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Masturbation |
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Masturbation can be
defined as the act of handling one’s own sexual organs in order to evoke sexual pleasure or orgasm. It is often
accompanied by sexual fantasy or looking at sexual imagery. Its
popularity, in large measure, stems from the fact that it can be done in
isolation. It takes two to tango but only one to masturbate: Mutual masturbation with a sexual partner is a different matter and will
not be considered further here. Over the centuries, masturbation has been associated with many myths and taboos. Today masturbation is generally considered to be physically harmless, and the old rumours about epilepsy, insanity, deafness, rickets, vertigo, headache, impotence and of course blindness are all untrue. Many 'sex gurus' are likely to emphasize the benefits of masturbation even implying that a great sex life with your wife, husband or partner is unlikely unless you are already highly proficient at masturbation. There is some evidence however that the reverse is true. With the exception of
rare examples of traumatic injury (usually to the penis), masturbation
certainly does not lead to physical illness. It can however still
be a source of considerable distress and guilt even for those who have
not been raised in families where sex has been presented in a negative
or repressed way. Problems with guilt
and depression may occur particularly when:
Pornography promises the ultimate but can never provide the truly intimate. In fact it is the ultimate cheat, never fully delivering on its promise of fulfilment. This can lead to compulsive use of more and more sexually explicit material particularly on the Internet. Pornography also
encourages people to be viewed as passive sexual objects rather than
real individuals with feelings and who have the ability to respond negatively as
well as positively to our sexual interest.
Men in particular, may find that masturbation takes up increasing amounts of time sometimes even to the neglect of other aspects of life. Many hours every day can be taken up with preparing for and participating in masturbation. Work, study and other commitments may be neglected as a result.
There are a number of case reports where masturbation has hindered rather than helped sexual relationships with a spouse or partner. An activity which is entirely self-centred such as masturbation can easily lead to difficulties in a relationship in which demonstrating concern and consideration to someone else plays a crucial role. In summary: Masturbation is a very common sexual behaviour but is not without potential problems. One of the most common of these is guilt. This guilt can be disproportionate however and masturbation is a more appropriate channel for releasing sexual tension than for example self harm or involvement with commercial sex. Often reassurance is necessary for the individual involved whilst support is offered so that the pattern of behaviour itself does not become all consuming and destructive. |