Good Research Paper About Coprophilia

There is an interesting discussion concerning the topic of coprophilia; it is not considered a mental disorder. According to Holmes and Holmes (2002) the term is derived from two Greek words translating as “liking for shit” and is a paraphilia associated with sexual arousal derived from contact with feces. However, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Association 2013) states a “paraphilia” does not have a diagnostic criteria. In order for coprophilia to be considered a mental illness, it must cause distress to the individual or impaired functioning in other important areas. Therefore, unless the condition is causing problems for the person enjoying the experience of feces, it is not termed a mental illness. The social unacceptability of the behavior may lead members of the medical profession and the community to believe it is a mental illness or a result of other physical ailments; however, there is no indication this is true.
This is not to say coprophilia is not a deviant behavior. One definition of “deviant behavior” is behavior not accepted by social standards (TheFreeDictionary.com 2015). It is difficult to determine if there are a large number of people indulging in coprophilia, but it may be safe to say it is not an acceptable behavior. In 1989, Speaker estimated the numbers of adult engaging in this behavior as between 5000 and 10,000 in the United States. If the behavior results in impairment, such as sexual dysfunction, it may become a mental illness. Deviant behavior only becomes illegal when a concerned group convinces politicians to pass a law prohibiting it. This has not happened in the United States so, while coprophilia is considered deviant behavior, it is classified as neither illegal nor a mental illness. Nevertheless, coprophilia can lead to legal problems if the act is performed with, on, or to an individual without consent.
Corprophilia is seen in some children and individuals incapable of understanding the social stigma associated with feces. The smell is a major deterrent for most people; but if the ability to detect the odor secondary to impairment with the olfactory senses, the aroma of feces is not offensive. The knowledge of the origin of feces is a natural body function. Urine, saliva, and mucus production are all products of everyday excretion by normal human beings. Unlike urine, which can be processed for consumption by simple methods in extreme cases of survival, feces contains bacteria that can lead to serious illnesses. In certain parts of the world where it is difficult to obtain adequate materials for cleaning after evacuation, one hand is used to eat and the other to wipe. In fact, in those areas, a criminal may have his left hand amputated. The resulting illnesses may be a death sentence.

Types of Coprophilia

The definition of coprophilia involves sexual excitement. A small child may play with feces because he has not learnt the social stigma attached to it, he likes the texture, it is readily available, and he doesn’t mind the odor. This does not classify him as corprophilic because it does not sexually excite him. However, the behavior is often associated with infantilism (RightDiagnosis.com 2015). According to Speaker (1989), a person exhibiting infantilism role-plays behavior similar to an infant as a sexual fetish. It is a result of either regression psychologically or a developmental fixation. Since a “sexual fetish” is defined as sexual arousal associated with a physical object or a specific situation obsessively, coprophilia may be termed as such (Thinkmap 2015). It may also be associated with sexual fetishes involving sadistic and masochistic acts.
The act of eating feces, coprophacia, can be harmful due to the presence of bacteria in the bowel. For instance, there is a risk of infection with hepatitis from performing this act. It is also socially unacceptable and results in bad breath. Sometimes coprophilia does not actually involve physical contact with feces; sexual arousal may result from watching or hearing another person defecate (Depression-guide.com 2015).
The term “brown showers” indicates the act of defecating on another person. The “Dirty Sanchez” involves smearing feces on another person similar to a mustache. Movies made involving coprophilism is called “scatology”. This type of movie is common in Japan and Britain. Coprophilia is also depicted frequently in ancient Japanese pornography.

Indications and Treatment

Indications a person indulges in coprophilia include persistent talking or joking about feces, storing feces or soiled clothing, expression of sexual fantasies revolving around feces, sexual arousal during defecation, and spreading feces on the wall or other objects. Many fetishes are attributed to childhood problems with an association with a physical pleasure of evacuation which develops into sexual arousal. Coprophilia may sometimes manifest in dementia patients or those diagnosed with developmental or intellectual disabilities (Chopra et al 1999).
Coprophiliacs generally do not seek therapy unless the condition has caused problems. The majority learn to manage their proclivity in appropriate ways (RightDiagnosis 2015). If a sexual partner requests the practitioner to seek therapy, he does so to please the partner and not because he wants to rid himself of the fetish. If manifestation becomes inappropriate, treatment methods include hypnosis, drug therapy, psychoanalysis, aversion therapy, and/or behavior and cognitive therapy. A combination of behavior and cognitive therapies shows an increasing low rate of recidivism (Iamindepression.com (2009).

References

Association, American Psychiatric. (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5®). Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatric Publishing.
Chopra, A., Herring, M., Kay, P., & Cavalieri, T. (1996). Coprophilia and Coprophagia in
Dementia: A Clinical Experience in a Nursing Home. Journal Of The American
Geriatrics Society, 44(9), 110.
Corsini, R. (1999). The dictionary of psychology. Philadelphia, PA: Brunner/Mazel.
Depression-guide.com. (2015). Coprophilia: Symptom, Cause and Treatment. Retrieved 10
Holmes, R., & Holmes, S. (2002). Sex crimes. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications.
Iamindepression.com. (2009). Coprophilia- Health Hazards and Treatment. Retrieved 10
Rightdiagnosis.com. (2015). Coprophilia Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatments and Causes –
RightDiagnosis.com. Retrieved 10 January 2015, from
http://www.rightdiagnosis.com/c/coprophilia/intro.htm
Speaker, T. (1989). Review of Psychosexual Infantilism in Adults: The Eroticization of
Regression. Sexuality.org. Retrieved 10 January 2015, from
http://www.sexuality.org/authors/henkin/whinfant.html
TheFreeDictionary.com. (2015). Deviant behavior. Retrieved 10 January 2015, from
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Deviant+behavior
Thinkmap, I. (2015). fetish - Dictionary Definition. Vocabulary.com. Retrieved 10 January 2015,