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Disorders of human sexuality
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People have different opinions and ideas about normal or abnormal sexual behaviors. Sex is common all over the world, and all people are interested in it. The most common disorders are homosexuality, sexual dysfunctions, and sexual deviation. The only reason why these disorders are unique is due to the norm established by society, but they are not necessarily abnormal (Dombeck, 2002).
Sexual orientation describes patterns of sexual and romantic attraction towards someone else. Normally one pole attracts the other, but in this case, it does not work like that. There is little information on why a person’s sexual orientation might be deviated from what is normal. Research shows that this problem may be due to the role of genes, the environment, hormones, the way a family raised the kids, or because of the brain itself. According to Sigmund Freud, all human beings are bisexual, but they become heterosexual or homosexual because of the experiences they live with their parents and other people. Psychologists and psychiatrists have a negative attitude towards homosexuality. However, there are no norms, or empirical evidence supporting the idea that attraction towards the same sex is a form of mental illness or a psychopathology. Homosexuality is a matter of choice rather than an abnormality due to brain dysfunction (APA, 1975; 1987).
Sexual malfunction refers to a difficulty experienced by a couple or individual during any stage of a normal sexual activity, including desire, arousal or orgasm. Sexual dysfunction affects both men and women at any given age. This can be caused by emotional or physical problems. It may be because of lack of trust between lovers, psychological problems, depression, among other things. In men, the most com...
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...ires extensive therapy, and with enough motivation and support, a person can be cured. People suffering from these disorders should not be by themselves as they will improve if they feel they have their loved ones love and support.
Works Cited
Dombeck, Mark, PhD. "Introduction to Sexual Disorders." Mentalhelp. N.p., 1 Apr. 2002. Web. 5 Dec. 2013.
"Sexual Dysfunction Causes." Sexual Dysfunction Causes. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2013.
Herek, Gregory M. "Homosexuality and Mental Health." Homosexuality and Mental Health. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2013.
"Contents of The American Journal of Psychiatry." Psychological Medicine 17.04 (1987): 1035. Print.
"Paraphilias and Mental Health." WebMD. WebMD, 18 Jan. 0000. Web. 16 Nov. 2013.
"Treatment for Sexual Problems." Kazdin, Alan E. Encyclopedia of Psychology. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association, 2000. Print.
Sexual dysfunction can be defined as the inability to partake in or enjoy sexual relationship with one's partner as a result of underlying physical and/or psychological factors (Hoel, 1998). Physical attributions play a large part in both males and females and their ability to perform and enjoy sex. Males encounter several normal changes as they become older. A decrease in the hormone testosterone is very common amongst males with increasing age. Testosterone is beneficial because it gives a decrease in body fat, an increase in energy, including sexual energy, and an increase in lean muscle. These factors are important for physical attraction one has for another, definitely improving the outcome of sexual arousal. The size and firmness of the testicles may be reduced because of this decrease as well. The sexual response phase also changes with age. During the beginning of sex, an older man may experience a delay in his erection and when erect, the penis may not be as firm as when younger. ...
Treatment of Sexual Addiction." HealthyPlace.com - Trusted Mental Health Information and Support. HealthyPlace, 25 Sept. 2009. Web.
Female sexual dysfunction or FSD is a persistent problem with sexual response, specifically in trying to obtain or maintain sexual arousal. This will lead to distress that will affect everyday life, including the possibility of straining your relationship with your partner. Many women will experience sexual dysfunction at some point in their lives, usually in the later stages of life. It can occur at any time or can occur in just certain sexual situations. Sexual dysfunction can occur due to a multitude of reasons like a complex interplay of emotions, experiences, and beliefs. Women are generally influenced by everyday life experiences such as aging, sense of body image, health in our relationships, stress, and past sexual encounters, including a history of sexual abuse. Any of these disruptions or thoughts can affect sexual desire, arousal or satisfaction and treatment will not usually occur without a slew of solutions. In order to accurately diagnose and treat sexual dysfunction it
This site gives a brief overview of some of the biological aspects of sexual disorders.
Sex is a beautiful thing that happens between two people, but sometimes sex can become addictive, and like with any other addiction, it can ruin lives. Patricia is in her mid-thirties, and to those who know her, she is a soccer mom with a successful career. But after her marriage ended due to her husband’s affair, Patricia became insecure, and started exploring dating sites on the internet – soon, Patricia was going on dates, sex dates - and in an interview with the Philadelphia Weekly, she admits that she is addicted to sex, and there is a problem. The American Psychiatric Association and Diagnostic (APAD) and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) don’t recognize the abuse of sex as an addiction. Although not recognize as an addiction, the abuse of sex has the same qualities as drug addiction and should be recognized as a medical condition.
Though many consider homosexuality a mental illness, different studies have proven that it is a bi...
Recently, a plethora of research has been done on determining brain differences between homosexuals and heterosexuals. Simon LeVay's work on the anterior hypothalamus is the most widely discussed and debated research in the area of sexual orientation and neuroscience. This paper will examine Simon LeVay's research which declares that there is a physiological difference between the brains of heterosexual and homosexual men (5). Furthermore, it will discuss the shortcomings of his research and the n...
Sexual orientation is a topic scientists spend a great deal of time researching, however it is unclear what factors really have an effect on one’s sexual orientation. The role of biology, culture, socialization, and age contribute to the influences of sexual orientation.
There is very little research that has been done in the past on the mental health of LGBT individuals. In 1997 the federal center for Mental Health Services called for information to be compiled on the topic (Lucksted 3). Most of the information came from small publications, grass root information and self-reporting and even this information was incomplete because of the lesser reporting on people of the transgender and bisexual communities. This older report shows what the state of affairs was in ...
What controls a human's sexual orientation? The long-standing debate of nature versus nurture can be extended to explaining human sexual orientation. Is it biological or environmental? The biological explanation has been gaining popularity amongst the scientific community although it is only based on speculations. It is argued that sexual orientation is linked to factors that occur during sexual differentiation. The prenatal exposure to androgens and their affect on the development of the human brain play a pivotal role in sexual orientation (2). Heredity is also part of the debate. Does biology merely provide the slate of neural circuitry upon which sexual orientation is inscribed? Do biological factors directly wire the brain so that it will support a particular orientation? Or do biological factors influence sexual orientation only indirectly?
”There are numerous theories about the origins of a person's sexual orientation…orientation is most likely the result of a complex interaction of environmental, cognitive and biological factor …there are probably many reasons for a person's sexual orientation and the reasons may be different for different people.” (“Sexual Orientation & Homosexuality”)
McCabe, M.P. (2005). The role of performance anxiety in the development and maintenance of sexual dysfunction in men and women. International Journal of Stress Management, 12(4), 379-388.
Since the 1800's, psychiatrists and psychologists have concluded that homosexuality is a mental disorder. They have believed it is brought about by misguided upbringing and their social environments. For instance, it was believed that if the child was lacking a male - figure in the home, he would most likely be gay. Or that child abuse can lead to lesbianism when the special needs of a little girl are denied, ignored, or exploited and the future womanhood of the child is in risk. However, inconsistencies in the research subjects' abuse records ruled these theories out. And if this were the case, then why is homosexuality present in different cultures? Some believed homosexuality was caused by a difference in brain structure. In 1991, Simon LeVay published research stating that sexual orientation may be the result of differing brain structures. The hypothalamus, a region in the brain that governs sexual behavior, was the structure that LeVay was pointing as the structure at fault. In his studies of the hypothalamus, he found that in homosexual men, the hypothalamus was smaller than that of heterosexual men. Instead, it was the size of the female hypothalamus, consequently explaining their sexual tendencies.
Sexual orientation is a key aspect in any person’s life. The way of life for a gay, lesbian, and all sexual minorities are drastically different than those who are heterosexual. The critical time period for sexual development is in the early stages of childhood. Although childhood is a critical period, many studies have been conducted ranging from those in their twenties and thirties (Carver, Perry, & Egan, 2004). Storms (1981) believes that the content of one’s sexual fantasies that arouses the stimuli of their erotic orientation. Storms (1981) also stated that sexual orientation is a combination of social development and sexual development that takes place during an individual’...
In order to discuss the biology of gender identity and sexual orientation, it is necessary to first examine the differences between multiple definitions that are often mistakenly interchanged: sex, gender, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Sexual orientation is defined by LeVay (2011) as “the trait that predisposes us to experience sexual attraction to people of the same sex as ourselves, to persons of the other sex, or to both sexes” (p. 1). The typical categories of sexual orientation are homosexual, heterosexual and bisexual. Vrangalova and Savin-Williams (2012) found that most people identify as heterosexual, but there are also groups of people that identify as mostly heterosexual and mostly gay within the three traditional categories (p. 89). This is to say that there are not three concrete groups, but sexual orientation is a continuum and one can even fluctuate on it over time. LeVay (2011) also defines gender as “the ...