One of the paraphillias, characterized by marked distress over, or acting on, sexual urges involving the use of nonliving objects (fetishes), such as underclothing, stockings, or boots.
A psychological disorder in which someone gets sexual satisfaction from touching objects.
Transfer of sexual or love interest to an object (fetish), either an inanimate object (e.g., underwear) or a part of the body not usually associated with sex (e.g., the foot). Partial fetishism or auxiliary fetishism refers to use of an object to heighten interest in heterosexual intercourse (e.g., the wearing of particular articles of clothing).
A psychiatric disorder involving intense, repeated sexual urges or fantasies focused on nonhuman objects, most often articles of clothing (such as shoes, undergarments, or boots). A person with fetishism often masturbates while holding or smelling the desired object or asks a sexual partner to wear it. In many cases the person can function sexually only if the object is present. Fetishism usually begins in adolescence and is likely to continue throughout life.
Sexual attraction to an inappropriate object (known as a fetish). This may be a part of the body (e.g. the foot or the hair), clothing (e.g. underwear or shoes), or other objects (e.g. leather handbags or rubber sheets). In all these cases the fetish has replaced the normal object of sexual love, in some cases to the point at which sexual relationships with another person are impossible or are possible only if the fetish is either present or fantasized. Treatment can involve psychotherapy or behavior therapy using aversion therapy and masturbatory conditioning of desirable sexual behavior.
This is a form of sexual deviation in which the person becomes sexually stimulated by parts of the body or objects which are not usually regarded as erotogenic. For example, some people are sexually aroused by items of clothing, by shoes, or by feet.
Belief in some object as possessing power or capable of being a stimulus.
Dependence on specific items to experience sexual arousal is known as fetishism. These objects may not necessarily possess an apparent sexual connotation; they could encompass various things like shoes, rubber or leather clothing, and even certain body parts like feet or ears.
The root cause of fetishism often remains unclear. Psychoanalysts suggest that it might stem from a childhood fixation on a particular aspect of the mother’s appearance that becomes a focal point of sexual interest. Treatment becomes necessary only if the behavior causes distress or leads to persistent engagement in criminal activities.