Kat said:
It's due to classical and operant conditioning.
Well when you're as vague as this and then say "due to," one has little to draw on for conclusion. That's why I said you should explain what you meant. If you're not going to use the right words and THEN refuse to support your idea with more information than an article that explains operant conditioning without actually explaining in what way you think conditioning plays a role in fetishism, then you can't blame people for misunderstanding you.
LoneKiller said:
Are fetishes different in any way between males and females? Does gender play a role in certain fetishes that develop?
I don't know for sure. What I can tell you is that males seem to be more receptive to strange fetishes than females. Fetish communities such as AB/DL, Balloon lovers, and human toilets (gross, right? Haha) tend to have a higher rate of males at the recieving end than females. Females will generally be on the giving end, e.g. the "mommy" of an ab/dl or the person using the "human toilet". Even then, women who will even participate in those are few and far in between.
Basically, I don't think it's so much that any gender is prone to certain types of fetishes as it is that gender may affect how open one is to stranger fetishes. Women seem to be more reserved in that area.