The Fetishism Book, Preface

Some of you may already now, but my contribution to this wonderful blog will also include a interesting summary of fetishism. Before we get started, you should know some facts about fetishishm. on wikipedia:

Sexual fetishism is a form of paraphilia where the object of affection is a specific inanimate object or part of a person's body. It was first described in these terms by Alfred Binet in his Le fétichisme dans l’amour, though the concept and certainly the activity is quite ancient. The term arose from "fetish", a term used in anthropology for an object believed to have supernatural powers.

Freud's early theories

As Sigmund Freud described it, sexual fetishes in men are the result of childhood trauma regarding castration anxiety. According to this theory, a boy curious to see his mother's penis averts his eyes in horror when he discovers his mother has no penis. The inanimate object on which the boy focuses when he averts his eyes becomes the fetishized object. Later in life, the fetishized object must be present in order for the man to complete orgasm. Within this framework, men are capable of having sexual fetishes, while women are incapable—something which makes this a falsifiable theory. This is a point of contention for feminists analyzing Freud's work, who point out that observed fetishistic behavior in many women falsifies Freud's theory. Despite such flaws, the theory was taken seriously when conceived.

Modern theories of fetishism

Although Freud's theory on fetishes may seem peculiar and was based on anecdotal rather than empirical evidence, he had discovered a critical aspect of human sexuality: the relationship between human orgasms and conditioning. Ongoing studies make this relationship more clear. For example, in a study published by Dr. Lique M. Coolen on April 14, 2003 at an Experimental Biology conference in San Diego, California, male rats accustomed to having sex in a particular cage will have elevations of "pleasure-inducing chemicals in the brain" simply from being in the particular cage, even if a female or a female scent are not present. Sexual conditioning occurred. It has been hypothesized that human sexuality may similarly be tied to conditioning, and this may explain the phenomenon of sexual fetishism.

This is consistent with the theory that fetishism derives from behavioural imprinting in early childhood, a phenomenon which is not only supported by anecdotal evidence in humans, but can be demonstrated experimentally in other animal species. Another theory is also based on the principles of behavioural imprinting which states that young males masturbate frequently and as one develops a frequent pattern, the objects that are frequently nearby at the time of masturbation become likely objects of arousal in the future. The individual is thus associating the object(s) with sexual orgasm. It is theorized that because the brain is recording all sensory input during masturbation and orgasm including vision, smell, hearing and even taste, this simultaneous information can become neuronally linked with the pleasure of the activity. If nearly identical conditions are experienced during repeated masturbation sessions, the brain may learn to strongly associate any object(s), clothing or even the surrounding environment with impending pleasure and eventual orgasm.

It is also hypothesized that the modern world provides many opportunities for superstimulus based on objects that both mimic and exaggerate natural stimuli.

I appreciate the efforts of all those who provide input for this book, and I encourage you to contact me with any suggestions or comments you might have.