Putting It All Together

Abstract: Unconventional sexual interests and behaviors can be classified in four ways. The system that appeals most to each person depends on the person’s background and preferred working paradigm. Those who think of paraphilias from a medical perspective will tend to think of possible anatomic or physiologic pathologies. Those who think of paraphilias from a behavioral perspective will tend to think of learned interests and behaviors due to mechanisms such as unconditioned and conditioned primary and second-order responses, blocking, generalization, punishment, and extinction. Those who think of paraphilias as variations on the range of sexual interests and behaviors shared by diverse population samples of humans will be prone to depathologize paraphilias and avoid categories. Those who focus on understanding the meaning that the paraphilia has for the person with the paraphilia will tend to think in terms of the person’s life history. This chapter reviews perspectives and paradigms concerning the paraphilias. A new classification scheme for the paraphilias is presented. The benefits of a new paradigm for the paraphilias that explains the changes seen in people with paraphilias is presented. A plea is made for productive future collaborations.