Solitary and heterosexual behaviors

1
Solitary and heterosexual behaviors

• Masturbation
• Fantasy
• Shared sexual behavior

2
Masturbation

• Historical and religious views
• A statistical analysis
• Myths and facts

3
Historical and religious views

• Practiced by many ancient peoples
• Greek and Egyptian artwork
• Diogenes praise of masturbation
• Not explicitly mentioned in Scripture
• Forbidden in Talmud for men
• A capital offense
• Some Scriptures have been applied to masturbation

4
The modern era

• S.A.D. Tissot (1741) Onanism and the
  medicalization of sex
• Victorian concerns with health
• Loss of stamina and energy
• Stress on the nervous system
• Imbalance of fluids
• Krafft-Ebing linked masturbation with insanity

5
Effects of masturbation (1904)

• loss of memory and intelligence, morose and
  unequal disposition, aversion or indifference to
  legitimate pleasures and sportsstupid stolidity,
  etc. (Walling)

6
Child-rearing in the late 1800s

• Children are not naturally sexual.
• They learn sexual interest through evil
  companions.
• Alarms would alert the parents if the child
  touched his penis
• Cages were available to keep hands away
• Spiked rings produced pain if an erection
  occurred Nocturnal emissions were wrong, too.

7
The American variant Health foods

• Sylvester Graham, C.W. Post, and Harvey Kellogg
• The Boy Scout Handbook warned against
  masturbation until the late 1970s
• Circumcision became popular in the belief that it
  would reduce masturbation.

8
Current religious views

• Judaism Varies with branch
• Islam A sin, although the point is argued.
• Roman Catholicism An intrinsically and
  seriously disordered act.
• Mainline Protestantism Not a moral issue

9
Conservative Protestantism In disarray.

• Tson and Hayford vs. Dobson
• Houghton College Counseling Center
• Donald Joy
• Some argue that it is the lust that is wrong.
• Some argue that it is homosexual behavior.
• Some argue that it is against the sense of
  Scripture.

10
Attitudes toward masturbation
In my opinion, masturbation is Right
Wrong Amoral No opinion
1988 (N29) 3 (10) 6 (21) 15 (52) 5
(17)
1995 (N20) 12 (60) 2 (10) 2 (10) 4 (20)
Note Class members responded anonymously and
voluntarily. Not all class members chose to
respond. Sample bias?
11
Church attitudes about masturbation, 1999 (N
16)
Printed or official policy 0 Addressed from the
pulpit 0 Small group/counseling topic 8 Never
addressed 4
Positive and affirming 0 Permissive with
warning 1 Discouraging 8 Prohibitive 2 N
o guidance 5
12
Current social views

• The last taboo Woody Allen and Jerry Seinfeld
• NHSLS (1994) special methodology
• OK unless done to excess
• Could be inappropriate -- especially if married
• 50 of practitioners feel guilty afterward
• Why?

13
A statistical analysis

• More men (90) than women (65-89)
• More education?more masturbation
• White, educated liberals most likely to
• Devoutly religious folks masturbate less
• 18-24 year olds masturbate less than 25-54 year
  olds
• 50 of each gender feel guilty about it, but
  guilt inhibits masturbation only in women

14
More statistics

• 85 of men and 45 of women married or cohabiting
  had masturbated in the past twelve months
• 60 of men and 40 of women overall had
  masturbated in the past twelve months
• Conclusion?

15
NHSLS reasons for masturbation

• Reason
  Men Women
• To relax
  26 32
• To relieve sexual tension 73
  63
• Partners unavailable 32
  32
• Partner unwilling 16
  6
• Boredom
  11 5
• Physical pleasure 40
  42
• Get to sleep
  16 12
• Fear of AIDS or other STDs 5
  5

16
Fantasy

• Primary fantasy
• Fantasy to facilitate masturbation
• When is it lust?
• Shared fantasy for sexual arousal

17
Shared sexual behavior

• Touching When is it sexual?
• Hugging and kissing
• Caressing, fondling, stroking skin
• Genital stimulation
• Manual
• Oral Fellatio and cunnilingus
• Genital apposition Dry-docking, outercourse

18
Intercourse

• Vaginal Significant risk for HIV and STD
  transmission
• Anal High risk for HIV transmission
• Surface
• Interfemoral
• Intermammary
• Intergluteal
• 1001 Positions

19
Appeal of various sexual practices, NHSLS, ages
18-44

• ( rating very or somewhat appealing)
• Practice Women Men
• Vaginal intercourse 96 95
• Watching partner disrobe 81 93
• Receiving oral sex 68 83
• Giving oral sex 57 76
• Anal intercourse 5 14
• What is the role of negative associations?

20
Caveats for oral-genital contact

• Basic hygeine is essential
• STDs, including HIV can be transmitted
• Non-STD infections may also occur
• Bacterial infections of the throat
• Infections of the genitals from mouth bacteria
• Semen from infected prostates may be dangerous
• Do not blow!
• The effectiveness of barriers is unknown.