Abstract: | The author, after giving an outline of various theories of the genesis of sexual malpractices in general and so-called fetishistic practices in particular, tries to show, by reference to the behavior shown by several normally intelligent and socially fully integrated young persons, that juvenile fetishism cannot be considered a perversion in the proper sense of the word. Also, the results of observations made on these young persons show that biological factors play a minor role in the genesis of sexual malpractices. Disturbed social learning processes in the realm of interhuman relations are considered to be essential to the development of abnormal practices. |