When Ryan was a child, his parents caught him masturbating and punished him severely. During the traumatic punishment, Ryan was grounded and all of his toys were taken away. Instead of toys, he played with his underwear during the grounding. In later life, Ryan has developed an intense underwear paraphilia. What theory would connect his punishment to his paraphilia?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Behavioural theory suggests that paraphilias can develop through conditioning, where a neutral stimulus (in this case, underwear) becomes sexually arousing through its association with sexual arousal or pleasure. Ryan's punishment and subsequent playing with his underwear during a sexually formative experience could have led to the development of his paraphilia according to this theory.

When Ryan Was a Child, His Parents Caught Him Masturbating