Although the term “philia” has a very broad meaning and can refer to any type of hobby, in Psychology we use it mainly in the field of sexuality. When philias are very marked and atypical we speak of paraphilia .

In this article we will describe the characteristics of the most common or striking types of philias and paraphilias . To contextualize these categories it is important to define the concepts of phyllia and paraphilia beforehand.

Definition of phylum and paraphilia

The word “filia” comes from the Greek “philos”, which could be translated as “love” or “friendship”. It is usually used as a suffix to designate the intense fondness or taste for a certain element , which may or may not be of a sexual nature; thus, a film buff is someone who enjoys the cinema very much, and philately is the hobby of collecting stamps.

However, in psychology, sexuality is the field where this concept appears more often. Within this field the philias overlap with the paraphilias, defined as patterns of sexual behaviour in which desire, excitement or pleasure depend largely on atypical elements, although this does not necessarily lead to a pathology.

Paraphilias are harmless if they don’t involve the discomfort of the person or others, so in many cases they simply consist of a sexual preference. This often occurs in fetishism (getting aroused by an object or body part), among other philias. However, sometimes these preferences involve people who do not consent or simply make relationships difficult.

The term “philia” is opposed to “phobia” , which is used to refer to irrational fears or aversions. Like philias, phobias can sometimes be of a sexual nature; for example, erotophobia or genophobia is the aversion to sexual relations, while the word “medomalacuphobia” refers to the fear of losing an erection.

  • You may be interested in: “Types of Phobias: Exploring Fear Disorders”

Types of philias and their characteristics

We will now give a brief description of the main characteristics of different types of philias and paraphilias. Assigning them one or another label depends on the intensity of the preference, the discomfort they bring to the person or others, and the point of view of each expert.

1. Fetishism

Fetishism is the sexual preference for inanimate objects or for specific parts of the body. Two of the best known fetishist philias are podophilia, which involves the feet, and retifism or taste for shoes . Preference for objects designed for sexual stimulation, such as vibrators, is not considered a fetish.

2. Exhibitionism

This affiliation consists of obtaining sexual excitement and pleasure by exposing parts of the body, usually the genitals , to other people. It is common for the intensity of exhibitionist behaviour to increase with practice, and it can become compulsive.

3. Voyeurism or scoptophilia

Voyeurism is defined as the taste marked by watching people naked or having sex . Voyeurs usually prefer that the person being observed does not know that they are being watched, and do not usually seek sexual intercourse with them.

4. Frotteurism

People frotteurists, or frotteurs, seek physical contact with other people to masturbate afterwards ; in their pathological form, they do so without permission and/or against their will. It usually takes place in places where there are many people, such as public transport or discotheques. Frotteurism is much more common in young people.

5. Sexual masochism

Masochism includes sexual pleasure obtained by receiving physical harm or humiliation , as well as any other type of suffering. It is the most common paraphilia in women, and is often associated with sadism.

6. Sexual sadism

Sadistic people enjoy sexually the idea or practice of hurting others. Although pathological sexual sadism is often talked about, there are many sadistic people who only fulfill their fantasies with people who consent to it; this happens for example in the BDSM , which encompasses the practices of bondage, discipline, domination, submission, sadism and masochism.

7. Transvestite Fetishism

This affiliation involves obtaining sexual pleasure by dressing like a person of another gender. It has only been described in heterosexual men, who in some cases do not identify with the male gender. When a man becomes aroused by looking or imagining himself to be a woman, this is called self-injury.

8. Pedophilia

The DSM handbook defines pedophilia as the sexual preference of persons who have not reached puberty (under approximately 13 years of age). The difference with pederasty is that this term designates the practice of abusive behavior towards children, while pedophilia can also refer to habitual impulses or fantasies that have not been fulfilled.

9. Gerontophilia

Gerontophilia is the sexual preference for older people. If the attraction is to older men, this is known as alphamegamy, while if the object of desire is women, it is called matronolagy.

10. Necrophilia

Necrophiliacs are attracted to carcasses , whether of humans or other animals. Although logically necrophilia is often carried out without the consent of the deceased, there have been cases of necrophilia with the prior permission of the dead person, such as the famous episode of Armin Meiwes, the “Cannibal of Roteborg”.

11. Asphyxia

Choking is about getting pleasure from the sensation of drowning. Sexual asphyxiation can be carried out with a partner or as a method of masturbation; in this case we would talk about autoerotic asphyxiation.

12. Bestiality or bestiality

In bestiality the person feels desire or performs sexual activities with animals . It is especially frequent in rural environments and in psychiatric patients, and only very rarely are cases of exclusive bestiality detected.

13. Urophilia and coprophilia

In urophilia the fantasies include the presence of urine, while in coprophilia it is the same with feces. A related paraphilia is diaper fetish. When a person becomes aroused by the idea of urinating or defecating on top of a sexual partner, it is called salirophilia.

14. Xenophilia

Understood from a sexual point of view, xenophobia is the preference for people who are perceived as members of an exotic or different ethnic group from one’s own . However, in a broader sense, xenophobia is a taste for people or objects of unknown origin, and technically has the opposite meaning to that of the word “xenophobia”.

15. Ginandromorphophilia or ginemethophilia

This phylum refers to the preferential attraction, whether exclusive or not, to transgender or transsexual people. The conception of gynandromorphophilia as a type of paraphilia is often criticized as it can lead to the stigmatization of transgender people and those who are attracted to them.