Fetishes and Fetishistic Disorders Past and Present by
Alfred Binet
by Barry Wright
Essay: Fetishes and Fetishistic Disorders Past and Present by Alfred Binet
Pages: 10
Rating: 3 stars
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When you hear the word “fetish” most people automatically think of something they would consider to be “weird”
or “disgusting.” However, most people never stop to think of the origin of fetishes, why people engage in them,
and how the people suffering from what is now called fetishistic disorder deal with their urges and feelings in their
day to day lives. When put into perspective, fetishes are not what they seem and the people that have them are
not so “strange” after all.
The term “fetishism” first came to light in 1887. Psychologist Alfred Binet first presented the terminology to
explain those that feel sexually attracted to inanimate objects. As the years passed, other psychologists such as
Richard von Krafft-Ebing and Sigmund Freud made adjustments to the word until it encompassed all
overwhelming urges to use an object or part of the body that is normally considered nonsexual to reach sexual
fulfillment. (Sexual Fetishism, 2003, Metacalf, Luke, Nationmaster.com) Until the time of the sexual revolution,
fetishes where thought of as abnormal or deviant behaviors and mental illnesses. However, in more recent years
the more acceptable “paraphilia” has been used to label those who have peculiar sexual desires. (Crooks & Baur,
(2013). Our Sexuality (12 Edition) Page 488)
The way that a sexual fetish is first developed within a person has been debated but the general consensus among
physiologists is that they begin at an early age generally after some kind of event or trauma. Fetishes can also start
once a person reaches adulthood, but this is rare. Most of the individuals with fetishes are men and the intensity
of the need for the object or body part they enjoy can very. Some people like to enjoy their fetish rarely while ot...