Sexual Arousal Patterns: Normal and Deviant

The development and manifestation of sexual arousal patterns can be tracked when the sexual interest is unique enough that the individual can recall how and when it developed, and how it was eventually expressed in a sexual manner. Six such unique cases demonstrate how interest frequently develops before sexual drive, before the individual labels the interest as sexual, and before he or she incorporates it into early autoerotic behavior. Some individuals are fairly successful at incorporating their unique sexual interests into a shared sexual experience with their partner. In other cases, these unique interests reach a dead end where their expression with a partner is not possible, or the interest becomes public, leading to marital, social, and legal disasters.