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Elaborating and Testing Erotic Target Identity Inversion Theory in Three Paraphilic Samples

  • Special Section: The Puzzles of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity
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Abstract

Some men sexually attracted to types of persons (e.g., women) or things (e.g., animals) also have internalized sexual attractions: sexual arousal by the idea of being the type of person or thing to whom they are attracted. Consequently, some of these men develop erotic target identity inversions, in which they imitate, yearn to be, or identify as an instance of their erotic target. Erotic Target Identity Inversion Theory predicts that for every external erotic target to which men are attracted, a subset of men will develop an internalized sexual attraction, which may cause an erotic target identity inversion. We examined these predictions in Internet surveys of three samples of men with paraphilic sexual interests: 322 men attracted to amputees, 1501 men attracted to animals, and 402 men attracted to severely obese persons. All samples included substantial minorities of men reporting internalized sexual attractions and erotic target identity inversions specific to their external sexual attractions (e.g., men attracted to amputees who are also aroused by the fantasy of being amputees and wish to become amputees). The correlation between degree of each internalized sexual attraction and degree of its corresponding erotic target identity inversion was approximately 1.0 after correction for attenuation. In each sample, participants’ specific internalized sexual attraction was positively correlated with autogynephilia, likely the most common internalized sexual attraction in men. Erotic Target Identity Inversion Theory can potentially explain a variety of otherwise puzzling phenomena, including transgender identity among female-attracted natal males and men seeking amputations of healthy limbs.

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Availability of Data and Materials

These data are available upon reasonable request. A copy of the survey instrument is available to those who contact the corresponding author.

Notes

  1. One complication is that if an internalized sexual attraction is especially strong, this may prevent sexual attraction to any external erotic target. (Lack of sexual interest in others is analloeroticism.) This has been observed among autogynephilic males, some of whom identify as asexual (Blanchard, 1989a). Both Blanchard and we believe that analloerotic autogynephilic males are like males attracted to women, and that the former would express attraction to women if the internalization of their autogynephilia was less complete. Strictly speaking, this means that our first latent variable, “External Sexual Attraction” might be more accurately renamed “Propensity to Have a Specific External Sexual Attraction.” However, in the current research, we recruited participants who had specific external sexual attractions, and so none were analloerotic.

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Acknowledgements

We thank moderators of acrotomophilic, zoophilic, and lipophilic Internet sites who allowed us to survey their communities. We are especially grateful to Komet, ZTHorse, and other members of “Zooville” for their support and specific feedback on the survey.

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This study received no financial support or funding.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, 2029 Sheridan Rd., Evanston, IL, 60208, USA

    J. Michael Bailey

  2. Department of Psychological and Social Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, Abington, PA, USA

    Kevin J. Hsu

  3. Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA

    Henry H. Jang

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  1. J. Michael Bailey
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Correspondence to J. Michael Bailey.

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The authors certify that the research complies with ethical standards and was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Northwestern University.

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Electronic consent was obtained from all participants included in the study. On the first page of the online survey, participants were informed of the research purpose and potential risks and benefits of participating, that their participation was voluntary, and were presented with contact information for the researcher and for Northwestern University’s IRB. The research survey questions were displayed only if the participant clicked “agree” which indicated that the participant read and understood the information, were at least 18 years of age, and agreed to volunteer as a research participant for the study.

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Bailey, J.M., Hsu, K.J. & Jang, H.H. Elaborating and Testing Erotic Target Identity Inversion Theory in Three Paraphilic Samples. Arch Sex Behav (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-023-02647-x

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