Candaulism refers to a sexual practice between three people where two of the people have sex and the third watches, often from a hidden location. Candaulism has also been used to describe specifically a man’s erotic preference for “viewing (or listening to) his spouse interacting sexually with another man or watching her disrobing where other men also might observe her.”
Candaulism differs from threesomes, voyeurism, or infidelity in a few ways; only two people are actually engaging in sex play together, while pleasure is obviously coming from both the voyeuristic and possibly exhibitionistic elements, it seems important that the people are known to each other, and finally, all parties involved are consenting and aware of what is happening.
Sources:
- Freund, K. & Watson, R.J. “Gender Identity Disorder and Courtship Disorder” Archives of Sexual Behavior Volume 22, No. 1 (1993): 13-21.
- Love, B. Encyclopedia of Unusual Sex Practices. London: Greenwich Editions, 2001.
