Voyeurism

Voyeurism is a practice in which an individual derives sexual pleasure[?] from observing other people. Voyeuristic practices may take a number of forms but its characteristic feature is that the voyeur doesn't directly interact with the pleasure-object (who, more often than not, doesn't know he/she is being observed), instead observing him/her from a distance then masturbating during and/or after the observation. The observed pleasure-object may or may not be actively engaged in a sexually explicit act.

Voyeurism is considered a deviant sexual act in most cultures, is most frequently practiced by males, and is tolerated to some degree in certain societies depending upon the circumstances (e.g., adolescent "Peeping Toms").

See also :

• paraphilia
• Ira Levin's novel Sliver (1991)
• Projectvoyeur.com