Masturbation is defined as the self-stimulation of the genitals to achieve sexual arousal and pleasure, usually to the point of orgasm/sexual climax (Knowles, 2002). It is a natural process and one of the most common sexual activities that humans take part in. The subject of masturbation has long been a taboo topic and seen is a sin in many Western religious cultures. Because of this, guilt and shame are associated with masturbation. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries many believed masturbation caused illnesses and it was seen as a disease. This has been proven to be untrue and in fact many medical professionals now believe masturbation to be good for a persons physical and sexual health. Masturbation is a natural healthy process and should not be viewed as something sinful and unnatural. Masturbation Masturbation is one of the first sexual experiences a person will have and it usually done by stimulating the penis or clitoris with a hand, fingers or “sex toys” (Knowles, 2002). Masturbation is way of discovering ones sexual “potential” and is done for various reasons. Some people may masturbate to relieve sexual tension, to help them fall asleep, or as a safe sex alternative just to name a few. It begins as early as infancy and can continue into adulthood with varying frequency, with or with out a partner but is not considered a substitute for sex, merely a variation. Masturbation “does not cause any physical injury or harm to the body, and can be performed in moderation throughout a person's lifetime as a part of normal sexual behavior” (Knowles, 2002). The Hate Masturbation has been viewed as a shameful act “having pathological origins and negative physical and mental health consequences”(Knowles, 2002). T... ... middle of paper ... ...d Johnson on Sex and Human Loving. Boston, MA: Little, Brown and Company. Moglia, Ronald Filiberti, and Jon Knowles, eds. (1997). All About Sex: A Family Resource on Sex and Sexuality. New York, NY: Three Rivers Press. Mosher, Donald L., and Susan G. Vonderheide. (1985). " Contributions of Sex Guilt and Masturbation Guilt to Women's Contraceptive Attitudes and Use." The Journal of Sex Research, 21(1), 2439. National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior (NSSHB). Findings from the National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior, Centre for Sexual Health Promotion, Indiana University. Journal of Sexual Medicine, Vol. 7, Supplement 5. Rowan, Edward L. (2000). The Joy of SelfPleasuring. New York, NY: Prometheus Books. Yarber, W. L., Sayad, B. J., & Strong, B. (2010). Human sexuality: diversity in contemporary America (7th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.
As the social ideal of a woman being a dependent and passive creature has deteriorated in our time, the taboo of female masturbation is beginning to show signs of decrease. However, for the most part the taboo still exists. For men masturbation is seen as a necessity, a means of controlling intense hormonal imbalances, a release valve.
Hyper Sexual addiction is a disorder that can be defined as a person having a habitually elevated sex drive, fantasies, and urges. Nevertheless, compared to other sexual addictions, this could be known as one of the most riskiest and dangerous addiction. Hyper Sexual Addiction has become more prevalent because of the infidelities amongst some celebrities and political figures. Sexual addiction has always existed, but because of technology and social media, people have become more aware of it. People who suffer from this disorder are like drug addicts that crave drugs; they think they can stop, but the urges are constantly there. According to An Elements Behavioral Health article (2016), for the sex addict, sexual activity provides an intense,
Medicalization describes the shift in authority concerning abnormal human conditions. Quirks previously seen as by-products of maturation began to see heavy examination and were classified under medical terms. As a result, the past few decades have seen an obscene number of compulsions and disorders deemed medical conditions, further exacerbating the unnecessary institutionalization of many harmless irregularities. This string coincides with the growing popularity of sex addiction and the debate over its inclusion in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). The mere thought of such a neurotic desire potentially joining the DSM alongside major mental and learning disorders epitomizes the depths to which society has sunk in recognition of truly straining abnormalities. The medicalization of sex addiction demonstrates the lengths at which medical authority will go to inject another fabricated disease into the blood of society.
Quindlin, Anna. "Sex Ed." The McGraw-Hill Reader: Issues across the Disciplines. By Gilbert H. Muller. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011. 275-77. Print.
The initial study, implemented in 2005, surveyed thirty people, who proclaimed they have “great sex”; the initial finding of these thirty people found six different components of optimal sexuality. With their follow up study,
Demeter, Debora (1998). The Human Sexuality: Sex and the Elderly. Retrieved November 10, 2002 from the World Wide Web: http://www.umkc.edu/sites/hsw/age/
Klein, Marty. "You're addicted to what? Challenging the myth of sex addiction." The Humanist July-Aug. 2012: 31+. Gale Power Search. Web. 8 Apr. 2014
Those who disagree think providing birth control promotes promiscuity and premarital sexual activity. In the article “At Issue: Birth Control Availability,” the author argues that access to birth control and other contraceptives for teens would make them think their behavior is acceptable. The author states, “Providing free condoms and other birth control methods sends the message that premarital sexual activity is acceptable” (“ProQuest”). The opposition believes birth control would promote promiscuity and make it seem acceptable. Although some believe that birth control encourages promiscuity, the fact that teens are sexually active has not changed; therefore, access to birth control can only encourage safe sex. Kim Grundy, author of “The Teens and Birth Control Debate,” argues that teaching abstinence wastes time. Wendie Howland, editor of Journal of Nurse Life Care Planning, declares, “Abstinence hasn’t worked for thousands of years as a reliable way to avoid teen pregnancy” (qtd. in Grundy). Howland and Grundy argue that abstinence has not worked in the past, and will continue not to, therefore; birth control should become available to teens.
Milstein, Susan A. Taking Sides Clashing Views in Human Sexuality. Ed. William J. Taverner and Ryan W. McKee. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2009. Print.
Alan Soble defines masturbation as a person who manually rubs the penis or clitoris, in private, until final orgasm. There were many different attempts of defining masturbation, but Soble could not fully agree to them all because they were flawed. The first description for masturbation is “a sexual act involving hands and genitals”. He disagreed with this because some sexual acts do not involve hands or genitals. The second definition says “ a sexual act with lack of insertion”. This is false because it states that if something is not inserted, then it is considered masturbatory; oral and anal sex is not considered masturbatory. The third definition says “sexual act not involving the insertion of a real penis into an orifice of a living being”. This presents a double standard because it is conveying that gays can have sex but lesbians cannot. Since intercourse between lesbians does not require a “real penis”, it would be considered masturbation rather than sex. Another definition with the same double standard is shown in the fourth definition, which states “a sexual act not involving the insertion of a real penis into an orifice of a human being.” Bestiality is not considered masturbatory; therefore this statement would be incorrect. In the fifth definition, it mentions “a sexual act not involving the insertion of a real penis into an orif...
The need for amatory narrative could be further illustrated in a more historical context. American men's enthusiasm on fortune and business lead them to view their energy, in a economic sense, as a kind of resource and capital. They were recommended by manuals advocating self-discipline to hoard and concentrate their energy in order to achieve success in civil society. Masturbation, a normal sexual behavior,was conceived negatively by the nineteenth-century Americans with its symbolic meaning of releasing energy. According to Barker-Benfield, masturbation was conceived as “the uneconomical expenditure of male creative power”(10) and was therefore recognized as “the chief rival (167) to men's self-making in the sense that its release of sperms formed a metaphorical consumption of male energy which should have otherwise been used more wisely. Masturbation mirrored, as Barker-Benfield puts it,“the normal male obsession with a selfhood defined as
Addiction, a compulsive psychological need for a habit-forming substance according to an online dictionary (p). In this instance, the substance is sex or masturbation. A sex addict needs progressively more and more explicit pornographic material in order to become aroused. Their behavior becomes centered on different sexual experiences and the desire to attain them. The person cannot control their sexual appetites resulting in severe consequences for themselves and others. Sex addiction is a lifelong problem that needs to be contained in order to avoid continued complications. Shame, secretiveness, and abusiveness in a person accompany the addiction. Treatment is available in different forms; however, because this subject is relatively new a cure is not known. An important question is arising around this subject is whether or not sex addiction results from nature or nurture.
The ranges of sexually addictive behaviors are various. Sexual addictive behaviors include, but are not limited to compulsive masturbation, multiple affairs, unsafe sex, sexual anorexia, multiple or anonymous partners, pornography viewing, phone or cybersex, voyeurism, and exhibitionism (National, Sex). Despite the differences in the acting out behaviors, sexual addictions all have the same common denominator in their origins and aspects in relation to their developments. Thus, the underlying causes are the same.
"Treatment for Sexual Problems." Kazdin, Alan E. Encyclopedia of Psychology. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association, 2000. Print.
Sherman, E. (1986). Teenage sex: A special report. Ladies Home Journal 103 (October) : 138,199, 202-206