STUDY OF CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR

CRIMINAL PSYCHOLOGY

In general, psychology is the science of behavior and mental processes. This means that
psychologists use the methods of science to investigate all kinds of behavior and mental processes, from
the activity of a single nerve cell to the social conflict in a complex society (Bernstein, et al, 1991). In
particular, criminal Psychology is a sub-field of general psychology where criminal behavior is only, in part
by which phenomena psychologists choose to study. It may be defined as the study of criminal behavior,
the study of criminal conduct and activities in an attempt to discover recurrent patterns and to formulate
rules about his behavior.

A major description of criminal psychology is the word behavior. Behavior refers to actions or
activities (Kahayon, 1985). To the criminologist, behavior is the observable actions because he is more
interested in actions and reactions that can be seen and verified than in concepts, which cannot be directly
verified.

Classification of Behavior

1. Normal Behavior (adaptive or adjusted behavior) – the standard behavior, the totality accepted
behavior because they follow the standard norms of society. understanding criminal behavior
includes the idea of knowing what characterized a normal person from an abnormal one. A normal
person is characterized by: Efficient perception of reality, Self-knowledge, Ability to exercise
voluntary control over his behavior, Self-esteem and acceptance, Productivity, Ability to form
affectionate relationship with others.

2. Abnormal Behavior (maladaptive/maladjusted behavior) - A group of behaviors that are deviant

from social expectations because they go against the norms or standard behavior of society.

A maladaptive (abnormal) person may be understood by the following definitions:

Abnormal behavior according to deviation of statistical norms based in statistical

frequency: Many characteristics such as weight, height, an intelligence cover a range of values
when, measured over a population. For instance, a person who is extremely intelligent or extremely
happy would be classified as abnormal.
Abnormal behavior according to deviation from social norms: A behavior that deprives
from the accepted norms of society is considered abnormal. However, it is primarily dependent on
the existing norm of such society.
Behavior as maladaptive: Maladaptive behavior is the effect of a well being of the
individual and or the social group. That some kind of deviant behavior interferes with the welfare of
the individual such as a man who fears crowd can’t ride a bus. This means that a person cannot
adopt himself with the situation where in it is beneficial to him.
Abnormal behavior due to personal distress: This is abnormally in terms of the individual
subjective feelings of distress rather than the individual behavior. This includes mental illness,
feeling of miserably, depression, and loss of appetite or interest, suffering from insomnia and
numerous aches and pains.
Abnormality in its legal point: It declares that a person is insane largely on the basis of his
inability to judge between right and wrong or to exert control over his behavior (Bartol, 1995).

KINDS OF BEHAVIOR

1. Overt or Covert Behavior - Behaviors that are outwardly manifested or those that are directly
observable are overt behaviors. On the other hand, covert behavior are behaviors that are hidden –
not visible to the naked eye.
 2. Conscious or Unconscious Behavior - Behavior is conscious when acts are with in the level of
awareness. It is unconscious when acts are embedded in one’s subconscious – unaware.
3. Simple or Complex Behavior - These are acts categorized according to the number of neurons
involved in the process of behaving. Simple behavior involves less number of neurons while
complex behavior involved more number of neurons, a combination of simple behaviors.
4. Rational or Irrational Behavior - There is rational behavior when a person acted with sanity or
reason and there is irrational behavior when the person acted with no apparent reason or
explanation – as when a man loses his sanity and laugh out loud at nobody or nothing in particular.
5. Voluntary or Involuntary Behavior - Voluntary behavior is an act done with full volition or will such
as when we discriminate, decide or choose while involuntary behaviors refers the bodily processes
that foes on even when we are awake or asleep like respiration, circulation and digestion.

ASPECTS OF BEHAVIOR

1. Intellectual Aspect – this aspect of behavior pertains to our way of thinking, reasoning, solving,
problem, processing info and coping with the environment.
2. Emotional Aspect – this pertains to our feelings, moods, temper, and strong motivational force.
3. Social Aspect – this pertains to how we interact or relate with other people
4. Moral Aspect – this refers to our conscience and concept on what is good or bad.
5. Psychosexual Aspect - this pertains to our being a man or a woman and the expression of love
6. Political Aspect – this pertains to our ideology towards society/government
7. Value/Attitude – this pertains to our interest towards something, our likes and dislikes

THE CRIMINAL FORMULA

Where:

C – Crime/Criminal Behavior (the act) C=T+S

T – Criminal Tendency (Desire/Intent)
S – Total Situation (Opportunity)
R – Resistance to Temptation (Control) R
The formula shows that a person’s criminal tendency and his resistance to them may either result in
criminal act depending upon, which of them is stronger. This means that a crime or criminal behavior exist
when the person’s resistance is insufficient to withstands the pressure of his desire or intent and the
opportunity (Tradio, 1983).

In understanding this, the environment factors such as stress and strains are considered because
they contribute in mobilizing a person’s criminal tendency and the individual’s psychological state while
resistance t temptation arises from the emotional, intellectual and social upbringing and is either
manifestation of a strong or weak character.

DETERMINANTS OF BEHAVIOR

The answer to these questions requires the study and understanding of the influences of
HEREDITY and ENVIRONMENT. As cited by Tuason:

Heredity (Biological Factors) - This refers to the genetic influences, those that are explained by
heredity, the characteristics of a person acquired from birth transferred from one generation to another. It
explains that certain emotional aggression, our intelligence, ability and potentials and our physical
appearance are inherited. It is the primary basis of the idea concerning criminal behavior, the concept that
“criminals are born”. It also considers the influences of genetic defects and faulty genes, diseases,
endocrine imbalances, malnutrition and other physical deprivations that can be carried out from one
generation to another.
 Environmental Factors (Socio-Cultural Influences)

Family Background – it is a basic consideration because it is in the family whereby an individual

first experiences how to relate and interact with another. The family is said to be the cradle of personality
development as a result of either a close or harmonious relationship or a pathogenic family structure: the
disturbed family, broken family, separated or maladjusted relations.

Pathogenic Family Structure – those families associated with high frequency of problems such as:

 The inadequate family – characterized by the inability to cope with the ordinary problems of family
living. It lacks the resources, physical of psychological, for meeting the demands of family
satisfaction.
 The anti-social family – those that espouses unacceptable values as a result of the influence of
parents to their children.
 The discordant/disturbed family – characterized by non-satisfaction of one or both parent from
the relationship that may express feeling of frustration. This is usually due to value differences as
common sources of conflict and dissatisfaction.
 The disrupted family – characterized by incompleteness whether as a result of death, divorce,
separation or some other circumstances.

Childhood Trauma – the experiences, which affect the feeling of security of a child undergoing
developmental processes. The development processes are being blocked sometimes by parental
deprivation as a consequence of parents or lack of adequate maturing at home because of parental
rejection, overprotection, restrictiveness, over permissiveness, and faulty discipline.

In the environment, the following are also factors that are influential to one’s behavior:
1. Institutional Influences such as peer groups, mass media, church and school, government
institutions, NGO’s, etc.
2. Socio-Cultural Factors such as war and violence, group prejudice and discrimination, economic and
employment problems and other social changes.
3. Nutrition or the quality of food that a person intake is also a factor that influences man to commit
crime because poverty is one of the may reasons to criminal behavior.

OTHER DETERMINANTS OF BEHAVIOR

In order to further understand and provide answers on the question that why do some people
behave criminally, it is important to study the other determinants of behavior. These are needs, drives and
motivation.

Needs and Drives - Need, according to a drive reduction theory, is a biological requirement for
well being of the individual. This need creates drives – a psychological state of arousal that prompts
someone to take action (Bernstein, et al, 1991). Drive therefore is an aroused state that results from some
biological needs. The aroused condition motivates the person to remedy the need. For example, If you
have had no water for some time, the chemical balance of the body fluids is disturbed, creating a biological
need for water. The psychological consequence of this need is a drive – thirst – that motivates you to find
and drink water. In other words, drives push people to satisfy needs.

Motivation - Motivation on the other hand refers to the influences that govern the initiation,
direction, intensity, and persistence of behavior (Bernstein, et al, 1991). Thus motivation refers to the
causes and “why’s” of behavior as required by a need. Motivation is the hypothetical concept that stands
for the underlying force impelling behavior and giving it s direction (Kahayon, 1975). Drives are states of
comfortable tension that spur activity until a goal is reached. Drive and motivation are covered in the world
of psychology, for they energize behavior and give direction to man’s action. For example, a motivated
individual is engaged in a more active, more vigorous, and more effective that unmotivated one, thus a
hungry person directs him to look for food.

Biological needs Motivational Systems

Food Hunger – the body needs adequate supply of nutrients to function

effectively. “An empty stomach sometimes drives a person to steal.”

Water Thirst – just like food, the body needs water.

Sex A powerful motivator but unlike food and water, sex is not vital for
survival but essential to the survival of species.

Pain Avoidance The need to avoid tissue damage is essential to the survival of the
organism. Pain will activate behavior to reduce discomfort.

Stimulus seeking Curiosity is most people and animal is motivated to explore the
environment even when the activity satisfies no bodily needs.

Psychological Needs - are influenced primarily by the kind of society in which the individual is raised.
Psychological motives are those related to the individual happiness and well being, but not for he survival,
unlike the biological motives that focuses on basic needs – the primary motives.

Abraham Maslow has suggested that human needs form a hierarchy from the most basic
biological requirements to the needs for self-actualization – the highest of all needs The pyramidal
presentation shows that from the bottom to the top of the hierarchy, the levels of needs or motive according
to Maslow, are:

1. Biological or Physiological Needs – these motives include the need for food, water, oxygen,
activity, and sleep.
2. Safety Needs – these pertains to the motives of being cared for and being secured such as in
income and place to live.
3. Love/Belongingness – Belongingness is integration into various kinds of social groups or social
organizations. Love needs means need for affection.
4. Cognitive Needs – our motivation for learning and exploration
5. Esteem Needs – our motivation for an honest, fundamental respect for a person as a useful and
honorable human being.
6. Aesthetic Needs - our motivation for beauty and order
7. Self- actualization – pertains to human total satisfaction, when people are motivated not so
much by unmet needs, as by the desire to become all they are capable of (self-realization).

According to the Maslow”s formulation, the levels that commands the individuals attention and effort
is ordinarily the lowest one on which there is an unmet need. For example, unless needs for food and safety
are reasonably well-met behavior will be dominated by these needs and higher motives are of little
significant. With their gratification, however, the individual is free to devote time and effort to meet higher
level. In other words, one level must at least be partially satisfied before those at the next level become
determiners of action.

Frustration, Conflict and Anxiety

Frustration refers to the unpleasant feelings that result from the blocking of motive satisfaction. It is
a form of stress, which results in tension. It is a feeling that is experienced when something interferes with
our hopes, wishes, plans and expectations (Coleman, 1980). Conflict refers to the simultaneous arousal of
two or more incompatible motives resulting to unpleasant emotions. It is a source of frustration because it is
a threat to normal behavior (Berstein, et al, 1991).
 Types of Conflicts

1. Double Approach Conflict – a person is motivated to engage in two desirable activities that
cannot be pursued simultaneously.
2. Double Avoidance Conflict – a person faces two undesirable situations in which the avoidance of
one is the exposure to the other resulting to an intense emotion.
3. Approach-Avoidance Conflict – a person faces situation having both a desirable and undesirable
feature. It is sometimes called “dilemma”, because some negative and some positive features must
be accepted regardless which course of action is chosen.
4. Multiple Approach-Avoidance Conflict – a situation in which a choice must be made between
two or more alternatives each has both positive and negative features. It is the most difficult to
resolve because the features of each portion are often difficult to compare.

Anxiety is an intangible feeling that seems to evade any effort to resolve it. It is also called neurotic
fear. It could be intense, it could be low and can be a motivating force (Coleman, 1980). Stress is the
process of adjusting to or dealing with circumstances that disrupts, or threatens to disrupt a person’s
physical or psychological functioning (Bernstein, et al, 1991)

The Ego Defense Mechanisms

The defense mechanisms are the unconscious techniques used to prevent a person’s self image
from being damaged. When stress becomes quite strong, an individual strives to protect his self-esteem,
avoiding defeat. We all use ego defense mechanisms to protect us from anxiety and maintain our feeling of
personal worth. We consider them normal adjustive reactions when they are use to excess and threaten
self-integrity (Bernstein, et al, 1991). Example: Denial of Reality – protection of oneself from unpleasant
reality by refusal to perceive or face it. Simply by avoiding something that is unpleasant. Fantasy – the
gratification of frustration desires in imaginary achievement. Paying attention not to what is going on
around him but rather to what is taking place in his thoughts.

Perspective on the Causes of Criminal Behavior

1. Anxiety (Psychological Perspective) – stressful situations that when become extreme may result to
maladaptive behavior.
2. Faulty Learning (Behavior Perspective) – the failure to learn the necessary adaptive behavior due
to wrongful development. This usually result to delinquent behavior based on the failure to learn the
necessary social values and norms.
3. Blocked of Distorted Personal Growth (Humanistic Perspective) - presumably, human nature
tends towards cooperation and constructive activities, however, if we show aggression, cruelty or
other violent behavior, the result will be an unfavorable environment.
4. Unsatisfactory interpersonal relationship - self concept in early childhood by over critical
parents or by rigid socialization measures usually causes deviant behaviors among individuals
because they are not contented and even unhappy among individuals because they are not
contented and even unhappy to the kind of social dealings they are facing.
5. Pathological social conditions – poverty, social discrimination, and destructive violence always
results to deviant behavior.

PATTERNS OF CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR

NEUROTIC OR PSYCHONEUROTIC PATTERNS - are groups of mild functional personality

disorders in which there is no gross personality disorganization, the individual does not lose contact with
reality, and hospitalization is not required.

Anxiety Disorders - Anxiety disorders are commonly known as “neurotic fear”. When it is
occasional but intense, it is called “panic”. When it is mild but continuous, it is called “worry” which is
usually accompanied by physiological symptoms such as sustained muscular tension, increased blood
pressure, insomnia, etc. They are considered as the central feature of all neurotic patterns. These
disorders are characterized by mild depressions, fear and tensions, and mild stresses.

1. Obsessive-compulsive disorders - Obsessions usually centered on fear that one will submit to an
uncontrollable impulse to do something wrong. Compulsion on the other hand resulted from
repetitive acts (Wicks, 1974). An obsessive-compulsive disorder is characterized by the following:
When an individual is compelled to think about something that he do not want to think about or
carry some actions against his will, and the experience of persistent thoughts that we cannot seem
to get out of our minds such as thoughts about haunting situations.
2. Asthenic Disorders (Neurasthenia) - An anxiety disorder characterized by chronic mental and
physical fatigue and various aches and pains. Symptoms include spending too much sleep to avoid
fatigue but to no avail, even feel worse upon awake, headaches, indigestion, back pains, and
dizziness.
3. Phobic Disorders - These refer to the persistent fear on some objects or situation that present no
actual danger to the person. Examples of Phobia: Acrophobia - fear of high places

Somatoform Disorders - Complaints of bodily symptoms that suggest the presence of physical
problem but no organic basis can be found. The individual is pre-occupied with his state of health or
diseases.

1. Hypochondriasis - This refers to the excessive concern about state of health or physical condition
(multiplicity about illness)
2. Psychogenic Pain Disorder - It is characterized by the report of severe and lasting pain. Either no
physical basis is apparent reaction greatly in excess of what would be expected from the physical
abnormality.
3. Conversion Disorders (Hysteria) - It is a neurotic pattern in which symptoms of some physical
malfunction or loss of control without any underlying organic abnormality.

Dissociative Disorders - A response to obvious stress characterized by amnesia, multiple personality,

and depersonalization.

1. Amnesia - The partial or total inability to recall or identify past experiences following a traumatic
incident. Brain pathology amnesia – total loss of memory and it cannot be retrieved by simple
means. It requires long period of medication. Psychogenic amnesia – failure to recall stored
information and still they are beneath the level of consciousness but “forgotten material.”
2. Multiple Personality - It is also called “dual personalities.” The reason manifests two or more
symptoms of personality usually dramatically different.
3. Depersonalization - The loss of sense of self or the so-called out of body experience. There is a
feeling of detachment from one’s mental processes or body or being in a dream state. Cases of
somnambulism (sleep walking) may fall under this disorder.

Mood Disorders (Affective Disorders) - often referred to as affective disorders however the
critical pathology in these disorders is one of mood which is the internal state of a person, and not of affect,
the external expression of emotional content (Manual of Mental Disorder).

1. Depressive Disorders (Major Depressive Disorder) – Patients with depressed mood have a loss of
energy and interest, feeling of guilt, difficulty in concentrating, loss of appetite, and thoughts of
death or suicide, they are not affected with manic episodes.
2. Dysthymic Disorder – a mild form of major depressive disorder
3. Bipolar Disorders - those experienced by patients with both manic and depressive episodes.
4. Cyclothymic Disorder – a less severe form of bipolar disorder

PSYCHOPATHIC PATTERNS - group of abnormal behaviors, which typically stemmed from immature
and distorted personality development, resulting in persistent maladaptive ways of perceiving and
 thinking. They are generally called “personality or character disorders”. These groups of disorders are
composed of the following:

Personality Disorders - The disorders of character, the person is characterized as a “problematic”

without psychoses. This disorder is characterized disrupted personal relationship, dependent or passive
aggressive behavior.

 Paranoid Personality Disorder - It is characterized by suspicious, rigidity, envy, hypersensitivity,

excessive self-importance, argumentativeness and tendency to blame others of one’s own
mistakes.
 Schizoid Personality Disorder - This is characterized by the inability to form social relationship
and lack of interest in doing so. The person seem to express their feelings, they lack social skills.
They are the so-called “loners”.
 Schizotypal Personality Disorder - It is characterized by seclusiveness, over sensitivity,
avoidance of communication and superstitious thinking is common.
 Histrionic Personality Disorder - It is characterized by immaturity, excitability, emotional instability
and self-dramatization.
 Narcissistic Personality Disorder - It is characterized by an exaggerated sense of self-importance
and pre-occupation with receiving attention. The person usually expects and demands special
treatment from others and disregarding the rights and feeling of others.
 Borderline Personality Disorder - It is characterized by instability reflected in drastic mood shifts
and behavior problems. The person usually displays intense anger outburst with little provocation
and he is impulsive, unpredictable, and periodically unstable.
 Avoidant Personality Disorder - It is characterized by hypersensitivity to rejection and
apprehensive alertness to any sign of social derogation. Person is reluctant to enter into social
interaction.
 Dependent Personality Disorder - It is characterized by extreme dependence on other people –
there is acute discomfort and even panic to be alone. The person lacks confidence and feels
helpless.
 Passive-Aggressive Personality Disorder - It is characterized by being hostile expressed in
indirect and non-violent ways. They are so called “stubborn”.
 Compulsive Personality Disorder - It is characterized by excessive concern with rules, order, and
efficiency that everyone does things their way and an ability to express warm feeling. The person is
over conscientious, serious, and with difficulty in doing things for relaxation.
 Anti-social Personality Disorder - It is characterized by continuing violation of the rights of others
through aggressive, anti-social behavior with out remorse or loyalty to anyone.

PSYCHOTIC PATTERNS - are group of disorders involving gross structural defects in the brain tissue,
severe disorientation of the mind thus it involves loss of contact with reality.

Organic Mental Disorders - A diagnosis of organic mental disorder is associated with a specific,
identified organic cause, such as abnormalities of the brain structure. These are mental disorder that
occurs when the normal brain has been damage resulted from any interference of the functioning of the
brain.

1. Acute brain disorder – caused by a diffuse impairment of the brain function. Its symptoms range
from mild mood changes to acute delirium.
2. Chronic brain disorder – the brain disorder that result from injuries, diseases, drugs, and a variety
of other conditions. Its symptoms includes impairment of orientation (time, place and person),
impairment of memory, learning, comprehension and judgement, emotion and self-control.

Groups of Organic Mental Disorders

 1. Delirium – the severe impairment of information processing in the brain affecting the basic process
of attention, perception, memory and thinking.
2. Dementia – deterioration in intellectual functioning after completing brain maturation. The defect in
the process of acquiring knowledge or skill, problem solving, and judgement.
3. Amnestic Syndrome – the inability to remember on going events more than a few minutes after
they have taken place.
4. Hallucinosis – the persistent occurrence of hallucinations, the false perception that arise in full
wakefulness state. This includes hallucinations on visual and hearing or both.
5. Organic Delusional Syndrome – the false belief arising in a setting of known or suspected brain
damage.
6. Organic Affective Syndrome – the extreme/severe manic or depressive state with the impairment
of the cerebral function.
7. Organic Personality Syndrome – the general personality changes following brain damage.
8. General Paresis – also called “dimentia paralytica”, a syphilitic infection o f the brain and involving
impairment of the CNS.

Disorders Involving Brain Tumor - A tumor is a new growth involving abnormal enlargement of
body tissue. Brain tumor can cause a variety of personality alterations, and it may lead to any neurotic
behavior and consequently psychotic behavior.

Disorders Involving Head Injury - Injury to the head as a result of falls, blows and accidents
causing sensory and motor disorders.

Senile and Presenile Dementia

Mental retardation - Metal retardation is a mental disorder characterized by sub-average general

functioning existing concurrency with deficits in adaptive behavior. It is a common mental disorder before
the age of 18. The person is suffering from low I.Q., difficulty in focusing attention and deficiency in fast
learning.

Schizophrenia and Paranoia - Schizophrenia – refers to the group of psychotic disorders

characterized by gross distortions of realty, withdrawal of social interaction, disorganization and
fragmentation of perception, thoughts and emotion. It also refers to terms such as “mental deterioration”,
“dementia praecox”, or “split mind”. Paranoia – it is a psychosis characterized by a systemized delusional
system. A delusion is a firm belief opposed to reality but maintained in spite of strong evidence to the
contrary. It is also a psychosis characterized by delusion of apprehension following a failure or frustration.

ADDICTIVE BEHAVIORAL PATTERNS - Psychoactive substance-use disorders such as alcoholism

affects millions of people. Addiction and psychological dependence on these substances create disastrous
personal and social problems (Bernstein, 1991).

SEXUAL DYSFUCNTIONAL PATTERNS - Sexual deviations to the impairment to either the desire for
sexual gratification or in the ability to achieve it (Coleman, 1980).

Those Affecting Males

1. Erectile Insufficiency (Impotency) – it is a sexual disorder characterized by the inability to achieve or

maintain erection for successful intercourse.
2. Pre-mature Ejaculation – it is the unsatisfactory brief period of sexual stimulation that result to the
failure of the female partner to achieve satisfaction.
3. Retarded Ejaculation – it is the inability to ejaculate during intercourse – resulting to worry between
partners.

Those Affecting Women

1. Arousal Insufficiency (Frigidity) – a sexual disorder characterized by partial or complete failure to
attain the lubrication or swelling response of sexual excitement by the female partner.
2. Orgasmic Dysfunction – a sexual disorder characterized by the difficulty in achieving orgasm
3. Vaginismus – the involuntary spasm of the muscles at the entrance to the vagina that prevent
penetration of the male sex organ.
4. Dyspareunia – it is called painful coitus/painful sexual acts in women.

Sexual Behaviors leading to Sex Crimes

As to Sexual Reversals

 Homosexuality – it is a sexual behavior directed towards the same sex. It is also called
“lesbianism/tribadism” for female relationship.
 Transvestism – refers to the achievement of sexual excitation by dressing as a member of the
opposite sex such a man who wears female apparel.
 Fetishism – sexual gratification is obtained by looking at some body parts, underwear of the
opposite sex or other objects associated with the opposite sex.

As to the Choice of Partner

 Pedophilia – a sexual perversion where a person has the compulsive desire to have sexual
intercourse with a child of either sex.
 Bestiality – the sexual gratification is attained by having sexual intercourse with animals
 Auto-sexual (self-gratification/masturbation) – it is also called “self abuse”, sexual satisfaction is
carried out without the cooperation of another.
 Gerontophilia – is a sexual desire with an elder person.
 Necrophilia – an erotic desire or actual intercourse with a corpse
 Incest – a sexual relation between person who, by reason of blood relationship cannot legally
marry.

As to Sexual Urge

 Satyriasis – an excessive (sexual urge) desire of men to have sexual intercourse

 Nymphomania – a strong sexual feeling of women with an excessive sexual urge.

As Mode of Sexual Expression

 Oralism – it is the use of mouth or the tongue as a way of sexual satisfaction.

a. Fellatio – male sex organ to the mouth of the women coupled with the act of sucking that
initiates orgasm.
b. Cunnilingus – sexual gratification is attained by licking the external female genitalia.
c. Anilism (anillingus) – licking the anus of the sexual partner

 Sado-Masochism (Algolagnia) – pain/cruelty for sexual gratification.

Sadism – achievement of sexual stimulation and gratification through the infliction of physical pain
on the sexual partner. It may also be associated with animals or objects instead of human beings.
Masochism – infliction of pain to oneself to achieve sexual pleasure.

As to Part of the Body

 Sodomy – is a sexual act through the anus of the sexual partner.

 Uranism – sexual gratification is attained through fingering, holding the breast of licking parts of the
body.
 Frottage – the act of rubbing the sex organ against body parts of another person.
 Partailism – it refers to the sexual libido on any part of the body of a sexual partner.

As to visual stimulus

 Voyeurism – the person is commonly called “the peeping Tom”, an achievement of sexual
pleasures through clandestine peeping such as peeping to dressing room, couples room, toilets,
etc. and frequently the person masturbate during the peeping activity.
 Scoptophilia – the intentional act of watching people undress or during sexual intimacies.

As to Number of Participants in the Sexual Act

 Troilism – three persons participate in sex orgy such as two women versus on man or vice versa.
 Pluralism – group of persons in sexual orgies such as couple to couple sexual relations. It is also
called “sexual festival”.

Other Sexual Abnormalities

 Exhibitionism – it is called “indecent exposure”, intentional exposure of genitals to members of the

opposite sex under inappropriate conditions.
 Coprolalia – the use of obscene language to achieve sexual satisfaction.
 Don Juanism – the act of seducing women as a career with out permanency of sexual partner or
companion.