Courtship disorder is a theoretical construct in
sexology
Sexology is the scientific study of human sexuality, including human sexual interests, behaviors, and functions. The term ''sexology'' does not generally refer to the non-scientific study of sexuality, such as social criticism.
Sexologists app ...
developed by
Kurt Freund
Kurt Freund (17 January 1914 – 23 October 1996) was a Czech-Canadian physician and sexologist best known for developing the penile plethysmograph (a measurement of sexual arousal in males), research studies in pedophilia, and for the "courts ...
in which a certain set of
paraphilias
Paraphilia (previously known as sexual perversion and sexual deviation) is the experience of intense sexual arousal to atypical objects, situations, fantasies, behaviors, or individuals. It has also been defined as sexual interest in anything ot ...
are seen as specific instances of anomalous
courtship
Courtship is the period wherein some couples get to know each other prior to a possible marriage. Courtship traditionally may begin after a betrothal and may conclude with the celebration of marriage. A courtship may be an informal and private m ...
instincts in humans.
The specific paraphilias are
biastophilia
Biastophilia (from Greek ''biastes'', " rapist" + ''-philia'') and its Latin-derived synonym raptophilia (from Latin ''rapere'', "to seize"), also paraphilic rape, is a paraphilia in which sexual arousal is dependent on, or is responsive to, the a ...
(paraphilic
rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ag ...
),
exhibitionism
Exhibitionism is the act of exposing in a public or semi-public context one's intimate parts – for example, the breasts, genitals or buttocks. The practice may arise from a desire or compulsion to expose themselves in such a manner to group ...
,
frotteurism
Frotteurism is a paraphilic interest in rubbing, usually one's pelvic area or erect penis, against a non-consenting person for sexual pleasure. It may involve touching any part of the body, including the genital area. A person who practices fro ...
,
telephone scatologia
Exhibitionism is the act of exposing in a public or semi-public context one's intimate parts – for example, the breasts, genitals or buttocks. The practice may arise from a desire or compulsion to expose themselves in such a manner to grou ...
, and
voyeurism
Voyeurism is the sexual interest in or practice of watching other people engaged in intimate behaviors, such as undressing, sexual activity, or other actions of a private nature.
The term comes from the French ''voir'' which means "to see". A ...
. According to the ''courtship disorder hypothesis'', there is a species-typical courtship process in humans consisting of four phases, and anomalies in different phases result in one of these paraphilic sexual interests. According to the theory, instead of being independent paraphilias, these sexual interests are individual symptoms of a single underlying disorder.
Courtship disorder hypothesis
According to the ''courtship disorder hypothesis'', there is a species-typical courtship process in humans consisting of four phases. These phases are: "(1) looking for and appraising potential sexual partners; (2) pretactile interaction with those partners, such as by smiling at and talking to them; (3) tactile interaction with them, such as by embracing or petting; (4) and then sexual intercourse."
[Cantor, J. M., Blanchard, R., & Barbaree, H. E. (2009). Sexual disorders. In P. H. Blaney & T. Millon (Eds.), ''Oxford Textbook of Psychopathology'' (2nd ed.) (pp. 527–548). New York: Oxford University Press.]
The associations between these phases and these paraphilias were first outlined by
Kurt Freund
Kurt Freund (17 January 1914 – 23 October 1996) was a Czech-Canadian physician and sexologist best known for developing the penile plethysmograph (a measurement of sexual arousal in males), research studies in pedophilia, and for the "courts ...
,
[Freund, K. (1988). "Courtship disorder: Is the hypothesis valid?" ''Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences'', 528, 172–182.][Freund, K., Scher, H., & Hucker, S. (1983). The courtship disorders. ''Archives of Sexual Behavior'', 12, 369–379.] the originator of the theory: A disturbance of the search phase of courtship manifests as
voyeurism
Voyeurism is the sexual interest in or practice of watching other people engaged in intimate behaviors, such as undressing, sexual activity, or other actions of a private nature.
The term comes from the French ''voir'' which means "to see". A ...
, a disturbance of the pretactile interaction phase manifests as
exhibitionism
Exhibitionism is the act of exposing in a public or semi-public context one's intimate parts – for example, the breasts, genitals or buttocks. The practice may arise from a desire or compulsion to expose themselves in such a manner to group ...
or
telephone scatologia
Exhibitionism is the act of exposing in a public or semi-public context one's intimate parts – for example, the breasts, genitals or buttocks. The practice may arise from a desire or compulsion to expose themselves in such a manner to grou ...
, a disturbance of the tactile interaction phase manifests as toucheurism or
frotteurism
Frotteurism is a paraphilic interest in rubbing, usually one's pelvic area or erect penis, against a non-consenting person for sexual pleasure. It may involve touching any part of the body, including the genital area. A person who practices fro ...
, and the absence of the courtship behavior phases manifests as paraphilic
rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ag ...
(i.e.,
biastophilia
Biastophilia (from Greek ''biastes'', " rapist" + ''-philia'') and its Latin-derived synonym raptophilia (from Latin ''rapere'', "to seize"), also paraphilic rape, is a paraphilia in which sexual arousal is dependent on, or is responsive to, the a ...
). According to Freund, these paraphilias "can be conceptualized as a preference for a pattern of behavior or
erotic fantasy
A sexual fantasy or erotic fantasy is a mental image or pattern of thought that stirs a person's sexuality and can create or enhance sexual arousal. A sexual fantasy can be created by the person's imagination or memory, and may be triggered auto ...
in which one of these four phases of sexual interaction is intensified and distorted to such an extent that it appears to be a caricature of the normal, while the remaining phases are either omitted entirely or are retained only in a vestigial way."
[Freund, K. (1990). "Courtship disorder." In W. L. Marshall, D. R. Laws, & H. E. Barbaree (Eds.), ''Handbook of Sexual Assault: Issues, Theories, and Treatment of the Offender'' (pp. 195–207). NY: Plenum.]
Freund noted that ''
troilism
Paraphilias are sexual interests in objects, situations, or individuals that are atypical. The American Psychiatric Association, in its ''Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fifth Edition'' (DSM), draws a distinction between paraphilias (which i ...
'' (a paraphilia for observing one's sexual/romantic partner sexually interacting with a third party, usually unbeknownst to the third party) might also be a courtship disorder,
[ troilism being a variant of voyeurism.
Appropriate behaviors depend on the social and cultural context, including time and place. Some behaviors that are unacceptable under most circumstances, such as ]public nudity
Nudity is the state of being in which a human is without clothing.
The loss of body hair was one of the physical characteristics that marked the biological evolution of modern humans from their hominin ancestors. Adaptations related to h ...
or sexual contact between dancers, may be accepted or even encouraged during celebrations like Carnival
Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...
or Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras (, ) refers to events of the Carnival celebration, beginning on or after the Christian feasts of the Epiphany (Three Kings Day) and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday, which is known as Shrove Tuesday. is French for "Fat ...
. Where such cultural festivals alter normative courtship behaviors, the signs of courtship disorder may be masked or altered.
Evidence and acceptance of the theory
Paraphilias within the Courtship Disorder spectrum co-occur with each other more frequently than with paraphilias outside the courtship disorder spectrum. The courtship disorder model offers an underlying common cause for these paraphilias in men to explain this co-occurrence.[
Courtship disorder is widely cited by ]sexologists
Sexology is the scientific study of human sexuality, including human sexual interests, behaviors, and functions. The term ''sexology'' does not generally refer to the non-scientific study of sexuality, such as social criticism.
Sexologists ap ...
and forensic scientists as one of the predominant models of the paraphilias. Murphy and Page wrote that "The 'Courtship Disorder Theory' of Freund is one of the only theories specific to exhibitionism." According to Lavin (2008), "Freund's theory, more than the others, makes it clear that the ordering of activities ... has clinical significance."
Another theoretically based taxonomy of the paraphilias was proposed by John Money
John William Money (8 July 1921 – 7 July 2006) was a New Zealand psychologist, sexologist and author known for his research into sexual identity and Sex determination and differentiation (human), biology of gender. He was one of the first ...
, who described the range of paraphilic interests as lovemap
The lovemap is a concept originated by sexologist John Money in his discussions of how people develop their sexual preferences. Money defined it as "a developmental representation or template in the mind and in the brain depicting the idealized lo ...
s.
See also
* John Hinckley Jr.
John Warnock Hinckley Jr. (born May 29, 1955) is an American man who attempted to assassinate U.S. President Ronald Reagan in Washington, D.C. on March 30, 1981, two months after Reagan's first inauguration. Using a .22 caliber revolver, Hinck ...
References
{{paraphilia
Human sexuality
Interpersonal relationships
Paraphilias
Sexual fetishism
Sexuality and society