Exhibitionism

Naked exhibitionist woman on a Budapest street in 2007.

Exhibitionism is the act of exposing in a public or semi-public context one's intimate parts – for example, the breasts, genitals or buttocks. As used in psychology and psychiatry, it is substantially different. It refers to an uncontrollable urge to exhibit one's genitals to an unsuspecting stranger, and is called an "Exhibitionistic Disorder" rather than simply exhibitionism.[1] It is an obsessive compulsive paraphilic disorder, which typically involves men exposing themselves to women. It is considered a psychiatric disorder. Such patients need psychological/psychiatric treatment.

The practice may arise from a desire or compulsion to expose oneself in such a manner to groups of friends or acquaintances, or to strangers for their amusement or sexual satisfaction, or to shock the bystander.[2] Exposing oneself only to an intimate partner is normally not regarded as exhibitionism. In law, the act of exhibitionism may be referred to as indecent exposure or exposing one's person, or by other expressions.

  1. ^ American Psychiatric Association, ed. (2013). "Exhibitionistic Disorder, 302.4 (F65.2)". Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition. American Psychiatric Publishing. pp. 689–691. doi:10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596. ISBN 978-0-89042-554-1. OCLC 830807378.
  2. ^ Baunach, Dawn Michelle (2010). "Exhibitionism". Sex and Society. New York: Marshall Cavendish. p. 220. ISBN 978-0-7614-7906-2. Archived from the original on 2 May 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2017.