Exhibitionism: When Is It Dangerous, And When Is It Just Annoying?

Narcissus, the mythical Greek who fell in love with himself.
At least he didn't show anyone his junk.

Last week, Will Ripley reported on a story out of Parker, Colorado where a man has been seen knocking on windows and then exposing himself to others.
Will interviewed me for the story.

Here is the video:


Click here if the video does not automatically appear.

In researching the phenomenon of exhibitionism for this story, I discovered a few interesting pieces of information:

1. Exhibitionism is considered a 'paraphilia,' a disorder where a person gets sexually aroused by an inappropriate action.
2. Exhibitionists typically engage in other paraphilic behaviors such as voyeurism.
3. People who engage in nonsexual crimes (like robbery, assault, etc.) and exhibitionism tend to be dangerous and may physically or sexually assault their victims.
4. People who only engage in the paraphilic behavior of exhibitionism are typically 'harmless,' in that they have no desire to attack their victims.
5. Exhibitionism is driven by narcissism and a lack of ability to appropriately express oneself. The act of exposing one's genitals to someone else is seen as a way of 'showing off.'

Thanks for reading-- Max Wachtel, Ph.D.
www.CherryCreekPsychology.com
www.Twitter.com/mwachtel
www.Facebook.com/drmaxwachtel

Posted in: 9 News,exhibitionism,narcissism,psychopath