Because the Internet is F-I-L-T-H. Y.
Aug. 4th, 2009 11:36 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wolven7Thinking about exhibitionism and voyeurism, this morning, in terms of emotional, mental, physical/sexual displays and observation. I'm thinkning about them together and separately, and I think I've hit a weird realisation:
It's about trust.
Usually, the dynamic between the watcher and the watched is seen as one of strangers getting off on observing or potentially being observed by other people, but that's not the whole of it, I don't think; not always.
It occurs to me that, if the Voyeur can't be sure that there is something they are going to get to feel "in" on, some protected vulnerable thing of which they will get to take part, their trust (or expectation, if you prefer) is violated. By the world, by the person in question,
And if the Exhibitionist doesn't have a Reasonable Certainty that someone is going to be able to see, that someone is going to Want to see the things they display, then Their trust is violated.
Now, the really interesting thought, for me, is: If someone has these Tendencies, but they are overtly unexpressed and, more importantly, unexplored by introspection, but they keep getting violated anyway... what then? On the one hand, the possibility that the person-- upon having her trust violated, repeatedly, and receiving no validation for her behaviour-- retreats, starts expressing the behaviour that she Wants To Experience, From Others. On the other hand, that he continues forward, but begins to seek more extreme, less "acceptable" methods of satisfying these desires, and getting validation and acknowledgement.
Though thesee factors don't explain the behaviour patters of all voyeurs and exhibitionists, at all times, I think that, for an un-inspected psyche, either of these sets of motivations and outcomes is extremely possible, depending on how deep the desire and need run. The question is, what can be done to satisfy the need in a manner that allows the person to continue to interact with those parts of the world around her/him, needed to survive?
Thoughts, brought to you by questioning my own past and present emotional, mental, &c. exhibitionist and voyeuristic tendencies.
Your thoughts?
It's about trust.
Usually, the dynamic between the watcher and the watched is seen as one of strangers getting off on observing or potentially being observed by other people, but that's not the whole of it, I don't think; not always.
It occurs to me that, if the Voyeur can't be sure that there is something they are going to get to feel "in" on, some protected vulnerable thing of which they will get to take part, their trust (or expectation, if you prefer) is violated. By the world, by the person in question,
And if the Exhibitionist doesn't have a Reasonable Certainty that someone is going to be able to see, that someone is going to Want to see the things they display, then Their trust is violated.
Now, the really interesting thought, for me, is: If someone has these Tendencies, but they are overtly unexpressed and, more importantly, unexplored by introspection, but they keep getting violated anyway... what then? On the one hand, the possibility that the person-- upon having her trust violated, repeatedly, and receiving no validation for her behaviour-- retreats, starts expressing the behaviour that she Wants To Experience, From Others. On the other hand, that he continues forward, but begins to seek more extreme, less "acceptable" methods of satisfying these desires, and getting validation and acknowledgement.
Though thesee factors don't explain the behaviour patters of all voyeurs and exhibitionists, at all times, I think that, for an un-inspected psyche, either of these sets of motivations and outcomes is extremely possible, depending on how deep the desire and need run. The question is, what can be done to satisfy the need in a manner that allows the person to continue to interact with those parts of the world around her/him, needed to survive?
Thoughts, brought to you by questioning my own past and present emotional, mental, &c. exhibitionist and voyeuristic tendencies.
Your thoughts?
