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Exhibitionism is a sexual preference disorder, which is the process of achieving sexual arousal through exposure, usually in front of a person of the opposite sex. It mainly affects men. They feel an internal, uncontrolled compulsion to show their genitals to strangers. How to behave when you see an exhibitionist? Can this deviation be treated?

Exhibitionismis a type of mental disorder, and more precisely a sexual disorder, which manifests itself in showing one's genitals to strangers, usually of the opposite sex, and this happens by surprise, completely unexpectedly for attacked.

Who is the exhibitionist?

The exhibitionist derives sexual pleasure from displaying the genitals and thus causing his victim confusion and fear. This reaction of fear or shock (ideally if it was also extended to include curiosity) increases the excitement of the exhibitionist, who overweight additionally masturbates. Importantly, exhibitionists feel such a strong need to expose themselves, even internal compulsion, that they forget about shame. They just "have to" relieve tension. An additional stimulus for them is uncertainty and fear that they will not be caught or recognized.

Research conducted in Poland shows that 16% of women and 5% of men have met an exhibitionist in their lives.

Exhibitionism as a paraphilia occurs almost exclusively in men (most often at the age of 20-50), while when it comes to exposing, it is one of the symptoms of mental retardation or mental illness (epilepsy with impaired consciousness, dementia, schizophrenia simple), is more common in sick women. Perhaps he althy women also have the need to undress in front of strangers, but they unload it by wearing very skimpy outfits and it is difficult to classify such cases.

It is worth adding that exhibitionism can have different levels of intensity. Most people for whom the ideal of sexual fulfillment is to expose themselves in public actually… don't. Exhibitionism remains a fantasy for them, and they usually satisfy themselves (though perhaps not 100 percent) by having sex with a partner, or by masturbating. But there are also those who feel innercompulsion to undress, for example in a park, at least once every few years. Those who do it habitually, addicted to it, and at the same time are completely unable to have ordinary sexual intercourse, make up a small percentage.

Exhibitionism - reasons

Psychologists don't know exactly what causes exhibitionism. The causes of each paraphilia are seen, for example, in a personality disorder or in some childhood event. Perhaps the future exhibitionist was molested by a pedophile, experienced a premature or unusual sexual initiation, or was a victim of violence. However, some had a typical childhood where nothing suspicious happened, and yet, at some point in their lives, they found that their greatest pleasure was being spied on and watched by others. Other potential causes of exhibitionism include head injuries, childhood ADHD or high testosterone levels, which is why drugs that lower the level of this hormone are used to treat this disorder.

Specialists did not show any correlation between exhibitionism and the level of education, profession or the environment he comes from. It happens that in older men this disorder is the result of atherosclerotic processes in the brain or brain tumors.

It is also worth emphasizing thatexhibitionists are people with very low self-esteem who have great difficulty in establishing interpersonal relationships, and if they manage to cause fear / interest in a stranger, they gain a sense of power - they are the masters of the situation . These are the few moments when, perhaps, they compensate for the hardships of living in the shade, being underappreciated or treated indulgently in an everyday environment, e.g. at work.

Interestingly, exhibitionists often believe that their atypical way of achieving sexual satisfaction is not a bad thing, they don't feel guilty about their victims and don't think that they should be treated, and even that punishing them is incompatible with the Universal The Declaration of Sexual Rights established in 1997 in Spain, which states, inter alia, that: “To ensure the he althy development of the sexuality of human societies and individuals, all societies must recognize, promote, respect and defend these sexual rights by all means. Sexual he alth thrives in an environment that recognizes, respects and respects these rights. "

Is the exhibitionist dangerous?

An exhibitionist is a shy, withdrawn person with low self-esteem. He's not dangerous. They usually wait for their victims at dusk or in the morning, when the traffic on the streets is lower. He chooses secluded places, such as parks, gates, variousalleys, but this is not necessarily the case. It can surprise you anywhere, even in the middle of the city, or by cycling (!). Usually he undresses in front of a single woman walking, less often in front of a larger group, because then the risk of being humiliated increases. A lonely girl will not be prone to ridicule, rather she will be scared. According to research, the victim of an exhibitionist is not at risk of rape. However, it can meet with scaring, deliberately causing shock by the perpetrator, making her scream, etc. In this case we are dealing with a type of exhibitionism called peodeictophilia.

Worth knowing

What to do when we meet an exhibitionist?

It is difficult to prepare for a meeting with a naked man who, in addition, tries to prevent his victim from expecting anything. In the first moment, a woman attacked in this way (as a rule, but the reverse situation may also happen) is terrified, because such a situation may clearly be associated with the risk of rape. However, after cooling down from the first shock, you should look away as soon as possible and walk away, it is also worth calling the police or the municipal police.

You should definitely not laugh or humiliate the man, as it is not sure how he will react. Most exhibitionists, as already mentioned, do not seek sexual contact, because they are satisfied by simply exposing themselves. Usually they are also not prone to aggression, and when ridiculed they run away. But there are exceptions to the rule everywhere. Besides, we don't know if the man suddenly emerging from the bushes is just an exhibitionist or a rapist. So it's always a good idea to have pepper spray or a loud alarm for help with you at all times. In a critical situation, you just have to run away.

Is exhibitionism punishable?

Exposing yourself in public is punishable by law. A person who behaves indecently may be fined in accordance with Art. 140 and art. 141 of the Petty Offenses Code. The exhibitionist is subject to a pen alty of arrest, restriction of liberty, a fine of up to PLN 1,500 or a reprimand. Persons under the age of 15 face 12 years in prison for displaying "sexual activities".

Exhibitionism - treatment

This deviation can be treated, but it requires a lot of work on the part of the patient himself, as well as his doctors and sexologists. An exhibitionist is usually treated only when he is caught in his act and punished. One of the elements of the judgment is participation in therapy. Before that, however, the deviant must be properly diagnosed (a man caught naked in the park may well be, for example, mentally ill or a rapist). Procedurediagnostic in this case includes:

  • general history and neurological research. If the patient has had a head injury or is suspected, a computed tomography (CT) of the head or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is performed;
  • examination by a psychiatrist who determines the mental state of the patient, excludes possible mental illnesses, mental retardation and even depression;
  • blood tests for the concentration of sex hormones, especially testosterone;
  • blood and urine tests for psychoactive substances;
  • assessment of sexual behavior;
  • checking if the respondent has a tendency to use violence, pedophilia, aggression.

If the results of the above tests clearly classify the patient as an exhibitionist, he must undergo therapy. It uses elements of psychotherapy, relaxation techniques, aversive techniques (inducing a feeling of disgust with exposing oneself) and pharmacotherapy (e.g. drugs lowering testosterone levels).

An exhibitionist, first of all, needs to understand that what he is doing is punishable by law, that he may even be imprisoned. In addition, it can have very unpleasant consequences for him - from losing the respect of his surroundings and loved ones, to deteriorating relations at work, and even to the loss of it, so, at least for his own good, he should refrain from exposing himself in public places. Therapy aims to teach the patient to recognize an impending need and to control it. If it is difficult to completely eliminate it, you can try to work around it. His partner (if he is in a relationship) can help in this - for example, let himself be surprised sometimes as he likes, or sometimes watch him herself. Another way to relieve tension for an exhibitionist may be… the Internet. He can expose himself in front of the webcam without hurting anyone, because on the other side there will be a person who agrees to it.

This will be useful to you

Emotional and Internet exhibitionism

As the word "exhibitionism" means "exposing", it has also been used to refer to people who have nothing to hide when it comes to their thoughts, experiences, family problems, relationships, plans and innermost dreams. They can't help themselves, they just have to chatter. They talk about the most intimate matters to whomever they fall into, without any resistance, even when their "victim" is embarrassed and refuses to listen. Nowadays, there is also a modern form of manifestation enabled by the Internet. Emotional exhibitionists can write a blog, a diary that anyone can read.

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Sex problems