Perversion
Encyclopedia
Perversion is a concept describing those types of human behavior
that are a serious deviation
from what is considered to be orthodox
or normal. Although it can refer to varying forms of deviation, it is most often used to describe sexual behaviors that are seen by an individual as abnormal, repulsive or obsessive. Perversion differs from deviant behavior
, since the latter refers to a recognized violation of social rules or norms. It is often considered derogatory
and in psychological literature the term paraphilia
has been used as a replacement, though this term is controversial, and "deviation" is now used instead by others.
which is a common law offence. There is a transition to the sexual in 'the technique of purposeful perversion' of conversational remarks: 'Purposeful perversion of what a woman has said...is a long step closer to a direct attempt at seduction or rape'
The noun sometimes occurs in abbreviated slang
form as "perv" and used as a verb meaning "to act like a pervert", and the adjective "pervy" also occurs. All are often, but not exclusively, used non-seriously.
In economics
the term "perverse incentive
" means a policy that results in an effect contrary to the policymakers' intention.
was to construct a bridge between the "perversions" and "normal" sexuality. Clinically exploring 'a richly diversified collection of erotic endowments and inclinations: hermaphroditism, homosexuality
, pedophilia
, sodomy
, fetishism
, exhibitionism
, sadism, masochism, coprophilia
, necrophilia
' among them , Freud concluded that 'all humans are innately perverse'. He found the roots of such perversions in infantile sexuality - in 'the child's "polymorphously perverse" inclinations...the "aptitude" for such perversity is innate'. The 'crucial irony of Freud's account in the Three Essays was that perversion in childhood was the norm'.
According to hotor's case: Refining his analysis a decade later, Freud stressed that while childhood sexuality involved a wide and unfocused range of perverse activities, by contrast with adult perversion there was 'an important difference between them. Perverse sexuality is as a rule excellently centred: all its activities are directed to an aim - usually a single one; one component instinct has gained the upper hand...In that respect there is no difference between perverse and normal sexuality other than the fact that their dominating component instincts and consequently their sexual aims are different. In both of them, one might say, a well-organized tyranny has been established, but in each of the two a different family has seized the reins of power'.
A few years later, in "A Child is Being Beaten" (1919), Freud laid greater stress on the fact that perversions 'go through a process of development, that they represent an end-product and not an initial manifestation...that the sexual aberrations of childhood, as well as those of mature life, are ramifications of the same complex' - the Oedipus complex
. Otto Fenichel
took up the point about the defensive function of perversions - of 'experiences of sexual satisfactions which simultaneously gave a feeling of security by denying or contradicting some fear'; adding that while 'somepeople think that perverts are enjoying some kind of more intense sexual pleasure than normal people. This is not true...[though] neurotics, who have repressed pervers longings, may envy the perverts who express the perverse longings openly'.
of the later twentieth century, much that Freud had argued for became part of a new, wide-ranging liberal consensus, a quasi-normative belief that 'everyone's entitled to his own sex life...Some people fancy black rubber clothes. Consenting adults and all that'. At times this might lead to a kind of Panglossian world view where every fetishist
has his 'fetishera...for every man who is hung up on shoes, there is a woman ready to cater for and groove with him, and for every man who gets his thrills from hair, there is a woman who gets hers from having her locks raped
. Havelock Ellis
has many cases of this meeting of the minds: the man who yearns to get pressed on by high heels sooner or later meets the woman who has daydreamed all her life of heel-pressing'.
Where internal controversy did arise in the liberal consensus was about the exact relation of variations to normal development - some considering in the wake of Freud that 'these different sexual orientations can best be explained and understood by comparison with normal development', and highlighting the fear of intimacy in perversion as 'a kind of sex...which is hedged about with special conditions...puts a vast distance between the partners'. From such a standpoint, 'whatever the deviant impulse or fantasy may be, that's where the real, true, loving sexuality is hidden' - a point of transition perhaps to some of the bleaker post-permissive visions of perversion.
Lacan
had early highlighted 'the ambivalence
proper to the "partial drives" of scoptophilia, sadomasochism, and homosexuality
...the often very little "realised" aspect of the apprehension of others in the practice of certain of these perversions'. In his wake, others would stress how 'there is always, in any perverse act , an aspect of rape, in the sense that the Other must find himself drawn into the experience despite himself...a loss or abandonment of subjectivity.
Similarly, object relations theory
would point to the way 'in perversion there is the refusal, the terror of strangeness'; to the way 'the "pervert"...attacks imaginative elaboration through compulsive action with an accomplice; and this is done to mask psychic pain'. Empirical studies would find 'in the perverse relationships described...an absolute absence of any shared pleasures'; while at the theoretical level 'perversions involve - the theory tells us - an attempted denial of the difference between the sexes and the generations', and include 'the wish to damage and dehumanize...the misery of the driven, damaging life'.
Human behavior
Human behavior refers to the range of behaviors exhibited by humans and which are influenced by culture, attitudes, emotions, values, ethics, authority, rapport, hypnosis, persuasion, coercion and/or genetics....
that are a serious deviation
Deviation
Deviation may refer to:* Deviation , the difference between the value of an observation and the mean of the population in mathematics and statistics** Standard deviation, which is based on the square of the difference...
from what is considered to be orthodox
Orthodoxy
The word orthodox, from Greek orthos + doxa , is generally used to mean the adherence to accepted norms, more specifically to creeds, especially in religion...
or normal. Although it can refer to varying forms of deviation, it is most often used to describe sexual behaviors that are seen by an individual as abnormal, repulsive or obsessive. Perversion differs from deviant behavior
Deviant Behavior
Deviant Behavior is an interdisciplinary journal which focuses on social deviance, including criminal, sexual, and narcotic behaviors.The journal is published by Taylor and Francis, Inc., and was ranked 41st out of 46 psychology journals and 46th out of 90 sociology journals in 2004 by the...
, since the latter refers to a recognized violation of social rules or norms. It is often considered derogatory
Pejorative
Pejoratives , including name slurs, are words or grammatical forms that connote negativity and express contempt or distaste. A term can be regarded as pejorative in some social groups but not in others, e.g., hacker is a term used for computer criminals as well as quick and clever computer experts...
and in psychological literature the term paraphilia
Paraphilia
Paraphilia is 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...
has been used as a replacement, though this term is controversial, and "deviation" is now used instead by others.
History of concept
The concept of perversion is subjective, and its application varies depending on the individual. Originating in the 1660s a pervert was originally defined as "one who has forsaken a doctrine or system regarded as true, apostate." The sense of a pervert as a sexual term was derived in 1896, and applied originally to variants of sexualities or sexual behavior rejected by the individual who used the term.Non-sexual usages
The verb pervert is less narrow in reference than the related nouns, and may be used with no sexual connotations. It is used in English law for the crime of perverting the course of justicePerverting the course of justice
Perverting the course of justice, in English, Canadian , and Irish law, is a criminal offence in which someone prevents justice from being served on himself or on another party...
which is a common law offence. There is a transition to the sexual in 'the technique of purposeful perversion' of conversational remarks: 'Purposeful perversion of what a woman has said...is a long step closer to a direct attempt at seduction or rape'
The noun sometimes occurs in abbreviated slang
Slang
Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
form as "perv" and used as a verb meaning "to act like a pervert", and the adjective "pervy" also occurs. All are often, but not exclusively, used non-seriously.
In economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
the term "perverse incentive
Perverse incentive
A perverse incentive is an incentive that has an unintended and undesirable result which is contrary to the interests of the incentive makers. Perverse incentives are a type of unintended consequences.- Examples :...
" means a policy that results in an effect contrary to the policymakers' intention.
Freud on the role of perversion
Freud's didactic strategy in his Three Essays on the Theory of SexualityThree Essays on the Theory of Sexuality
Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality is a 1905 work by Sigmund Freud which advanced his theory of sexuality, in particular its relation to childhood...
was to construct a bridge between the "perversions" and "normal" sexuality. Clinically exploring 'a richly diversified collection of erotic endowments and inclinations: hermaphroditism, homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
, pedophilia
Pedophilia
As a medical diagnosis, pedophilia is defined as a psychiatric disorder in adults or late adolescents typically characterized by a primary or exclusive sexual interest in prepubescent children...
, sodomy
Sodomy
Sodomy is an anal or other copulation-like act, especially between male persons or between a man and animal, and one who practices sodomy is a "sodomite"...
, fetishism
Fetishism
A fetish is an object believed to have supernatural powers, or in particular, a man-made object that has power over others...
, exhibitionism
Exhibitionism
Exhibitionism refers to a desire or compulsion to expose parts of one's body – specifically the genitals or buttocks of a man or woman, or the breasts of a woman – in a public or semi-public circumstance, in crowds or groups of friends or acquaintances, or to strangers...
, sadism, masochism, coprophilia
Coprophilia
Coprophilia , also called scatophilia or scat, is the paraphilia involving sexual pleasure from feces...
, necrophilia
Necrophilia
Necrophilia, also called thanatophilia or necrolagnia, is the sexual attraction to corpses,It is classified as a paraphilia by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association. The word is artificially derived from the ancient Greek words: νεκρός and φιλία...
' among them , Freud concluded that 'all humans are innately perverse'. He found the roots of such perversions in infantile sexuality - in 'the child's "polymorphously perverse" inclinations...the "aptitude" for such perversity is innate'. The 'crucial irony of Freud's account in the Three Essays was that perversion in childhood was the norm'.
According to hotor's case: Refining his analysis a decade later, Freud stressed that while childhood sexuality involved a wide and unfocused range of perverse activities, by contrast with adult perversion there was 'an important difference between them. Perverse sexuality is as a rule excellently centred: all its activities are directed to an aim - usually a single one; one component instinct has gained the upper hand...In that respect there is no difference between perverse and normal sexuality other than the fact that their dominating component instincts and consequently their sexual aims are different. In both of them, one might say, a well-organized tyranny has been established, but in each of the two a different family has seized the reins of power'.
A few years later, in "A Child is Being Beaten" (1919), Freud laid greater stress on the fact that perversions 'go through a process of development, that they represent an end-product and not an initial manifestation...that the sexual aberrations of childhood, as well as those of mature life, are ramifications of the same complex' - the Oedipus complex
Oedipus complex
In psychoanalytic theory, the term Oedipus complex denotes the emotions and ideas that the mind keeps in the unconscious, via dynamic repression, that concentrate upon a boy’s desire to sexually possess his mother, and kill his father...
. Otto Fenichel
Otto Fenichel
Otto Fenichel was a psychoanalyst of the so-called "second generation".Otto Fenichel started studying medicine in 1915 in Vienna. Already as a very young man, when still in school, he was attracted by the circle of psychoanalysts around Freud...
took up the point about the defensive function of perversions - of 'experiences of sexual satisfactions which simultaneously gave a feeling of security by denying or contradicting some fear'; adding that while 'somepeople think that perverts are enjoying some kind of more intense sexual pleasure than normal people. This is not true...[though] neurotics, who have repressed pervers longings, may envy the perverts who express the perverse longings openly'.
The permissive society
With the Sexual revolutionSexual revolution
The sexual revolution was a social movement that challenged traditional codes of behavior related to sexuality and interpersonal relationships throughout the Western world from the 1960s into the 1980s...
of the later twentieth century, much that Freud had argued for became part of a new, wide-ranging liberal consensus, a quasi-normative belief that 'everyone's entitled to his own sex life...Some people fancy black rubber clothes. Consenting adults and all that'. At times this might lead to a kind of Panglossian world view where every fetishist
Sexual fetishism
Sexual fetishism, or erotic fetishism, is the sexual arousal a person receives from a physical object, or from a specific situation. The object or situation of interest is called the fetish, the person a fetishist who has a fetish for that object/situation. Sexual fetishism may be regarded, e.g...
has his 'fetishera...for every man who is hung up on shoes, there is a woman ready to cater for and groove with him, and for every man who gets his thrills from hair, there is a woman who gets hers from having her locks raped
The Rape of the Lock
The Rape of the Lock is a mock-heroic narrative poem written by Alexander Pope, first published anonymously in Lintot's Miscellany in May 1712 in two cantos , but then revised, expanded and reissued under Pope's name on March 2, 1714, in a much-expanded 5-canto version...
. Havelock Ellis
Havelock Ellis
Henry Havelock Ellis, known as Havelock Ellis , was a British physician and psychologist, writer, and social reformer who studied human sexuality. He was co-author of the first medical textbook in English on homosexuality in 1897, and also published works on a variety of sexual practices and...
has many cases of this meeting of the minds: the man who yearns to get pressed on by high heels sooner or later meets the woman who has daydreamed all her life of heel-pressing'.
Where internal controversy did arise in the liberal consensus was about the exact relation of variations to normal development - some considering in the wake of Freud that 'these different sexual orientations can best be explained and understood by comparison with normal development', and highlighting the fear of intimacy in perversion as 'a kind of sex...which is hedged about with special conditions...puts a vast distance between the partners'. From such a standpoint, 'whatever the deviant impulse or fantasy may be, that's where the real, true, loving sexuality is hidden' - a point of transition perhaps to some of the bleaker post-permissive visions of perversion.
Bleaker views
For some participants, 'Liberation, at least in its sexual form, was a new kind of imposed morality, quite as restricting' as what had gone before - one that 'took very little account of the complexity of human emotional connections' and was driven by 'the superego injunction to enjoy that permeates our discourse'. New, more sceptical currents of disenchantment with perversion emerged as a result (alongside more traditional condemnations) in both the French-speaking and English-speaking worlds.Lacan
Jacques Lacan
Jacques Marie Émile Lacan was a French psychoanalyst and psychiatrist who made prominent contributions to psychoanalysis and philosophy, and has been called "the most controversial psycho-analyst since Freud". Giving yearly seminars in Paris from 1953 to 1981, Lacan influenced France's...
had early highlighted 'the ambivalence
Ambivalence
Ambivalence is a state of having simultaneous, conflicting feelings toward a person or thing. Stated another way, ambivalence is the experience of having thoughts and/or emotions of both positive and negative valence toward someone or something. A common example of ambivalence is the feeling of...
proper to the "partial drives" of scoptophilia, sadomasochism, and homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
...the often very little "realised" aspect of the apprehension of others in the practice of certain of these perversions'. In his wake, others would stress how 'there is always, in any perverse act , an aspect of rape, in the sense that the Other must find himself drawn into the experience despite himself...a loss or abandonment of subjectivity.
Similarly, object relations theory
Object relations theory
Object relations theory is a psychodynamic theory within psychoanalytic psychology. The theory describes the process of developing a mind as one grows in relation to others in the environment....
would point to the way 'in perversion there is the refusal, the terror of strangeness'; to the way 'the "pervert"...attacks imaginative elaboration through compulsive action with an accomplice; and this is done to mask psychic pain'. Empirical studies would find 'in the perverse relationships described...an absolute absence of any shared pleasures'; while at the theoretical level 'perversions involve - the theory tells us - an attempted denial of the difference between the sexes and the generations', and include 'the wish to damage and dehumanize...the misery of the driven, damaging life'.
See also
- Fixed fantasyFixed fantasyA fixed fantasy — also known as a "dysfunctional schema" — is a belief or system of beliefs held by a single individual to be genuine, but that cannot be verified in reality...
- Kink (sexual)Kink (sexual)In human sexuality, kinkiness and kinky are terms used to refer to a playful usage of sexual concepts in an accentuated, and unambiguously expressive form....
- Richard von Krafft-Ebing
- Robert J. Stoller
- VoyeurismVoyeurismIn clinical psychology, voyeurism is the sexual interest in or practice of spying on people engaged in intimate behaviors, such as undressing, sexual activity, or other activity usually considered to be of a private nature....