Are you an Exhibitionist?
Although displaying your genitals in public is illegal in
many parts of the world, a huge number of people have done it at one time or
another. Countless men and women have flashed each other at Mardi Gras
celebrations, and many a college fraternity and sorority have gone streaking
across campus. So does this mean that the world is full of exhibitionists? Not
exactly. Behaviors like this are usually fueled by alcohol and a temporary
loosening of one’s inhibitions. The true exhibitionist (in the clinical sense)
doesn’t require any “liquid courage” and doesn’t get naked as part of an
organized social event or in a situation in which public nudity is accepted.
Instead, psychologists reserve the term “exhibitionist” for persons who engage
in socially inappropriate nudity for the sole purpose of sexual arousal.
From a psychological standpoint, the defining characteristic
of an exhibitionist is a strong urge to expose one’s genitals to an
unsuspecting stranger.1 Such exposure usually occurs in public places where
there is an easy escape route (e.g., parks and subways). The goal of this
exposure is to evoke a shocked reaction from the other person, which is what
the exhibitionist finds to be sexually arousing. In fact, exhibitionists
usually fantasize about this shocked reaction afterward when sexually
pleasuring themselves. Exhibitionism is classified as a disorder when these
urges cause psychological distress or when the individual begins to act upon
them and starts victimizing others.
Like most unusual sexual interests, exhibitionism tends
to be far more common among men than women. For instance, a national survey
from Sweden revealed that 4.1% of men and 2.1% of women indicated that they had
revealed their genitals to a stranger at least one time in their lives and
found it to be sexually arousing.2 In addition to being more inclined to expose
themselves, men are also more likely to be arrested for such behavior, probably
because a female flashing victim is more likely to call the police than a male
flashing victim.
Where does exhibitionism come from? We know that such
behaviors begin early in life. For instance, research has found that some
exhibitionists report flashing others as young as age 12, with fully half
starting by age 15.3 Perhaps not surprisingly, this behavior is linked to
having poor social and interpersonal skills,4 which suggests that some individuals
may turn to this behavior because they are unable to establish a more
conventional sexual relationship. If the individual finds the behavior highly
pleasurable the first time, it may create a very powerful psychological
association that is difficult to break.
One caveat to all of this is that there are some people
who identify as “exhibitionists,” but who do not expose themselves to strangers
or get off on the thought of seeing another person’s shocked or disgusted
reaction. Individuals who experience arousal by exposing their genitals to a
willing audience (e.g., exotic dancers, people who perform sex acts on webcams)
would not be classified as having a psychological disorder. Thus, keep in mind
that there is a world of difference between the clinical definition of
exhibitionism and how this term is used in everyday language.
Image Source: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/432584
Post a Comment