Exhibitionism: Causes And Symptoms Of This Sexual Paraphilia
“Fernando, a twenty-four-year-old man, arrives at the psychologist’s office. Once there, Fernando says that he has come due to a problem that causes him deep discomfort. He confesses that in recent months he has had the urgent need to go out into the street, stand in a dark corner and, when a woman passes by, show her his genitals. Later, after seeing his reaction, he proceeds to run away and when he gets home he masturbates thinking about the surprise of the person to whom he has shown himself, a fact that causes him great excitement and reduces his stress. For this fact, Fernando has been arrested and convicted on one occasion, but he considers that he will do it again if he does not have help, and this causes him great anxiety as he considers it disgusting behavior.
The case cited here is an invented example of one of the most well-known paraphilias, exhibitionism
In order to have a better understanding of exhibitionism, it is necessary to understand the main characteristics of the group of disorders of which it is a part, the paraphilias.
Formerly called sexual deviations, paraphilias refer to the repeated presentation of intense sexual fantasies in which the object of desire is atypical Generally these desires are focused on non-human objects or entities, suffering and humiliation of oneself or others, or people who do not consent within a period of six months. These behaviors may or may not be understood as alterations by those who present them, and in many cases they are considered immoral by the subjects themselves. In any case, paraphilias cause serious deterioration in various vital areas of the individual, and there may or may not be discomfort on the part of the subject.
Although some of these paraphilias may not have legal repercussions or be too disabling beyond restricting sexual interest and the discomfort that it can cause in the subject himself or the difficulty in being accepted by sexual partners (for example, desires focused on objects such as fetishism), other paraphilias can result in serious crimes and even crimes such as pedophilia or somnophilia (sexual desire for sleeping subjects, which implies rape).
Having visualized the type of disorder we are talking about, we can then make a more coherent explanation of what exhibitionism as a paraphilia implies.
The main symptoms are based on the existence for at least six months of recurrent and very exciting fantasies exposure of the genitals to an unexpected stranger, which must also have taken place and/or produce clinically significant discomfort in the subject or his or her functioning in relevant areas of his or her life.
This is the most common paraphilia, and is frequently accompanied by others such as voyeurism. This problem usually appears around the age of majority, having a maximum prevalence between the ages of twenty and thirty and decreasing after the age of forty.
The excitement and pleasure achieved by the exhibitionist are obtained through observing the reactions of the people to whom they are shown, generally those of fright, surprise and curiosity. It is possible that the subject masturbates during his exposure, or after it when reimagining the reactions of his victims. Generally they do not actually intend to have any sexual activity with their victim, the reason for their excitement not being the person per se but the fact of surprising them. In fact, the exhibitionist’s escape is not uncommon if the victim responds positively to his reaction. However, reactions of indifference or ridicule can be extremely painful for these subjects, due to their low level of self-esteem.
Psychological profile of the exhibitionist
The typical exhibitionist subject is a generally heterosexual male often with difficulties when establishing contact with the sex that is the object of their desire, although it is also common for it to appear in subjects with a partner and even married people apparently having normal relationships.
In general, the exhibitionist subject presents a high level of withdrawal and introversion, with a high lack of self-confidence that pushes him to carry out his action, probably as a defense mechanism. These types of subjects, therefore, are not usually a real threat, with the majority not being aggressive or intending to harm in their actions.
As mentioned above, some paraphilias can constitute serious crimes punishable by prison.
In the case of exhibitionism, we would be facing a paraphilia classified as a crime against sexual freedom and may be punished with a prison sentence of between six months to one year or a fine of one to two years, depending on the circumstances of the exhibitionist in question.
It must be taken into account that when the possibility of creating a diagnostic category to refer to a mental disorder is assessed, it is not only taken into account whether it harms the quality of life of those who experience it firsthand. It is also taken into consideration the discomfort and inconvenience generated to third parties and this is precisely what happens in the case of exhibitionism.
Exposing your genitals to another person, with the intention of feeling pleasure from it, causes the dignity of others to be attacked and, in addition, in many cases it produces fear, as it is interpreted as the beginning of a rape.
Etiology (causes) of exhibitionism
The causes of this type of paraphilic behavior is the subject of extensive debate in psychological literature.
Many of the theories in this regard indicate the participation of learning processes in the acquisition of these behaviors, proposing that these are behaviors learned through accidental conditioning between sexual excitement and an atypical stimulus, conditioning reinforced by the repetition of the situations and the beginning of the application of the stimulus in the imagination during masturbation.
Imitation of models observed in childhood has also been explored as a possible cause due to the presence of patterns of violence and anomalous sexual behaviors in some cases of individuals with little socialization, domestic violence and excessively repressive sexuality education.
Likewise, the presence of deficits in social and communication skills has also been explored, due to the presence of difficulties in courtship in many of the cases studied. In these subjects, the existence of a high inferiority complex, low self-esteem, impulsivity and poor communication skills has been observed, which can lead to the performance of behaviors considered immoral, unethical, surprising or bizarre as a defense mechanism.
Another of the hypotheses considered is McConaghy’s behavioral termination, according to which if a behavior is very habitual A mechanism is created in the brain which is activated when stimuli associated with the behavior in question are perceived , producing a high level of tension. This causes the individual to not stop performing the action, so that tension does not appear. It has some similarity with the mechanism of action of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Caution: not everything is paraphilia
Exhibitionism is a paraphilia that can be a serious problem for those who suffer from it, both because of the discomfort it generates and because of the effects it can cause in different areas of life such as socialization and the emotional sphere.
However, exhibitionism as paraphilia should not be confused with sexual fantasies and behaviors Occasionally used as a sexual stimulus. Erotic games and fantasies with the partner such as striptease or the use of one’s own anatomy to provoke the partner’s desire will not be included as paraphilia, which implies the need to present this type of behavior compulsively to obtain sexual gratification. for at least six months and producing significant discomfort or alterations in normal life.
Thus, what characterizes exhibitionism is that the action of undressing in view of others, on the one hand, is done simply with the intention that others see it, and on the other, It is not consensual in addition to being born from an irrepressible need.
In the same way, behaviors such as toplessness or protest use in demonstrations cannot be classified as paraphilic behavior, since they do not involve compulsive sexual gratification.
Nor can this disorder be diagnosed if the display behavior is due to and appears only during an altered state of consciousness or other disorders, such as in cases of manic episodes, psychotic outbreaks, intoxication or dementia.
