Some Aspects of Sexual Activity in a Fetishist

Sexual activity accompanying fetishism is not under the impetus of a heightened genital wish. This is even true when the activity is sexual intercourse and produces gratification. The sexual activity augments the work of the fetishistic activity by safeguarding against anxieties caused by pregenital disturbances,—fears of disintegration and separation and their accompanying disturbances of affect and object relationship.

Fetishism attempts to achieve an ego identification with a good breast in order to undo an identification with a bad breast. The sexual activity that may follow the fetishistic activity strives toward completion of this process of substituting identifications that produce comfort and gratification above and beyond the usual sexual genital gratification. Fetishism reflects a state of ego disequilibrium; the fetishistic act and the ensuing sexual act temporarily create a transient state of ego balance. A fetishistic response is more likely to be elicited by castration threats when they provoke pregenital anxiety than when they provoke castration anxiety. Castration anxiety does not appear to be the crux of the problem in fetishism; nor is fetishism an aid to genital sexual activity.