Voyeurism

The term voyeurism is etymologically derived from the French word voir, which ultimately comes from the Latin word videre, both meaning “to see.” Voyeurism describes in general the behavior of a voyeur or a voyeuse, suggesting a secret spectator who experiences satisfaction in the sexual activity of others. To look at or to observe other persons—secretly or openly—can be a way to generate one's own identity by reflection, by contrast or stimulated by the wish for visual participation.

Numerous examples of voyeuristic depictions and subjects are found in the art of all eras in Western art as well as beyond the Occident, in Chinese and Japanese art for example. It is important to note that voyeurism is not an exclusively male phenomenon as is often suggested. Numerous females, including artists such as the U.S. photographer Merry Alpern, work purposefully within the constructs of the voyeuristic gaze.

The definition and use of the term voyeurism customarily recurs in association with the fields of psychoanalysis and psychology. Jean-Paul Sartre's and Jacques Lacan's examinations of voyeurism drew on the theories of Sigmund Freud. In Freud's theories, voyeurism is assessed as a perversion in which the “passive” party is perceived as a victim, and “active” exhibitionism plays only a secondary role. Defining voyeurism as a form of victimization without fully considering the role of the “passive” party continues to stigmatize the voyeuristic act as a “perversion,” resulting in prejudicial and moralizing reflexes. This one-sided and negative assessment of voyeurism may have to be analyzed or reversed.

Religious moral traditions play a role in the issues and debates surrounding voyeurism. However, it may be possible to dispense with rigid moralizing around the phenomenon of voyeurism when one considers it as one of many legitimate possibilities for appropriation in a visual world. Nevertheless, it should be understood that the phenomenon of voyeurism cannot be delimited to occurrences within the world of art, which is only one of the places it has manifested itself.

This entry first discusses the roots and chronological frame of voyeurism. Next, this entry presents the primary types of voyeuristic depictions. Finally, this entry examines the implications of voyeurism in today's global environment.