Abstract
Against the background of the maladaptive sexual approach disorders, exhibitionism stands out as unusual in several respects. As opposed to pedophiles, exhibitionists commit a significantly greater number of deviant acts and are apprehended more often, yet they are jailed less often as well (Maletzky, 1991). Perhaps this is a result of society’s view that the victims of exhibitionism are less seriously affected than victims of other sexual crimes, such as child molestation and rape. Indeed, exposure of the genitals is, by and large, a misdemeanor rather than a felony; even the judicial nomenclature sounds mild: public indecency or indecent exposure. Since these charges can stem from accidental acts—such as failure to take adequate precaution against exposure (e.g., urinating in public)—society may believe that exhibitionism is less serious than other sexual crimes and that, along with fetishism, transvestism, and bestiality, it is largely a victimless act.
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© 1994 Springer Science+Business Media New York
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Maletzky, B.M. (1994). Exhibitionism. In: Last, C.G., Hersen, M. (eds) Adult Behavior Therapy Casebook. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-2409-0_16
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-2409-0_16
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