Psychological and Developmental Correlates of Paraphilic and Normophilic Sexual Interests

Abstract

The classification of sexual fantasies and behaviors (here referred to as ‘sexual interests’) has historically been divided into ‘paraphilic’ and ‘normophilic’. However, studies on paraphilic interests are often limited to clinical or forensic samples and normophilic interests are rarely assessed in tandem. Previous research has found mixed results for psychological and other correlates of sexual interests, potentially due to inconsistency in operationalism and measurement of fantasies and behaviors. The aim of the current study was to quantify correlates of sexual interests via the Sexual Fantasies and Behaviors Inventory, containing factors related to general fantasies/behaviors, normophilia, power dynamics, sadomasochism, and courtship paraphilias, using a large ( N = 4280) non-clinical sample. Psychological, developmental, sexual, and demographic correlates were investigated via bivariate correlations, mean difference testing, and multiple regression. Sexual interest domains were largely unrelated to psychopathology and developmental factors. Sociosexuality and more accepting attitudes towards sadomasochism was generally related to more arousal to/engagement in normophilic and paraphilic domains. More autism spectrum disorder traits were related to decreased normophilic interests. Psychopathic traits, sexual sensation seeking, and sexual compulsivity were related to paraphilia dimensions, especially courtship paraphilias and domination/sadism; the former was also associated with negative attitudes about establishing consent. Men, non-monogamous, and non-heterosexual participants indicated greater sexual fantasies and behaviors compared to women (except in the case of submission and masochism), monogamous, and heterosexual participants, respectively.

Testing the Factor Structure and Construct Validity of the German Version of Gray et al.’s (2003) Sexual Fantasy Questionnaire

“…Since all these items reflected non-paraphilic content, we termed this factor normophilic sexual fantasies. This aligns with the DSM-5’s normophilic versus paraphilic classification system, which, according to Brown et al ( 2022 , 2023 ), avoids labeling sexual fantasy content in frequency terms (typical vs. atypical), offending terms (deviant vs. non-deviant), or culturally-bound terms (normative vs. non-normative). The second factor is a perfect replication of the 17-item sexualized aggression factor by Bartels and Harper.…”

Dark Tetrad personality traits, paraphilic interests, and the role of impulsivity: an EEG-study using a Go/No-Go paradigm

“…In addition, various studies have demonstrated that Dark Tetrad traits are linked to an increased likelihood of developing paraphilic interests and behaviors 11 . The four constructs share characteristics of manipulation, callousness, lack of empathy and deceitful behavior 8 , but also contain unique features that seem to be distinctively related to paraphilic interests and behaviors 12 , 13 .…”