What is a fetish? Characteristics and links with psychopathology

A summary of the concept of fetish from the point of view of psychology and sexology.

The word fetish can refer, from an anthropological point of view, to amulets and elements of a certain type of tribal cult or, from a psychological point of view, to the relative obsession with a certain object, especially in a sexual way.

This last definition is the one we are going to develop in more depth throughout this article, in addition to understanding whether fetishism is or is not a psychological disorder. Let's discover in more depth what is a fetish..

What is a fetish in psychology?

In its most general sense, a fetish is understood as a material object of worship to which magical and supernatural properties are granted, which can be venerated as an idol. This type of objects are those used in many ancient tribes and civilizations and their idolatry has been the foundational pillar of many modern religions. The idolatry of fetishes is something universal, appearing in many different parts of the world.

However, the definition we will deal with does not have to do with this anthropological conception of what a fetish is, but its definition is more psychological in nature. Specifically in the field of the psychology of sexuality we understand as a fetish an object or part of the body that inspires some kind of sexual attraction to someone, although normally this element has no sexual meaning in our species.

The word "fetish" comes from the Latin "facticius", which means artificial and invented, referring to the fact that the meaning attributed to it is totally subjective, either cultural or sexual. The word would have evolved into "feitiço", a word used by Portuguese navigators to refer to the cult objects they encountered on their voyages, of obsessive fascination. This same word evolved to "fétiche" in French, from which comes "fetish", acquiring the definition we have just seen.

The sexual fetish

The origins of the word "fetish" used with a sexual connotation in psychology are to be found in Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic theory.. It was he himself who gave it the definition of anomalous sexual attraction to an object or part of the body that has little to do with the reproductive function. Among these objects and situations without a clear reproductive function but that activate a sexual response we would have high heels, BDSM harnesses, leather clothes, lingerie, whips, chains, feet, armpits....

A fetish can also be a specific situation or action. There are people who have a real fetish with people who smoke, wear executive clothes or walk in a certain way. The sexual interest in being tickled, tied, whipped, gagged or humiliated (BDSM practices) or pissed on (pissing) would also be a fetish. These fetishisms are more intense than those directly related to one type of object, and there are many communities of people that communities of people looking for sexual partners with whom to practice them are not few in number..

Among the objects that would not be considered sexual fetishes we would have objects intended for sexual stimulation, such as vibrators. These devices, while not "natural", are specifically designed to arouse sexual arousal. They do so not because the person feels that they produce some kind of attraction, but because, when placed on the genitals, they produce physical stimulation in that same place as if it were another person's genitalia.

Theories about fetishism

Sex arouses a lot of interest and, if we talk about sex that is out of the social norm, even more. For this reason, it is not surprising that countless theories have been put forward to explain fetishism, in addition to debating whether or not it is a disorder. Here are the two most we will discover the two most relevant theories about this type of sexual behavior.

Psychoanalytic theory

Freud was one of the first psychologists to deal psychologically with sexual fetishism. In his case he was talking about a sexual behavior that was activated in the presence of an object or element that, in principle, should not have sexual meaning objectively speaking, but that the fetishist person attributed to it.

For psychoanalysis, the fetish is a perverse manifestation, considering it the nucleus and common place of all other paraphilias.

According to this current, fetishism is the way in which the subject's problems with social norms are manifested, especially when these norms are very strict. This can be related to the time Freud lived, since at the end of the 19th century (Victorian Era) there was a lot of sexual repression.

This repression meant that people had almost no sexual freedom at all.This repression caused people to have almost no sexual freedom, causing them to develop the darkest and most unspeakable fantasies in their innermost being. The greater the sexual repression, the more intense the fetishism. It is at this time that we begin to talk about behaviors such as voyeurism, sadomasochism or transvestism.

For other psychoanalysts, as would be the case of Piera Aulagnier, fetishism would be a border state between neurosis and psychosis. Once this barrier is overcome, the individual would enter directly into the world of psychosis and, therefore, of psychosis. and, therefore, of hallucinatory psychopathology, such as schizophrenia.

Theory of conditioning

Psychoanalysis is very interesting but it has already lost a lot of weight in the scientific field. For this reason it has been necessary to put forward other theories to explain the reason for the existence of fetishism, and among them we have the behavioral proposals, as well as those supported by classical figures such as the psychiatrist Richard von Krafft-Ebing or the psychologist Alfred Binet.

The conditioning theory explains that fetishism is the result of conditioning during the fetishist subject's childhood. The origin of their sexual fixation towards an object or part of the body would be due to a casual circumstance that occurred during the process of learning and sexual self-knowledge. When the fetish object and sexual exploration coincide, the person would associate pleasure with this object..

This relationship would become established until adulthood, transformed into a very strong sexual interest towards the object and transformed into an important element during sexual intercourse or any sexual relationship. In case the fetish is not present during intercourse, it is quite likely that the sexual response does not occur.

Fetishism, good or bad?

A widespread debate is whether sexual fetishism is a good or a bad thing, that is, whether it implies a psychopathological disorder or not. As with any other paraphilia, fetishism is not considered a disorder or psychological problem as long as it does not harm other people or imply a cognitive, social, occupational or emotional impairment in the person.

Traditionally, fetishism has been seen as a disorder, understood as an abnormal sexual attraction to a certain object or element. The logic behind this idea is that, since it is outside the norm, it must, of necessity, be pathological.. However, this idea has been overcome and, in fact, it is considered normal for people to have some kind of fetishism. Anyone can have a certain degree of fetishistic arousal, outside of what would be considered "normal" sex, without having a fetishistic disorder.

There is nothing strange or extravagant about having a fetish, and it is something that should not embarrass anyone according to experts, nor should it be kept hidden from the couple. In fact, fetishes, if done well, allow you to get out of the monotony of sex. Performing the same sexual practices over and over again with a partner can end up wearing them out, something that, in the long run, could even end it. Fulfilling this type of small perversions is something necessary for the couple to feel satisfied.

Fetishism is considered a disorder if the person is completely dependent on his or her fetish for sexual response.. For example, a person who has a fetishism with high heels, if he is only aroused by the presence of high heels without looking at the person wearing them, has a problem. Solo poder realizar el sexo ante teniendo cerca el objeto en cuestión limita mucho la experiencia sexual, haciendo que la persona necesite unas condiciones muy específicas para poder excitarse.

Referencias bibliográficas:

• Bancroft, John (2009). Human Sexuality and Its Problems. Elsevier Health Sciences. pp. 283–286.
• Darcangelo, S. (2008). "Fetishism: Psychopathology and Theory". In Laws, D. R.; O'Donohue, W. T. (eds.). Sexual Deviance: Theory, Assessment, and Treatment, 2nd edition. The Guilford Press. pp. 112–113.
• Ramachandran, V. S. (1994). "Phantom limbs, neglect syndromes, repressed memories, and Freudian psychology". International Review of Neurobiology. 37: 291–333. doi:10.1016/S0074-7742(08)60254-8. ISBN 9780123668370. PMID 7883483.