The paraphilias. The extent and nature of sexually deviant and criminal behavior

Abstract

This article presents data that indicate that paraphiliacs tend to carry out a variety of paraphilic behaviors and cross a number of boundaries within individual paraphilias. These data contradict earlier theories that postulated that paraphiliacs compulsively repeat the same category of paraphilia over time without crossing into other categories of paraphilic acts as a result of specific early life experiences or specific emotional conflicts. This article suggests that a more parsimonious explanation is that individuals with paraphilias have a general deficit of control, leading them to carry out a variety of paraphilic behaviors with a variety of victims.