Research makes Us stronger

Finally starting to see more serious pages devoted to the THINKING part of kink, and this particular post from Kink Research Overviews is EXCELLENT. Visit them HERE

Monday, December 7, 2009

Genetics as etiology

The idea that there is a genetic predisposition to kink seems to be very old. Kraft-Ebbing suggests it (1965 [1903]), placing it within the general framework of “degeneracy” used by the eugenics movement of his era. Freud (1969 [1905]) acknowledges it as a possibility in at least some cases. It is also suggested seriously by Mass (1979), and Strauss (2001, p. 126) among others. It has never been tested, however, and there is no evidence in support of it. Rather, it seems to be a convenient explanation for highly deviant behavior. As Freud wrote: “it has become the fashion to regard any symptom which is not obviously due to trauma or infection as a sign of degeneracy.”

An important sub-category of this approach is the idea that kinky people have a neurologically different experience of pain than non-kinky people. This “wired differently” theory seems to be a widespread explanation among kinky people themselves. It is also proposed by Kraft-Ebbing and Mass, it is the explanation Tanahill (1982 p. 385) suggests, as well.

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