Normal is a social construct, this we know. Of course, abnormal is also a social construct. There could be no better proof that this is true than a recent study done by the Journal of Sex Research, which states that abnormal sexual behaviors aren’t uncommon, according to Refinery29.
The study surveyed 1,040 men and women from across all backgrounds in Quebec. What they found was that paraphilia, or what is categorized as abnormal sexual behavior, might be relatively normal.
The DSM-5, or the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, lists eight sexual behaviors as “paraphilia.” Some of the behaviors include voyeurism, fetishism, masochism and exhibitionism. Now, The study found that 46.5 percent of those interviewed had an interest in one of those eight behaviors—meaning almost half of them were into what society would call ‘weird sex stuff.’
The DSM-5 makes a point to note, though, that just because a person has an “abnormal” sexual desire absolutely does not mean they have a mental illness. In fact, the DSM-5 says that to be diagnosed with a paraphilic disorder, one must feel emotional distress toward their desire for a reason other than society generally frowning upon it, or the behavior has to be a threat to others.
That criteria aside, the study found one-third had participated in an abnormal sexual behavior, and that fetishism, masochism, voyeurism and frotteurism are “abnormal” behaviors people were most interested in. Voyeurism received the most interest, at 36 percent. For a behavior to be defined as “statistically unusual,” according to the study, only up to 15.9 percent of people can show interest in it. More than twice that percentage are interested in voyeurism.
This study is important because it causes us to look at what is defined as normal and abnormal, particularly in regards to sex. It points out that just because a sexual behavior is deemed abnormal doesn’t necessarily mean it’s bad. So maybe it doesn’t really matter if it’s normal or abnormal, so long as everyone involved is consenting and practicing safe sex.