This
is another variable borrowed from Hazelwood & Warren
(2001), and describes paraphilic thoughts and behavior by the offender. If
one looks at the paraphilias mentioned
here,
one can see that there are many ways to sexually arouse an
individual where fantasy is an important aspect. The list provided is not
every paraphilia, and an individual can be aroused by nearly anything.
The important thing to note here is that if there is a paraphilic aspect to
the crime, there will be one or more interactions on the Fantasy Wheel. In
an article by Abel et al. (1989), it was reported that if there was evidence
of one paraphilia, the individual would also have additional paraphilias.
Multiple paraphilias equates to co-existing fantasies that may be
independent and focused for each paraphilia or may interact with each other
to form a very complex fantasy. During the course of an investigation,
recognizing the paraphilic fantasy variable can initiate new leads and
strategies for apprehending the offender.
An example of an interaction that can be expected to be viewed on the
Fantasy Wheel is Sexual Sadism to the variables Power, Violence,
Self-Perception, and Fantasy (but may include more). Through the
understanding of the fantasy process, one can better understand the offender
and the motivation for the crime. With paraphilias, the motivation will be
psychosexual gratification. The trick is to interpret the crimes and
understand the interactions with other variables on the Fantasy Wheel, which
will ultimately produce additional investigative strategies for
apprehension.
References
Abel, G. G., Becker, J. V., Cunningham-Rathner, J., Mittelman, M. S., &
Rouleau, J.-L. (1988). Multiple paraphilic diagnoses among sex offenders.
Bulletin of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, 16(2),
153-168.
Hazelwood, R., & Warren, J. (Editors) (2001). Practical aspects of rape
investigation: A multidisciplinary approach (3rd ed.). Boca Raton, FL:
CRC Press.
E-mail your questions or suggestions to
Bryan Nelson
