Fetishism

You don't need to be Editor-In-Chief to add or edit content to WikiDoc. You can begin to add to or edit text on this WikiDoc page by clicking on the edit button at the top of this page. Next enter or edit the information that you would like to appear here. Once you are done editing, scroll down and click the Save page button at the bottom of the page.

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Phone:617-525-6884

Please Take Over This Page and Apply to be Editor-In-Chief for this topic: There can be one or more than one Editor-In-Chief. You may also apply to be an Associate Editor-In-Chief of one of the subtopics below. Please mail us [2] to indicate your interest in serving either as an Editor-In-Chief of the entire topic or as an Associate Editor-In-Chief for a subtopic. Please be sure to attach your CV and or biographical sketch.

Overview

A fetish (from French fétiche; from Portuguese feitiço; from Latin facticius, "artificial" and facere, "to make") is an object believed to have supernatural powers, or in particular a man-made object that has power over others. Essentially, fetishism is the attribution of inherent value or powers to an object.

History

The concept was coined by Charles de Brosses in 1757, while comparing West African religion to the magical aspects of Ancient Egyptian religion. Later, Auguste Comte used the concept to apply an evolution theory to religion. In Compte's theory of the evolution of religion, he proposed that fetishism is the earliest (most primitive) stage, followed by the stages of polytheism and monotheism.

In the end, some artifacts certain monotheist religions (Holy Cross, Consecrated Hosts, etc.) use for their rites are other incarnation of fetishism. However, this vision is denied by monotheist practitioners.

In the 19th century, Tylor and McLennan held that the concept of fetishism allowed historians of religion to shift attention from the relationship between people and God to the relationship between people and material objects. They also held that it established models of causal explanations of natural events which they considered false as a central problem in history and sociology.

Practice

Theoretically, fetishism is present in all religions, but its use in the study of religion is derived from studies of traditional West African religious beliefs, as well as Voodoo, which is derived from those beliefs.

Blood is often considered a particularly powerful fetish or ingredient in fetishes. In addition to blood, other objects and substances, such as bones, fur, claws, feathers, water from certain places, certain types of plants and wood are common fetishes in the traditions of cultures worldwide.

Other uses of the term "fetishism"

• In the 19th century Karl Marx appropriated the term to describe commodity fetishism as an important component of capitalism. Nowadays, (commodity and capital) fetishism is a central concept of marxism
• Later Sigmund Freud appropriated the concept to describe a form of paraphilia where the object of affection is an inanimate object or a specific part of a person; see sexual fetish.

See also

• Idolatry
• Animism
• Totemism
• Taboo
• Conspicuous consumption
• the book Growth Fetish
• Sexual fetishism

External links

• The Catholic Encyclopaedia: fetishism - The Catholic View.
• Andrew Lang, Fetishism and Spiritualism, The Making of Religion, (Chapter VIII), Longmans, Green, and C°, London, New York and Bombay, 1900, pp. 147-159.

v • d • e List of mental illnesses

Acute stress disorder - Adjustment disorder - Agoraphobia - Alcohol and substance abuse - Alcohol and substance dependence - Amnesia - Anorexia nervosa- Antisocial personality disorder - Anxiety disorder - Asperger syndrome - Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder - Autism - Autophagia - Avoidant personality disorder - Bereavement - Bestiality - Bibliomania - Binge eating disorder - Bipolar disorder - Body dysmorphic disorder - Borderline personality disorder - Brief psychotic disorder - Bulimia nervosa - Childhood disintegrative disorder - Circadian rhythm sleep disorder - Conduct disorder - Conversion disorder - Cyclothymia - Delirium - Delusional disorder - Dementia - Dependent personality disorder - Depersonalization disorder - Depression - Disorder of written expression - Dissociative fugue - Dissociative identity disorder - Down syndrome - Dyspareunia - Dysthymic disorder - Encopresis - Enuresis - Erotomania - Exhibitionism - Expressive language disorder - Factitious disorder - Female and male orgasmic disorders - Female sexual arousal disorder - Fetishism - Folie à deux - Frotteurism - Ganser syndrome - Gender identity disorder - General adaptation syndrome - Generalized anxiety disorder - Histrionic personality disorder - Hyperactivity disorder - Hyperkinetic syndrome - Hypoactive sexual desire disorder - Hypochondriasis - Hysteria - Intermittent explosive disorder - Joubert syndrome - Kleptomania - Male erectile disorder - Mania - Mathematics disorder - Munchausen syndrome - Narcissistic personality disorder - Narcolepsy - Nightmares - Obsessive-compulsive disorder - Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder - Oneirophrenia - Oppositional defiant disorder - Panic attacks - Pain disorder - Panic disorder - Paranoid personality disorder - Paraphilias - Parasomnia - Pathological gambling - Pedophilia - Perfectionism - Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Pica - Postpartum Depression - Post-traumatic stress disorder - Primary hypersomnia - Primary insomnia - Psychotic disorder - Pyromania - Reactive attachment disorder - Reading disorder - Retts disorder - Rumination disorder - Schizoaffective disorder - Schizoid - Schizophrenia - Schizophreniform disorder - Schizotypal personality disorder - Seasonal affective disorder - Self Injury - Separation anxiety disorder - Sexual Masochism and Sadism - Shared psychotic disorder - Sleep disorder - Sleep terror disorder - Sleepwalking disorder - Social phobia - Somatization disorder - Specific phobias - Stereotypic movement disorder - Stuttering - Suicide - Tourette syndrome - Transient tic disorder - Transvestic Fetishism - Trichotillomania - Vaginismus

ar:ماسوشية

ca:Fetitxisme cs:Náboženský fetišismus da:Fetich de:Fetischismus el:Φετιχισμόςfa:شیء‌پرستی fi:Fetisismi fr:Fétichisme fy:Fetisj hr:Fetišizam it:Feticismo he:פטישיזם nl:Fetisjisme no:Fetisj (religion) ja:呪物崇拝uk:Фетишизм

WikiDoc Help Menu Quick Start.. Get Started Here! How to Login How to Search Pages How to Start a New Page How to Edit a Page Cheat Sheet Editing basics Learning Basic Formatting How to make Links in WikiDoc & to External Sites How to Make Lists How to Ignoring Formatting Adding References or Footnotes to Articles Tracking Changes You Have Made How to Put an Article Into a Category When Multiple Topics Should Go To The Same Page (MI, Acute MI, AMI) Using Redirection Advanced editing How to Make Tables How to Insert Images and Other Media How to Add Video Help:How to Make Columns Web Colors How To Make Templates How to Move Pages Inserting Dynamic Dates and Times Inserting WikiDoc Statistics Editing the Table of Contents Communicating your edits Let others know what you changed: The importance of Edit Summaries Minor Edits Edit Conflicts Help Videos You Can Watch Getting Started Video