The term “fetishism” comes from the Portuguese spell which means artificial, spell, spell. It appears in the French language in the XNUMXth century under the leadership of De Brosses¹. Intrigued by these objects venerated by African peoples, called fetishes, he invents the term to qualify the cult:

« I ask that I be allowed to use this expression habitually, and although in its proper meaning it relates in particular to the belief of the Negroes of Africa, I warn in advance that I also intend to make use of it. speaking of any other nation whatsoever in which the objects of worship are animals or inanimate beings that are deified; even when speaking sometimes of certain peoples for whom the objects of this kind are less of the Gods properly so called, than of things endowed with a divine virtue, oracles, amulets, and preservative talismans “.

At the very beginning of the XNUMXth century, the term “fetishist” no longer designates the follower of a primitive religion, but of a «Perversion» modern, in the sense of an anomaly, a sexual aberration. The new acceptance of the term is dazzling, testifying there to an incontestable semantic need. The use of an “object” diverted towards a sexual goal had been described for a long time but had not hitherto been directly named. 

Classified as a disorder of sexual preference in the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, “fetishism” is placed between “sadomasochism” and exhibitionism. It is characterized by the pronounced predilection for one part of the other’s body, for physical or mental qualities or for lifeless objects, often clothing. Here is a list of the most common objects:

– The breast, the nose, the hands, the mats;

– hair color, body size, infirmity, smell;

– Handkerchiefs, shoes, nightcap, mourning pancakes;

– Feet, mouth, uniform, etc.

– A type of material: leather, latex, fur.

These objects would awaken, by association, powerful representations of the personality and would accentuate the power of the sensation of sexual pleasure experienced.

Everyone is “more or less fetishist” in love according to Binet. He thus distinguishes “small fetishism” from “great fetishism”, which would be pathological.

The pathological character would begin when “the love of any detail” predominates to the point of erasing all the others. Max Dessoir are: « normal love seems to us a symphony made up of sounds of all kinds. It results from the most diverse excitations. He is, so to speak, polytheist. The fetishist knows only the timbre of a single instrument; it is constituted by a determined excitation, it is monotheistic. »

Three characters are used to switch to the pathological fetishism :

– The fixity of the fetishized line: we keep this predilection for life.

– The irresistibility of the impulse

– The exclusive character of the object in sexual satisfaction to the detriment of its wholeness. 

From the very beginning (illustrated in particular by the story of the famous fetishist of the “nightcap” who allegedly surprised his father and mother in nightcaps at the age of 5 in bed), psychiatrists have suspected some “Childhood impressions Early to play a major role in fetish fixation.

The events of childhood, especially between 4 and 6 years, seem to play a role in the appearance of these sexual aberrations. 

Pathological fetishism can be experienced with difficulty for the victim as well as for the partner who often has the feeling of not being loved in its entirety. The repetitive and restrictive rituals that fetishists demand can also cause partner fatigue.

For these reasons, some resort to psychiatric treatment, psychotherapy or cognitive therapy. This will require first talking to a general practitioner or specialist. 

«There is no being more miserable under the sun than a fetishist who longs for a boot and who has to be content with a whole woman. » Karl Kraus, Le Flambeau (Der Fackel), June 5, 1908, p. 25, no 256.