Unusual Psychosexual Syndromes: Koro, Autoerotic Asphyxia & Necrophilia

By Louis R. Franzini, PhD

Human behavior is fascinating, complex, and multi-determined. What someone does in any given instance is caused by an active combination of factors that are psychological, learned, biological, genetic, environmental, and occasionally instinctual. Our understanding of human behaviors is greater than our ability to predict them. Even so, that understanding is far from complete and the extant theoretical explanations are sometimes contradictory and nonscientific.

In general terms, human behavior can be classified as positive, negative, or neutral. A broader classification is to label a target behavior as normal or abnormal. The matter gets more confused when issues of legal and illegal behavior arise, wherein an illegal behavior may not be abnormal and an abnormal behavior may be quite legal.

We now have the latest iteration of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) (2013) which serves as the official classification system in the U.S. and many other countries. Mental health disciplines and health insurance companies accept this guidebook as the “bible” of the field.

Unusual Psychosexual Syndromes, Part 1: Koro, Autoerotic Asphyxia, and NecrophiliaUnusual Psychosexual Syndromes, Part 1: Koro, Autoerotic Asphyxia, and Necrophilia is a new 3-hour online continuing education (CE/CEU) course that will address three unusual psychosexual syndromes which typically receive scant or no attention in the latest DSM or most abnormal psychology textbooks. The three syndromes presented here are koro, autoerotic asphyxia, and necrophilia. These disorders of course, are relatively infrequent in occurrence, yet they are fascinating illustrations of the extreme forms that human sexual behavior can take.

Clinicians need to be familiar with the entire spectrum of disordered behavior that may potentially be presented by their clients and patients. We will focus primarily on the symptoms and descriptions of the syndromes and assume that therapists and counselors will determine the best treatments to invoke, as based on their own theoretical perspectives and training.

This online course provides instant access to the course materials (PDF download) and CE test. Successful completion of the online CE test (80% required to pass, 3 chances to take) and course evaluation are required to earn a certificate of completion. You can print the test (download test from My Courses tab of your account after purchasing) and mark your answers on it while reading the course document. Then submit online when ready to receive credit.

Professional Development Resources is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education for psychologists; the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC ACEP #5590); the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB Provider #1046, ACE Program); the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA Provider #3159); the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR Provider #PR001); the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (#PCE1625); the Florida Boards of Social Work, Mental Health Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy (#BAP346), Psychology & School Psychology (#50-1635), Dietetics & Nutrition (#50-1635), and Occupational Therapy Practice (#34); the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker & MFT Board (#RCST100501); the South Carolina Board of Professional Counselors & MFTs (#193); and the Texas Board of Examiners of Marriage & Family Therapists (#114) and State Board of Social Worker Examiners (#5678).

Louis R. Franzini, PhD, received his B.S. degree in Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh, his M.A. degree in Clinical Psychology at the University of Toledo, and his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh. He then completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Behavior Modification at the State University of New York at Stony Brook (now Stony Brook University). Following the postdoctoral program Dr. Franzini joined the Psychology Department at San Diego State University, where he spent his entire academic career. He retired as Emeritus Professor of Psychology. His international academic experience included appointments as Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the Universite Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-le-Neuve, Belgium and Senior Fellow in the School of Accountancy and Business, Human Resource and Quality Management Division at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Dr. Franzini is licensed as a psychologist in Florida and in California.