Me, a sadist. My new discovery *WARNING. TRIGGER, GRAPHIC*

Why can’t the similar mechanisms explain discrepancy between number of male paraphilics and number of female paraphilics? Maybe females with the same mutations (or other factors) that give rise to exclusive paraphilia in males have stronger protection from the effects of these mutations and can have more "normal" sexuality, less exclusive paraphilia.

But we don't even have an accurate number of paraphiles of either gender.
Most studies pull from prison populations or sex offenders. That's not accurate sampling and it makes the results really biased. So the numbers are probably very skewed.

In fact, I've read studies about how underreported sex offenses (both on adults and on children) committed by women are.

And even using sex offenders as participants to study paraphilia is inherently problematic because many (if not most) paraphiles don't plan on offending and won't offend. If people want to study paraphilias, they're doing the wrong thing by studying sex offenders.

I agree with Countess.

"Offending" is different from "feeling". Urges to offend are also different from just "feeling".
It's also wrong to say all paraphiles have urges to offend or will offend eventually in their lives...

I like this line of reasoning. Offending and feeling are different things entirely.

Just about everybody likes money. Very few people are at risk of robbing a bank. For some reason, everybody gets this distinction.

And, to let it be a closer topic, it is a pretty typical human experience to be attracted to somebody, and nothing happens. I think that's 90% or 99% of the time, for most of us.

I think paraphilias are "icky" enough to most people that they're driven underground, out of view, not talked about, in hiding. Which is a self-fulfilling prophecy, because this makes them appear less common and less normal than they are. That's the only reason they get "icky" in the first place. It's an erroneous reaction, an artifact.

I agree with you Mayapple and I like the bank example.

Anyway, Kirill, it's better to stay focused on the thread's topic, threads like this are not made for debates which might generate chaos or disagreements.

ifelongthing, I did not mean to disrespect you in any way, so I'm saying sorry if I came across as aggressive or disrespecting, in reality I respect every victim of abuse.
What I was trying to say is just that each person has their own experience, genetics, mindset, etc., and what works for someone may not work for someone else. Also, there's a difference between abuse victims or trauma-induced paraphilias and paraphilias present in someone since birth and part of their sexual orientation, tastes and "preference", if you wanna call it that.
Again, I didn't mean to offend anyone or disrespect anyone, sorry.

Thank you. Again, however, you misunderstood me. I see absolutely no way for you to somehow know if my paraphilia, fetishes or whatever they may or may not be stem completely from trauma or not. I see no reason or way for you to in any way know that mine are any less valid than yours based on the fact that I have had traumatic experiences. My sexuality, how my own therapists have labeled them, is actually not for you to decide whether or not is what they say. I was trying to open up about this aspect but again you are basically telling me that mine are not as valid because I am a trauma victim. That is offensive to me and to many others here who have aspects of their sexuality they are struggling with or have the official or preliminary diagnosis of a paraphilic disorder or fetish disorder or deals with their paraphilias or fetishes in therapy or in their daily lives and have had traumatic things happen to them. Not everything is that black and white and I will again remind you that there is no diagnostic tool that differentiates whether or not someone has trauma in regards to whether or not they have a sexual disorder of this kind. I have parts of my sexuality that are what would be considered "disordered" but that I have no reason to believe comes from trauma. I have parts of my sexuality I readily label mere PTSD. Please don't think you can make that distinction better than me and my therapists.

ElKahn wrote:--- Also, there's a difference between abuse victims or trauma-induced paraphilias and paraphilias present in someone since birth and part of their sexual orientation, tastes and "preference", if you wanna call it that. ---

OK, I read and understand this, but where does this statement come from? I have been curious about the origins of paraphilias for years, and what I read doesn't say anybody knows for sure. Can you please give us some leads, a link or something, that gets us at the truth about this point?

Of course I am curious about my own case. I certainly had significant trauma. But my earliest memories of paraphilia predate the trauma. I wonder if I remember things wrong, or if there is earlier trauma I haven't recalled, or what. But I am also sure this question matters to other people too.

Mayapple, I can help you. There are a lot of materials in scientific literature about pedophilia. For example:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1687 ... stractPlus
http://archpsyc.jamanetwork.com/article ... eid=482315
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1803 ... t=Abstract

There is one interesting Russian source: http://www.rusmedserv.com/psychsex/book/gl8.htm
Andrej Tkachenko claimed there “Факт преимущественного значения органической патологии в формировании парафилий в свете проведенных исследований является почти бесспорным.” Tranalation : The fact of primary value of organic pathology in the forming of paraphilias is almost indisputable in the light of carried out studies.

Personally I had mild organic brain damage in uterus from hypoxia. But it is not only one factor in my case (autogynephilia). Every condition stems from combination of genes and environment. Environment includes biological and psychosocial factors.

lifelongthing wrote:Thank you. Again, however, you misunderstood me. I see absolutely no way for you to somehow know if my paraphilia, fetishes or whatever they may or may not be stem completely from trauma or not. I see no reason or way for you to in any way know that mine are any less valid than yours based on the fact that I have had traumatic experiences. My sexuality, how my own therapists have labeled them, is actually not for you to decide whether or not is what they say. I was trying to open up about this aspect but again you are basically telling me that mine are not as valid because I am a trauma victim. That is offensive to me and to many others here who have aspects of their sexuality they are struggling with or have the official or preliminary diagnosis of a paraphilic disorder or fetish disorder or deals with their paraphilias or fetishes in therapy or in their daily lives and have had traumatic things happen to them. Not everything is that black and white and I will again remind you that there is no diagnostic tool that differentiates whether or not someone has trauma in regards to whether or not they have a sexual disorder of this kind. I have parts of my sexuality that are what would be considered "disordered" but that I have no reason to believe comes from trauma. I have parts of my sexuality I readily label mere PTSD. Please don't think you can make that distinction better than me and my therapists.

Again, sorry, but I think we both misunderstood each other, or I just expressed myself badly.
Anyway I never meant your sexuality is less valid than mine or someone's else, I was just talking about possible different "origins" of them.

I have parts of my sexuality that are what would be considered "disordered" but that I have no reason to believe comes from trauma. I have parts of my sexuality I readily label mere PTSD. Please don't think you can make that distinction better than me and my therapists.

I don't doubt what you say, and never stated I can make distinction better than anyone else, I can only speak for myself as I'm not into people's minds so I'm surely not able to know people's personal life stories or why they are a certain way.
As I said, we either misunderstood each other or I just expressed myself very badly.

And again, I apologize for my often horrible and aggressive personality, but please keep in mind I never meant to offend you or other people in general.

-- Fri Mar 14, 2014 1:01 am --

Mayapple wrote:

ElKahn wrote:--- Also, there's a difference between abuse victims or trauma-induced paraphilias and paraphilias present in someone since birth and part of their sexual orientation, tastes and "preference", if you wanna call it that. ---

OK, I read and understand this, but where does this statement come from? I have been curious about the origins of paraphilias for years, and what I read doesn't say anybody knows for sure. Can you please give us some leads, a link or something, that gets us at the truth about this point?

Of course I am curious about my own case. I certainly had significant trauma. But my earliest memories of paraphilia predate the trauma. I wonder if I remember things wrong, or if there is earlier trauma I haven't recalled, or what. But I am also sure this question matters to other people too.

There's no absolute truth and I hold no absolute truth. That statement just came from my own mind and my own theories, feel free to agree or disagree, I have no scientific explanations or links for it, got no scientific knowledge, I'm into politics and laws not into science, but maybe try googling something.