Youth & Sexuality – Literature
Alfred Kinsey and the Kinsey Report: Historical Overview and Lasting Contributions – Vern L.
Bullough
Sex Research 1890- 1940
- Studies of sexuality dominated by physicians: experts in body funtions
- Before this sexuality was regarded as a moral issue.
- Most physician writing about sex were influenced more by the zeitgeist of their time
rather than by any specialized base of knowledge.
- Most of the medical writings on sexual topics came from psychiatrists, mostly
psychoanalytically trained.
- Most research was flawed by the assumption of the investigators interpreting data
(homosexuality is a disease)
- Uncomfortable with actual sexual behavior, so funding for “attitude” research,
conducted by social scientists.
- Funding for research: old-boy network
Kinsey comes on the scene
- Biology PHD
- Broad-based scientist: taught biology, published two biology texts, two workbooks, a
general text and carried out research.
- Course on marriage and family
- 18.000 individuals had been interviewed
- 8.000 by Kinsey himself
What Kinsey did
- He challenged most of the assumptions about sexual activity in the US
- Homosexuality scale (objective?)
- Challenging societal beliefs
- Gathered data from pedophiles (not turning these people in, “children weren’t
harmed)
- Criticized for his statistical sampling
- Challenging the societal belief of female asexuality
- Ignored sexual adventures: only “normal” sex, no swingers, sadism, masochism,
transvestism,…..
- Sex as human behavior
- Sex as a science
,In pursuit of pleasure: a biospycholsocial perspective on sexual pleasure and gender – Laan
et al.
ABSTRACT
Objective: Various sources of evidence suggest that men and women differ in their
experience of sexual pleasure. Such gender differences have been attributed to men’s higher
innate sex drive, supported by evolutionary psychology perspectives and gender differences
in reproductive strategies.
Method: This paper presents biopsychosocial evidence for gender similarities in the capacity
to experience pleasure, and for substantial gender differences in opportunities for sexual
pleasure.
Results: We conclude that sexual activity, in most cultures, is less pleasurable and associated
with greater cost for heterosexual women than for heterosexual men, even though they do
not differ in the capacity for sexual pleasure.
Conclusion: Since gender differences in experienced sexual pleasure are not a biological
given, a more critical discourse of sexual pleasure might create awareness of current
inequalities, help lift restrictions for women’s opportunities for pleasure, and could reduce
gender differences in the cost of sex. That would truly serve sexual justice around the globe.
Introduction
Sexual pleasure (“the physical and/or psychological satisfaction and enjoyment derived from
shared or solitary erotic experiences, including thoughts, fantasies, dreams, emotions, and
feelings,”) as cornerstone of sexual health.
“Dangers” of sexual pleasure
Rubin (1984) pointed out that religious western traditions have considered sex to be a:
“dangerous, destructive, negative force”. Medicine and psychiatry contributed to the
condemnations of sexual acts that fall outside the strict framework of sex for procreation.
This “domino theory of sexual peril” sees sex as an uncontrollable bio- logical force that, if
not repressed (allowing pro- creation within monogamous heterosexual marriages only), will
inevitably lead to societal chaos and anarchy. To date, public health approaches to sexuality
remain largely focused on adverse health outcomes and concomitant risks.
- a recent review of 23 studies that looked at determinants of sexual pleasure at first
partnered sexual experiences (defined as penile-vaginal penetration in three-quarters
of the studies) found that young people with the agency to con- sider what a
pleasurable first sexual experience may mean to them, experienced more pleasurable
sexual debuts.
- there is substantial and convincing evidence that comprehensive sex education, even
the kind that stays clear of anything remotely associated with sexual pleasure, is
associated with heterosexual adolescents engaging in penile-vaginal intercourse at a
later age, with more consistent condom and contraception use, and lower unwanted
pregnancy rates in both developed and developing countries.
- Countries that promote abstinence-only sex education or no sex education usually
perform worse on these indices of sexual health than countries that provide
comprehensive and positive information about sex to adolescents.
, a positive approach to sexual health and sex education has more benefits than risks.
sexual wellbeing as an overarching construct that incorporates sexual pleasure, sexual
justice and sexual health, needs to be recognized.
Health benefits of pleasure
- In a review of 40 studies published since 1990, Anderson (2013) concluded that the
experience of sexual satisfaction, sexual pleasure, and positive sexual self-esteem
improves sexual health, mental health, and physical health outcomes. It promotes
overall wellbeing through improved relationship quality and general life satisfaction.
This finding also holds true for older people and for people with a chronic condition
or physical limitations.
- The quality of couples’ sex lives makes a unique contribution to the quality and
longevity of committed relationships (Diamond & Huebner, 2012), over and above
the effect of being in a committed relationship.
- In a large sample of young women (18–26 years), sexual pleasure was positively
related to autonomy, self-esteem, and empathy (Galinsky & Sonenstein, 2011; see
also Sanchez et al., 2006). These associations were less prominent in young men.
- For older men, longevity and better physical health were rather consistently
positively associated with frequency of sexual activity. Interestingly, longevity in
heterosexual women was associated with enjoyment of sexual activity, not with
sexual frequency per se.
- And in line with these findings, a recent representative German survey on sexual
behaviors found that sexual pleasure was associated with various health indicators
(e.g.,communication about sexually transmitted infections (STIs), condom use,
absence of sexual problems, and orgasm frequency), with sexual pleasure predicting
sexual health outcomes more strongly in women than in men (Klein et al., in
preparation).
These latter findings may give the impression that, for men, sexual pleasure is less
important for enjoying the health benefits of sex than it is for heterosexual women.
However, this finding may rather reflect the fact that, for men, sexual activity is almost
invariably associated with sexual pleasure, such that sexual pleasure does not further
contribute to the association between health and engagement in sexual activity as it does in
heterosexual women. Engaging in sexual activity may be exchangeable to experiencing
sexual pleasure for the average man, but not for women.
The gendered context of pleasure
- Sexual pleasure of women does not appear to be directly related to reproductive
success, and is therefore regarded as irrelevant, dangerous or undesirable.
- Sexual pleasure of men, at least pleasure entailing orgasm with ejaculation, is
condoned, if not prioritized, as procreational duties depend on it.
Consequently, only those problems that interfere with sexual pleasure of men or with
procreative sex are deemed worthy of complaint or treatment (Hall, 2019), while sexual
issues that are important and distressing to women (and individuals engaging in non-
procreative sex), including a lack of sexual pleasure, go unnoticed.
Alfred Kinsey and the Kinsey Report: Historical Overview and Lasting Contributions – Vern L.
Bullough
Sex Research 1890- 1940
- Studies of sexuality dominated by physicians: experts in body funtions
- Before this sexuality was regarded as a moral issue.
- Most physician writing about sex were influenced more by the zeitgeist of their time
rather than by any specialized base of knowledge.
- Most of the medical writings on sexual topics came from psychiatrists, mostly
psychoanalytically trained.
- Most research was flawed by the assumption of the investigators interpreting data
(homosexuality is a disease)
- Uncomfortable with actual sexual behavior, so funding for “attitude” research,
conducted by social scientists.
- Funding for research: old-boy network
Kinsey comes on the scene
- Biology PHD
- Broad-based scientist: taught biology, published two biology texts, two workbooks, a
general text and carried out research.
- Course on marriage and family
- 18.000 individuals had been interviewed
- 8.000 by Kinsey himself
What Kinsey did
- He challenged most of the assumptions about sexual activity in the US
- Homosexuality scale (objective?)
- Challenging societal beliefs
- Gathered data from pedophiles (not turning these people in, “children weren’t
harmed)
- Criticized for his statistical sampling
- Challenging the societal belief of female asexuality
- Ignored sexual adventures: only “normal” sex, no swingers, sadism, masochism,
transvestism,…..
- Sex as human behavior
- Sex as a science
,In pursuit of pleasure: a biospycholsocial perspective on sexual pleasure and gender – Laan
et al.
ABSTRACT
Objective: Various sources of evidence suggest that men and women differ in their
experience of sexual pleasure. Such gender differences have been attributed to men’s higher
innate sex drive, supported by evolutionary psychology perspectives and gender differences
in reproductive strategies.
Method: This paper presents biopsychosocial evidence for gender similarities in the capacity
to experience pleasure, and for substantial gender differences in opportunities for sexual
pleasure.
Results: We conclude that sexual activity, in most cultures, is less pleasurable and associated
with greater cost for heterosexual women than for heterosexual men, even though they do
not differ in the capacity for sexual pleasure.
Conclusion: Since gender differences in experienced sexual pleasure are not a biological
given, a more critical discourse of sexual pleasure might create awareness of current
inequalities, help lift restrictions for women’s opportunities for pleasure, and could reduce
gender differences in the cost of sex. That would truly serve sexual justice around the globe.
Introduction
Sexual pleasure (“the physical and/or psychological satisfaction and enjoyment derived from
shared or solitary erotic experiences, including thoughts, fantasies, dreams, emotions, and
feelings,”) as cornerstone of sexual health.
“Dangers” of sexual pleasure
Rubin (1984) pointed out that religious western traditions have considered sex to be a:
“dangerous, destructive, negative force”. Medicine and psychiatry contributed to the
condemnations of sexual acts that fall outside the strict framework of sex for procreation.
This “domino theory of sexual peril” sees sex as an uncontrollable bio- logical force that, if
not repressed (allowing pro- creation within monogamous heterosexual marriages only), will
inevitably lead to societal chaos and anarchy. To date, public health approaches to sexuality
remain largely focused on adverse health outcomes and concomitant risks.
- a recent review of 23 studies that looked at determinants of sexual pleasure at first
partnered sexual experiences (defined as penile-vaginal penetration in three-quarters
of the studies) found that young people with the agency to con- sider what a
pleasurable first sexual experience may mean to them, experienced more pleasurable
sexual debuts.
- there is substantial and convincing evidence that comprehensive sex education, even
the kind that stays clear of anything remotely associated with sexual pleasure, is
associated with heterosexual adolescents engaging in penile-vaginal intercourse at a
later age, with more consistent condom and contraception use, and lower unwanted
pregnancy rates in both developed and developing countries.
- Countries that promote abstinence-only sex education or no sex education usually
perform worse on these indices of sexual health than countries that provide
comprehensive and positive information about sex to adolescents.
, a positive approach to sexual health and sex education has more benefits than risks.
sexual wellbeing as an overarching construct that incorporates sexual pleasure, sexual
justice and sexual health, needs to be recognized.
Health benefits of pleasure
- In a review of 40 studies published since 1990, Anderson (2013) concluded that the
experience of sexual satisfaction, sexual pleasure, and positive sexual self-esteem
improves sexual health, mental health, and physical health outcomes. It promotes
overall wellbeing through improved relationship quality and general life satisfaction.
This finding also holds true for older people and for people with a chronic condition
or physical limitations.
- The quality of couples’ sex lives makes a unique contribution to the quality and
longevity of committed relationships (Diamond & Huebner, 2012), over and above
the effect of being in a committed relationship.
- In a large sample of young women (18–26 years), sexual pleasure was positively
related to autonomy, self-esteem, and empathy (Galinsky & Sonenstein, 2011; see
also Sanchez et al., 2006). These associations were less prominent in young men.
- For older men, longevity and better physical health were rather consistently
positively associated with frequency of sexual activity. Interestingly, longevity in
heterosexual women was associated with enjoyment of sexual activity, not with
sexual frequency per se.
- And in line with these findings, a recent representative German survey on sexual
behaviors found that sexual pleasure was associated with various health indicators
(e.g.,communication about sexually transmitted infections (STIs), condom use,
absence of sexual problems, and orgasm frequency), with sexual pleasure predicting
sexual health outcomes more strongly in women than in men (Klein et al., in
preparation).
These latter findings may give the impression that, for men, sexual pleasure is less
important for enjoying the health benefits of sex than it is for heterosexual women.
However, this finding may rather reflect the fact that, for men, sexual activity is almost
invariably associated with sexual pleasure, such that sexual pleasure does not further
contribute to the association between health and engagement in sexual activity as it does in
heterosexual women. Engaging in sexual activity may be exchangeable to experiencing
sexual pleasure for the average man, but not for women.
The gendered context of pleasure
- Sexual pleasure of women does not appear to be directly related to reproductive
success, and is therefore regarded as irrelevant, dangerous or undesirable.
- Sexual pleasure of men, at least pleasure entailing orgasm with ejaculation, is
condoned, if not prioritized, as procreational duties depend on it.
Consequently, only those problems that interfere with sexual pleasure of men or with
procreative sex are deemed worthy of complaint or treatment (Hall, 2019), while sexual
issues that are important and distressing to women (and individuals engaging in non-
procreative sex), including a lack of sexual pleasure, go unnoticed.
