disorders is based on anomalous activi ty preferences.  These disorders are subdivided into
courtship disorders,  which resemble distorted components of human courtship behavior
(voyeuristic disorder, exhibitionistic di sorder, and frotteuristic disorder), and algolagnic
disorders,  which involve pain and suffering (sexual masochism disorder and sexual sadism
disorder). The second group of disorders is based on anomalous target preferences.  These
disorders include one directed at other hu mans (pedophilic disorder) and two directed
elsewhere (fetishistic  disorder and tran svestic disorder).
The term paraphilia  denotes any intense and persistent sexual interest other than sexual
interest in genital stimulation or preparator y fondling with phenotypically normal, phys-
ically mature, consenting human partners. In some circumstances, the criteria “intense
and persistent” may be difficult to apply, su ch as in the assessment of persons who are
very old or medically ill and who may not have  “intense” sexual interests of any kind. In
such circumstances, the term paraphilia  may be defined as any sexual interest greater than
or equal to normophilic sexual interests. There are also spec ific paraphilias that are gen-
erally better described as preferential  sexual interests than as intense sexual interests.
Some paraphilias primarily concern the indivi dual’s erotic activities, and others pri-
marily concern the individual’s erotic targets. Examples of  the former would include in-
tense and persistent interests in spanking, whipping, cutting, binding, or strangulating
another person, or an interest in these activiti es that equals or exceeds the individual’s in-
terest in copulation or equivalent interaction with another person. Examples of the latter