic samples, while others (especially those assessing voyeurism) were negatively associated with such membership. Subsequent analyses focused on one of the measures, the Paraphilic Interests Scale Contrast (PISC). Consistent with prior findings distinguishing paraphilias and homosexual orientation, PISC was not elevated among homosexual males compared with heterosexual males among the control groups. Within four paraphilic samples, PISC was positively associated with additional paraphilic phenomena. Results provide tentative support for both the proposition that paraphilia is a natural kind and the usefulness of PISC as a measure of paraphilia.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Michael Bailey
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, 2029 Sheridan Rd., Evanston, IL, 60208, USA.
| | - Kevin J Hsu
- Department of Psychological and Social Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, Abington, PA, USA
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Brooks TR, Bennett TN, Myhre A, Plante CN, Reysen S, Roberts SE, Gerbasi KC. "Chasing Tail": Testing the Relative Strength of Sexual Interest and Social Interaction as Predictors of Furry Identity. JOURNAL OF SEX RESEARCH 2024; 61:324-335. [PMID: 35576143 DOI: 10.1080/00224499.2022.2068180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Furries can be described as a mediacentric fandom, similar to other fandoms, which organizes around an interest in anthropomorphic art. Past research has also aimed to highlight and understand the sexual motivations of furries, leading to questions regarding the relative strength of fandom and sexual motivations for joining and maintaining membership within the group. The goal of the present study was to test the relative contributions sex- and fandom-related motivations (e.g., social belonging) have in determining furry identity to provide better conceptualizations of this unique community for future research and education. In a sample of furries (n = 1,113), participants reported sexual attraction to facets of their interest and were found to be sexually motivated to engage in specific fan behaviors. However, a series of follow-up analyses revealed that non-sexual motivations were not only stronger in magnitude than sexual motivation was, but were also much more strongly correlated with furry identification.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Tara N Bennett
- Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, School of Professional and Applied Psychology
| | - Ashley Myhre
- Clinical Sexology, International Institute of Clinical Sexology
| | | | - Stephen Reysen
- Psychology and Special Education, Texas A&M University-Commerce
| | - Sharon E Roberts
- Social Development Studies, Renison University College at the University of Waterloo
| | - Kathleen C Gerbasi
- Liberal Arts, Humanities, and Social Science, Niagara County Community College, Liberal Arts, Humanities, and Social Science
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Hsu KJ, Bailey JM. Sexual Orientation, Sexual Motivation, and Erotic Target Identity Inversions in Male Adult Baby/Diaper Lovers. ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR 2023; 52:2385-2401. [PMID: 36877320 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-023-02564-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Revised: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 02/11/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Adult baby/diaper lovers (AB/DLs) enjoy role-playing as babies and/or wearing diapers. They also engage in other related activities, such as urinating or defecating themselves and having an adult care for them. Previous surveys have revealed that AB/DLs commonly report sexual motivation, a finding that is corroborated by case reports in the psychiatric literature and some media interviews. The fact that AB/DLs change their appearance and behavior to become more like babies raises the possibility that they have an erotic target identity inversion (ETII). In ETIIs, a person's external erotic target is inverted into the self, resulting in sexual arousal by the fantasy of being a member of the target class or by imitating one. If AB/DLs are sexually motivated by an ETII, they should experience both sexual attraction to babies and sexual arousal by the fantasy of being a baby. We surveyed 207 male AB/DLs recruited from the Internet about their sexual orientation, sexual motivation, and sexual interests for a primarily quantitative analysis. Consistent with past research, a substantial minority of participants reported non-heterosexual identities (42%), and a large majority reported some degree of sexual motivation for being AB/DLs (93%). Wearing diapers and urinating or defecating oneself were rated as especially sexual. Even though 40% of participants reported sexual arousal by the fantasy of being a baby, only 4% reported sexual attraction to babies. This pattern of results is contrary to predictions from the concept of ETIIs. Instead, participants indicated that physical or mental pain, humiliation, and an adult woman were important to their sexual fantasies of being a baby. Masochism appears to be a promising alternative to an ETII for explaining the sexual motivation of AB/DLs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin J Hsu
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
- Department of Psychological and Social Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, 1600 Woodland Road, Abington, PA, 19001, USA.
| | - J Michael Bailey
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
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Bailey JM, Hsu KJ, Jang HH. Elaborating and Testing Erotic Target Identity Inversion Theory in Three Paraphilic Samples. ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR 2023:10.1007/s10508-023-02647-x. [PMID: 37415028 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-023-02647-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2023] [Revised: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023]
Abstract
Some men sexually attracted to types of persons (e.g., women) or things (e.g., animals) also have internalized sexual attractions: sexual arousal by the idea of being the type of person or thing to whom they are attracted. Consequently, some of these men develop erotic target identity inversions, in which they imitate, yearn to be, or identify as an instance of their erotic target. Erotic Target Identity Inversion Theory predicts that for every external erotic target to which men are attracted, a subset of men will develop an internalized sexual attraction, which may cause an erotic target identity inversion. We examined these predictions in Internet surveys of three samples of men with paraphilic sexual interests: 322 men attracted to amputees, 1501 men attracted to animals, and 402 men attracted to severely obese persons. All samples included substantial minorities of men reporting internalized sexual attractions and erotic target identity inversions specific to their external sexual attractions (e.g., men attracted to amputees who are also aroused by the fantasy of being amputees and wish to become amputees). The correlation between degree of each internalized sexual attraction and degree of its corresponding erotic target identity inversion was approximately 1.0 after correction for attenuation. In each sample, participants' specific internalized sexual attraction was positively correlated with autogynephilia, likely the most common internalized sexual attraction in men. Erotic Target Identity Inversion Theory can potentially explain a variety of otherwise puzzling phenomena, including transgender identity among female-attracted natal males and men seeking amputations of healthy limbs.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Michael Bailey
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, 2029 Sheridan Rd., Evanston, IL, 60208, USA.
| | - Kevin J Hsu
- Department of Psychological and Social Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, Abington, PA, USA
| | - Henry H Jang
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
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Zidenberg AM, Olver ME. Measurement and Correlates of Zoophilic Interest in an Online Community Sample. ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR 2022; 51:4179-4193. [PMID: 36192665 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-022-02429-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2021] [Revised: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 09/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Sexual interest in animals (zoophilia) is a scant investigated topic owing partially to difficulties in assessing the behavior outside of a clinical setting. While there have been previous attempts to categorize individuals with a sexual interest in animals into classification systems, this requires extensive clinical interviews and psychometric testing. Previous classifications also lack clarity on the adjacent concept of furryism (i.e., interest in anthropomorphized animals) and how it may be related to zoophilia. As there are currently no validated psychometric measures of zoophilia, individuals with a sexual interest in animals are a challenging population to research and may be underdetected in clinical settings. The central aim of the present study was to examine the measurement and correlates of sexual attraction to nonhuman animals through the development and refinement of psychometric and visual stimulus measures of animal sexual interest. Participants included 1,228 respondents (72% zoophilic and 35% furries; 67% men and 22.9% women) recruited from the online community. The results indicated that a Sexual Interest in Animals-Self-Report (SIA-SR) scale had four distinct subscales with excellent discrimination for self-reported zoophilia. Moreover, endorsement of sexual interest in horses and dogs from visual stimuli was most common among the individuals in the sample, while dog and horse sexual and romantic attractiveness ratings also had the largest and most consistent associations with SIA-SR scores and self-reported zoophilia. The results contribute to a greater understanding of the sexual interest patterns for persons with zoophilia and have implications for theory, future research, and clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra M Zidenberg
- Department of Psychology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5A5, Canada.
| | - Mark E Olver
- Department of Psychology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5A5, Canada
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Petterson LJ, Vasey PL. Men's Sexual Interest in Feminine Trans Individuals across Cultures. JOURNAL OF SEX RESEARCH 2022; 59:1015-1033. [PMID: 34985389 DOI: 10.1080/00224499.2021.2013429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Feminine trans individuals (i.e., individuals who were assigned male at birth but who have a feminine gender presentation and identity) are present in many cultures. In some cultures, these individuals identify as (trans) women. Many of these individuals undergo medical treatments to feminize their bodies (e.g., breast augmentation), but most do not undergo vaginoplasties and therefore have penises. In many non-Western cultures, feminine trans individuals identify as a non-binary gender (i.e., neither man, nor woman). Many of these individuals do not surgically augment their bodies. Across cultures, some men express sexual interest in feminine trans individuals. Are manifestations of sexual interest in feminine trans individuals consistent across Western and non-Western cultural settings? Our review suggests that, across cultures, most of these men are also sexually attracted to cisgender individuals. Many are sexually attracted to cisgender women or to cisgender members of both sexes. A small subset is sexually attracted to cisgender men. Men who are sexually interested in feminine trans individuals commonly report being primarily insertive during anal sex. Additionally, they tend to report that their sexual interest in these individuals is motivated by attraction to femininity or to the combination female- and male-typical characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lanna J Petterson
- Laboratory of Comparative Sexuality, Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge
| | - Paul L Vasey
- Laboratory of Comparative Sexuality, Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge
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Pfaus JG, Quintana GR, Mac Cionnaith CE, Gerson CA, Dubé S, Coria-Avila GA. Conditioning of Sexual Interests and Paraphilias in Humans Is Difficult to See, Virtually Impossible to Test, and Probably Exactly How It Happens: A Comment on Hsu and Bailey (2020). ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR 2020; 49:1403-1407. [PMID: 32462414 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-020-01739-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2019] [Revised: 04/30/2020] [Accepted: 05/05/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- James G Pfaus
- Centro de Investigaciones Cerebrales, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, VER, CP 91193, Mexico.
| | - Gonzalo R Quintana
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology, Concordia University, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Conall E Mac Cionnaith
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology, Concordia University, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Christine A Gerson
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology, Concordia University, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Simon Dubé
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology, Concordia University, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Genaro A Coria-Avila
- Centro de Investigaciones Cerebrales, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, VER, CP 91193, Mexico
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Grey BT. Furry Sexuality: Conditioned Fetishes a Better Explanation than Erotic Target Identity Inversion. ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR 2020; 49:49-52. [PMID: 31254129 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-019-01490-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2019] [Revised: 06/05/2019] [Accepted: 06/06/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
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Hsu KJ, Bailey JM. The Poverty of Conditioning Explanations for Sexual Interests: Reply to Grey (2019). ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR 2020; 49:53-55. [PMID: 31650324 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-019-01561-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2019] [Revised: 10/08/2019] [Accepted: 10/09/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Kevin J Hsu
- Department of Psychological and Social Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, Abington College, 1600 Woodland Road, Abington, PA, 19001, USA.
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
| | - J Michael Bailey
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
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Erotic Target Identity Inversions Among Men and Women in an Internet Sample. J Sex Med 2019; 17:99-110. [PMID: 31813772 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsxm.2019.10.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2019] [Revised: 10/09/2019] [Accepted: 10/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Erotic target identity inversions (ETIIs) are poorly studied paraphilias that involve sexual arousal by the idea or fantasy of being the object of one's sexual desires. AIM To conduct a large non-clinical online survey to investigate self-reported sexual arousal, behavioral expression, and psychological correlates of 4 proposed ETIIs. METHODS A total of 736 natal males and 549 natal females responded to items about self-reported sexual arousal to the idea of acting as an animal (autoanthropomorphozoophilia) or the idea of acting as a child or infant (autonepiophilia), natal males reporting arousal to the idea of acting as a woman (autogynephilia), and natal females reporting arousal to the idea of acting as a man (autoandrophilia). Data pertaining to sexual orientation, childhood gender nonconformity, gender identity discomfort, autism, masochism, and humiliation were also collected. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The main outcome was a measure of self-reported arousal and expression of the ETIIs being explored using 4 items: arousal level (-3 to 3) when imagining being the erotic target exemplar; frequency of engagement in dressing or behaving like their preferred target (0-4); strength of feeling that they would be better off as the target (0-4); and the frequency of consideration of making physical changes to look or function more like the target (0-4). RESULTS Mild levels of reported sexual arousal to the idea of being the preferred erotic target were common among the 4 groups, characterizing about half of them. Gender identity discomfort was associated with autogynephilia, autoandrophilia, and autoanthropomorphozoophilia. Greater gender nonconformity was associated with autogynephilia, autoandrophilia, and autonepiophilia. Autism scores were associated with autoandrophilia and autonepiophilia. Masochism was not associated with ETII scores, but humiliation was. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS Findings suggest that it may be important to distinguish between subgroups of those with different levels and types of ETII arousal/expression. STRENGTHS & LIMITATIONS Strengths of this study include the large, non-clinical sample of men and women for the investigation of ETIIs and the inclusion of measures of psychological correlates. The use of an Internet sample with self-report measures may be unrepresentative, although the Internet has the advantage of allowing recruitment from stigmatized or unusual groups. The cross-sectional nature limits our conclusions, as no causal inferences can be made. CONCLUSION The results support the concept of ETIIs as a paraphilic dimension in non-clinical samples and the possible role of gender-related psychological factors. Brown A, Barker ED, Rahman Q. Erotic Target Identity Inversions Among Men and Women in an Internet Sample. J Sex Med 2020;17:99-110.
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