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The application of computer content analysis in sexology: a case study of primary process content in fictional fetishistic narratives.

Research output: Contribution to Journal/MagazineJournal articlepeer-review

Published
<mark>Journal publication date</mark>16/06/2002
<mark>Journal</mark>The Electronic Journal of Human Sexuality
Volume5
Publication StatusPublished
<mark>Original language</mark>English

Abstract

This paper illustrates an application of computer content analysis in sexology. It compares a set of fictional fetishistic narratives published on a web site for rubber boot fetishists (n = 27) with a set of samples taken from general romance and love stories (n = 29). Using Martindale's Regressive Imagery Dictionary, it is shown that the fetishistic narratives contain a significantly higher proportion of primary process content and a significantly lower proportion of secondary process content than the romance and love stories. The subcategory of Icarian imagery is the main contributor to this effect. These findings appear to support previous theoretical views of fetishism as a regressive state and a "destruction of reality". Further content analysis studies of a wider range of fetishes may facilitate a typological categorization of fetishism.