Summation of arousal in partial fetishism

J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry. 1988 Dec;19(4):297-300. doi: 10.1016/0005-7916(88)90061-4.

Abstract

A summation model of classical conditioning was used to describe the deviant sexual arousal pattern of a male psychiatric patient. Penile assessment showed a response to a compound stimulus (radio static plus a picture of a woman) that was approximately equal to the sum of the responses to each component alone. The subject's self-report of sexual arousal followed a similar pattern. A distinction was made between total and partial fetishism. It was suggested that what may be particularly troublesome in partial fetishism is the potential for high levels of summated arousal.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Arousal*
  • Auditory Perception
  • Conditioning, Psychological
  • Fetishism, Psychiatric / psychology*
  • Fetishism, Psychiatric / therapy
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Masturbation
  • Paraphilic Disorders / psychology*
  • Social Environment