Paraphilias

Paraphilia (in Greek para παρά = besides and -philia φιλία = friendship)—in psychology and sexology, is a term that describes a family of persistent, intense fantasies, urges, or behaviors involving sexual arousal to nonhuman objects, pain or humiliation experienced by oneself or one's partner, or children or other nonconsenting individuals. Paraphilias may interfere with the capacity for reciprocal affectionate sexual activity. Paraphilia is also used to imply non-mainstream sexual practices without necessarily implying dysfunction or deviance (see Clinical warnings). Also, it may describe sexual feelings toward otherwise non-sexual objects.

Describe paraphilia variants of the average sexual preference.
A paraphilia is a recurring sexually exciting fantasy, impulse or behavior related to non-human objects e.g things, fabrics, designs, the suffering or humiliation of oneself or the partner, children or other non-consenting persons. So basically it is getting aroused by things that wouldn't arouse the average person. You have a paraphilia when you have these thoughts, behaviours and impulses for at least 6 months and they are distressing for yourself or others. We distinguish between fetishism, frotteurism, pedophilia, sexual masochism, sexual sadism, transvestitism fetishism, voyeurism, exhibitionism and the group of unspecified paraphilias.

If we ask for the cause of something, we assume that it is about a disorder. In this question it's more so that we wonder why people do what they do. People tend to apply a certain norm in judging others and themselves. What we don't understand or find strange, we often reject. There are many theories that try to explain the origin of an aberrant sexual fantasy, thought or behavior in persons, but a final explanation is not known yet. We often assume that they originate or are formed in puberty. There are two important explanations for the development of sexual variation. Explanations that come from the idea of social development - how people treat each other - assume that something is wrong with the ability of these people to get involved in a relationship. This inability would be expressed in the form of sexual variation. Exhibitionism and voyeurism are then seen as clumsy attempts to make contact. Another explanation is that of coincidental connections between arousal and a certain situation or act. It is assumed that you want to repeat the experience that led to arousal.
Some behaviour, such as sadomachosism, is known to be related to having been submitted to violent abuse. Associating violence with sex has been a learned technique for surviving violent abuse.

What is sexual sadism?
Getting sexually aroused by fantasies about doing psychological or physical harm to a victim. This can mean getting aroused by humiliating another person, who often consents to this, using pain-causing material during sexual contact, for example whips or chains. The person with whom there is sexual contact is often a sexual masochist.
Sadism and masochism, in the original sense, describe psychiatric disorders characterized by feelings of sexual pleasure or gratification when inflicting suffering or having it inflicted upon the self, respectively. Sadomasochism is used in psychiatry to describe either the co-occurrence of sadism and masochism in one person as separate disorders, or as a replacement for both terms, depending on the theory used.
Masochism is getting sexually aroused by fantasies about being humiliated, beaten, tied up or otherwise tortured. Sadism is getting sexually aroused by incurring humiliati, beating, tiying up or otherwise torturing. Sado-Masochism is the combination of Sadism and Masochism in a complementary manner.
Masochism and Sadism are often caused by having been beaten or otherwise submitted to sadism when a child. This risk is a strong argument against even beating children.

What is voyeurism?
Voyeurism is a practice in which an individual derives sexual pleasure from observing other people. Such people may be engaged in sexual acts, or be nude or in underwear, or dressed in whatever other way the "voyeur" finds appealing. The word derives from French verb voir (to see) with the -eur suffix that translates as -er in English. A literal translation would then be “seer” or "observer", with pejorative connotations.

Pedophilia is scientifically defined as getting sexually aroused by a child in pre-puberty or a child younger than13 years old.
To be sexually aroused by children in puberty is known under the term "hebephilia" or "ephebophilia"
Note: Legally, pedophilia is often used to mean sexual relations with children under the age of consent. This age may vary from country to country, 15 and 17 are common age limits.
Pedophilia or pædophilia is the paraphilia of being sexually attracted primarily or exclusively to prepubescent or peripubescent children. A person with this attraction is called a pedophile or paedophile.
In contrast to the generally accepted medical definition, the term pedophile is also used colloquially to denote significantly older adults who are sexually attracted to adolescents below the local age of consent, as well as those who have sexually abused a child.
Getting sexually aroused by fantasies about secretly watching others permission during sexual activities, undressing or being naked.

What is frotteurism?
Getting sexually aroused by touching and rubbing oneself against another non-consenting person.In psychiatry, the clinical term frotteurism (no longer called frottage) refers to a specific paraphilia which involves the non-consensual rubbing against or touching another person in order to achieve sexual arousal or even orgasm. This may be done discreetly without being discovered, or in circumstances where the victim cannot respond, typically in a public place such as a crowded train. In common speech frotteurism is called groping though this term may sometimes be used for consensual Frottage.
The term toucherism is sometimes used to describe the closely related condition involving only touching or fondling without rubbing, although it is generally considered to be part of frotteurism.
Usually such nonconsensual sexual contact is viewed as criminal offense: a form of sexual assault albeit often classified as a misdemeanor with minor legal penalties. Conviction may result in a sentence including compulsory psychiatric treatment.
A person who suffers from frotteurism is known as a frotteur.

What is fetishism?
Getting sexually aroused by non-living and generally not sexually arousing objects, e.g shoes, lingerie, soft fabrics, etc.
A fetish (from French fétiche; from Portuguese feitiço; from Latin facticius, "artificial" and facere, "to make") is an object believed to have supernatural powers, or in particular a man-made object that has power over others.
Fetishism means the religion of the fetish. The word fetish is derived through the Portuguese feitiço from the Latin factitius (facere, to do, or to make), signifying made by art, artificial (cf. Old English fetys in Chaucer). From facio are derived many words signifying idol, idolatry, or witchcraft. Later Latin has facturari, to bewitch, and factura, witchcraft. Hence Portuguese feitiço, Italian fatatura, O. Fr. faiture, meaning witchcraft, magic. The word was probably first applied to idols and amulets made by hand and supposed to possess magic power. In the early part of the sixteenth century, the Portuguese, exploring the West Coast of Africa, found the natives using small material objects in their religious worship. These they called feitiço, but the use of the term has never extended beyond the natives on the coast. Other names are bohsum, the tutelary fetishes of the Gold Coast; suhman, a term for a private fetish; gree-gree on the Liberian coast; monda in the Gabun country; bian among the cannibal Fang; in the Niger Delta ju-ju -- possibly from the French joujou. i.e. a doll or toy (Kingsley) -- and grou-grou, according to some of the same origin, according to others a native term, but the natives say that it is "a white man's word". Every Congo leader has his m'kissi; and in other tribes a word equivalent to "medicine" is used.

What is exhibitionism?
Getting sexually aroused by the idea of showing the genitals to an unsuspecting stranger, for example the so-called 'flasher'. Exhibitionism (also known as Lady Godiva syndrome and Apodysophilia) is the psychological need and pattern of behavior to exhibit naked parts of the body to other people. In exhibitionism the individual shows a tendency to an extravagant, usually at least partially sexually inspired behavior to captivate the attention of others in a display of a body part, or parts, that would otherwise be left covered under clothing in nearly all other cultural circumstances.
The part(s) of the body exposed can be the female breasts or the genitalia or buttocks of either gender.
Exhibitionists who view exhibitionism as a lifestyle as opposed to a rare thrill carefully select their target audience and make the exposure brief, inconspicuous and apparently unintentional. It is a fetish, and many such practitioners see it as an art form. Many night clubs and goth bars encourage mild exhibitionism to enhance the venue's atmosphere. This contrasts with non-sexualized social nudity, in which the exposure is not connected with sexual expression, such as sunbathing or swimming at nude beaches or other participation in public nudity events where nudity is the norm.
Some exhibitionists wish to display themselves sexually to other people singly or in groups. This can be done consensually as part of swinging or group sex. When done nonthreateningly, the intent is usually to surprise and/or sexually arouse the viewer, giving the exhibitionist an ego rush. Some people like to expose themselves in front of large crowds, typically at sporting events; see streaking. Some like to use the internet to distribute their stories and pictures on websites like Exhibitionist World. A similar phenomenon is when, at the conclusion of a sporting event, a woman may flash her breasts while sitting atop someone's shoulders in a dense crowd of people.
Various forms of exhibitionism, usually by females, that are captured by various forms of media, such as the Girls Gone Wild video series, have proven highly popular among Western society's male market.

How can paraphilias be treated?
Sexual variations sometimes get people into trouble. The chance of conflicts with society is greater for people with an exceptional sexual preference. Very a few people with one or more paraphilias look for help with a social worker. They usually do this because they suffer from the paraphilia or because others, e.g their partner, suffer from it or society disapproves of heir behavior and makes them liable for punishment. Treatment may be focused on two areas. Space can be created for the development of the paraphilia. In this case patients get tips for getting in contact with fellow-sufferers and accepting themselves. On the other hand the paraphilia can be suppressed so that it occupies a smaller and more controllable place in the life of the person. This second treatment is more common. Medicinal treatments with anti-androgens (hormones) or psychopharmacology can influence the intensity and the frequency of the paraphilia.