ACUCULLOPHILIA: SYMPTOMS, CAUSES AND TREATMENT - GEOGRAFÍA - 2024

The acucullofilia is a paraphilia or atypical sexual behavior in which the person finds the source of pleasure in a circumcised penis. That is, the person who "suffers" from this paraphilia becomes sexually aroused and reaches orgasm when her sexual partner has her penis circumcised (that is, a portion of the foreskin of her penis has been removed).

This preference is common in heterosexual and bisexual women, as well as in gay and bisexual men. It can appear in adolescence or in adulthood. In this case, the attraction to circumcised women does not apply.

Some of the arguments that arise from people with acuculophilia refer to an increase in the sensation of pleasure during sexual intercourse for both parties due to a possible increase in friction.

On the other hand, arguments regarding aesthetics or hygiene arise; some believe that circumcised penises are cleaner and less likely to harbor bacteria and disease.

Acucullophilia as fetishism

Even though acuculophilia is not considered a common fetish (it is only one of 243 sexual deviations that exist), more than 54% of women say they prefer a circumcised penis.

This term is included in various dictionaries of psychology and sexuality, as it is considered a deviation from what is considered normal in the sexual plane.

It is a disorder of sexual identity that is only considered a disease when the individual who suffers from it stops performing the obligations and duties that correspond to him. Otherwise it is harmless.

Causes

Its causes have not yet been identified, but because it is a type of fetish, it could be said that its causes could be located in any of these scenarios:

• Shocking or traumatic experiences in childhood.
• Functional weakness of the sexual system that causes a decrease in normal sexual desire.
• Personality factors, such as low self-esteem or difficulty in establishing interpersonal relationships.
• Substitution: the fetish object substitutes for the person with whom the fetishist is unable to achieve a relationship.
• Sadomasochistic inclinations.

Evolutionary psychologists believe that fetishes help promote sexual stimulation and therefore the spread of the species. They even rank them as fascinating explorations of human sexual psychology.

It should be remembered that a fetish is an object or body part whose real or imagined presence is psychologically necessary for sexual gratification.

As you might expect, this isn't exactly a casual topic of conversation, but there are blogs, online forums, or virtual groups that have this fetish in common.

Can it affect a person?

When a sexual desire becomes a pathology, it can affect the personality of the person, generating an obsession that ends up deteriorating their social and work life.

It also represents a difficulty in finding or maintaining a relationship because in the end, the fetishist will want to involve his partner with the object or objects of his own desire, generating fear or rejection of the other person. In this case, forcing him to circumcision, or obsessing over it.

It is a condition that is experienced with a lot of reserve, so it is not frequent that you go to a specialist for help. This is a condition that can be treated with psychotherapy.

Legal implications

Delineating what is normal versus deviant or disordered sexuality is challenging when using the term paraphilia on the level of law.

The malleability of sexual pleasure across time and cultures creates problems for those who define and diagnose paraphilia, because the question remains: what justifies classifying a source of sexual pleasure or a type of sexual activity as a mental disorder or as a deviation?

Additionally, a specific behavior may be illegal, immoral, undesirable, or cause distress and may not necessarily be an expression of an underlying mental disorder.

Treatment

In the event that it is considered a pathology, acuculophilia can be treated with psychotherapy. However, research on the treatment of "non-criminal" paraphilias is sparse, ambiguous, and relies on infrequent voluntary disclosure.

The common thing in these cases is to apply cognitive-behavioral therapy, although there are scientists who suggest that behavioral therapy such as aversion and reconditioning are not very effective. The same goes for the use of psychotropics.

In short, there is no consensus on an adequate treatment, because the investigations have not been conclusive due to the small sample size, the short duration of follow-up and the lack of controls and biases.

About circumcision

Circumcision or phymosectomy surgery involves cutting the skin that covers the glans or head of the penis, called the foreskin.

The cases in which this surgical intervention is medically indicated are: phimosis, when the foreskin has problems to lower or partially lower, due to the narrowing of the skin of the glans (happens in one in every 150 children).

It is also advisable in paraphimosis or chronic infections in which the foreskin becomes inflamed and does not come down easily (even when antibiotics have been used).

However, it is a practice that has become controversial and that some religions prohibit while others require it. In terms of figures, it is estimated that 15 out of every 100 men in the world are circumcised.

References

1. Merriam Webster Collegiate Dictionary.
2. Alcivar, Sandra (2015). Recovered from: fobiasyfiliasblog.blogspot.com.
3. Aparicio Pérez, Trinidad (2010). Fetishism. Recovered from: pulevasalud.com.
4. Escobedo, Marco Antonio (2015). Are you only turned on by circumcised penises? Recovered from: diarionoticiasweb.com.
5. McManus, Michelle and others (2013). Paraphilias: definition, diagnosis and treatment. Recovered from: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
6. Modern Doctor (2015). Acucullophilia: is it better without? Recovered from: actual-medicina.blogspot.com.
7. Psychology Today (2017). Fetishistic Disorder. Recovered from psychologytoday.com.
8. Serrano, Raúl (2017). Pros and cons of circumcision. Recovered from: saludymedicinas.com.mx.
9. Tormsen, David (2015). 10 Psychological Perspectives On Sexual Fetishes. Recovered from: listverse.com.
10. What is the meaning of Philia? Recovered from edukalife.blogspot.com.