Narratophilia

Michael Furlong ** Narratophilia ** Narratophilia comes from the Latin word, narrae, “to narrate” and Greek, philia, “love” that involves on the focus on the use of dirty or obscene words with a sexual partner (Laws-O’Donohue, 2008). Narratophilia is commonly referred to a sexual fetish but is better described as a paraphilia which is defined as a [|condition] occurring in men and women of being compulsively responsive to and obligatively dependent upon an unusual and personally or socially unacceptable stimulus, perceived or in the [|imagery] of [|fantasy], for optimal initiation and maintenance of [|erotosexual] arousal and the facilitation or attainment of [|orgasm]  (Health Dictionary). Those that indulge in narratophilia are known as narratophiles. The arousal from the focus on dirty or obscene words most commonly comes from sexual story telling. These stories that cause such arousal are classified as dirty, pornographic, or obscene (Money 1986). Narratophilia is also used to describe the reciprocal condition where an individual’s sexual focus is on the hearing (or reading) of erotic, obscene, or pornographic words or stories, or better described as the person telling a story to a sexual partner can also get aroused (Laws-O’Donohue 2008). Telling erotic stories, listening to them, or reading them to someone that has narratophilia is like watching erotic movies or videotapes to them (Money 1986). Different avenue’s one may seek to achieve narratophilia are story telling by one partner to another during or before sex, erotic literature, cyber sex, audio tape, or phone sex (Blasingame 2005). Texting has also become a very popular way to cause arousal for the both the person sending and receiving. These stories can occur in a casual or common place, but the stories must also be genitoerrotically essential (meaning that the narrative must specifically focus on imagery of the genitalia) (Money 1986).  ** Intensity and Frequency ** Narratophilia is used by narratophiles to stimulate an erection, or hearing or telling of a sexual story in extreme cases can even cause ejaculation without any sexual contact with another. In some severe cases of narratophilia (known as // exclusive // narratophilia), the narratophile is unable to get aroused without the presence of a sexual story or literature. In preferred narratophilia, the person prefers narratophilia compared to conventional sexual practices but will still engage in normal sexual activity. In optional narratophilia, the person may just be sexually curious and want to try something difference to enhance their sexual experience (American   Psychiatric Association 2010).

** Paraphilias ** As mentioned before narratophila is considered paraphilia which is commonly described as a sexual deviancy. Historically, The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders has consistently had two criterion for a sexual behavior to be considered a paraphila. The first is that the individual must display recurrent, intense sexually arousing fantasies, sexual urges, or behaviors generally involving 1) nonhuman objects, 2) the suffering or humiliation of oneself or one’s partner, or 3) children or other non-consenting persons that occur over a period of at least 6 months. The second is that the diagnosis is made if the person has acted on these urges // or //the urges or sexual fantasies cause marked distress or interpersonal difficulties (Laws-O’Donohue 2008). There has been much controversy surrounding these criteria, which explains why the criteria has changed frequently in the past and most likely will continue to undergo revisions. There have been known to be over 150 known paraphilias that fall under four general categories. These categories are nonhuman objects, suffering or humiliation of oneself or one’s partner, children or other non-consenting persons, and the atypical focus involving human subjects (self and others) (Laws-O’Donohue 2008). Narratophilia is listed under the “Suffering or Humiliating of Oneself or One’s Partner” because the humility one or one’s partner must go through by engaging in the story telling or listening of unreal sexual fantasies (Laws-O’Donohue 2008).  Because of the widespread use of narratophilia over the internet, a new paraphilia, “chascatophilia” has been proposed. This term describes an erotic focus on sending obscene words over the internet. However, most scholars do not believe that a new category for internet transmission of obscene words over the internet is warranted, but the growing popularity of trends like “sexting” is making it difficult to ignore (Laws-O’Donohue 2008).
 * Chatscatophilia **

** Frequency With Men ** Although paraphilia is rare, and narraarophilia is more specifically uncommon, narratophila is mostly found in men more than women (Montagu 1986). This is the case with almost all paraphilias because most paraphilias are stimulated by the brain and not by touch. Because narratophilia can be achieved without even another person being present, this is why it is most common among men. Feel and contact are essential to a woman’s arousal (Montagu 1986). Because narratophilia is done through verbal communication, women are not as easily aroused by this.

** Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ** <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The America Psychiatric Association has specified narratophilia and other paraphilias as a “subclass” of psychosexual disorders of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental disorders. Narratophilia and other paraphilias are currently listed under the term “paraphilias not otherwise specified” (Laws-O’Donohue 2008). <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> ** <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Disorder Classification ** <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">There has been much controversy over if Narratophilia and paraphilias should be considered as a disorder. According to the American Psychiatric Association a paraphilia by itself does not require psychiatric intervention. If one was experiencing personal distress or impairment, or harm to others as a result from a condition such as narratophilia, it would then be considered a disorder (American Psychiatric Association, 2010). If someone is suffering from a narratophilia disorder then help must be sought by oneself or a professional because of the harm done to oneself and others. Paraphilia disorders can be treated by drugs, psychotherapy, and self-help groups. The drugs they use for paraphilias are not as necessary for narratophilia because they are known “chemical castrations” that are generally used for more severe paraphilias like pedophilia (Williams 2011). Drugs would limit the sexual drive for narratophiles but would not change their style of getting sexually aroused through sexual words or conversation.

** <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Case Example ** <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">A man in Minnesota lost his family and job after he was arrested for engaging in homosexual activity in a men’s bathroom. He acted as a bisexual by having sex with his wife once every Saturday and he would later admit that he aroused himself with his wife by narrating military stories to himself from his days of military service about the masturbatory exploits of soldiers (Money 1986).

<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">American Psychiatric Association. // Proposed Revisions to the DSM-5 Development. //7 April 2011. [|http://www.dsm5.org/ProposedRevisions/Pages/proposedrevision.aspx?rid=186#] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;">Blasingame, Gerrry. “Developmentally Disabled Persons with Sexual Behavior Problems.” Wood & Barnes Publishing. 2005.  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;">Laws, D. Richard and O’Donohue, William. “Sexual Deviance: Theory, Assessment, and Treatment.” The Guilford Press. 2008.  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;">Money, John. “Lovemaps: Clinical Concepts of Sexual/Erotic Health and Pathology, Paraphilia, and Gender Transposition in Childhood, Adolescence, and Maturity.” Irvington Publishers, Inc. 1986 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;">Montagu, Ashley. “Touching: The Human Significance of the Skin.” Harper & Row, Publishers Inc. 1986 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;">Next Great. “I’m Not Wearing any Panties – SEND.” 18 Nov 2009. IMAGE. []. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;">The Health Dictionary. 2005. 6 April 2011. []. <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Williams Ph.D., Monica. “Compulsive Sexual Behavior and Sexual Addiction: Defining Paraphilias and Related Disorders.” [|www.BrainPhysics.com]. Accessed 9 April 2011. [] <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 20.0pt; line-height: 115%;">
 * <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">References **