Sexual Deviances Essays - Psychiatric Diagnosis, Human Sexuality

Sexual Deviances Sexual disorders are categorized into three general groups. The groups are sexual dysfunctions, sexual deviations, and homosexuality. These are not necessary abnormal, but what is considered out of the norm by either the mental health establishment, or society, or both. The first group, sexual dysfunctions, have increased significantly over the last decade. Which, in turn, has increased the progress in the study and treatment of sexual dysfunctions. One important aspect that came out of William masters and Virginia Johnson's research is classifying the various forms of dysfunctions. Closely related is Kaplan's system which groups sexual dysfunctions according to the phase in the sexual response cycle in which they occur. There are three phases in the sexual response cycle. The first one, called the desire phase, involves sexual fantasies and interest in sexual activity. Failure to feel this in either a man or woman is called hypoactive sexual desire. The second phase is called the excitement phase. In this phase, the sexual fantasy, or encounter is usually followed by physiological changes. The absence or weakness of these responses is called erectile dysfunction (or impotence) in men, and general sexual dysfunction in women. The third phase is called the orgasm phase. This is the phase of sexual response. If the man is unable to exert control, and ejaculates very quickly, this is called premature ejaculation. If, on the other hand, ejaculation is greatly delayed, or does not happen at all, this is called retarded ejaculation. A delay or absence of orgasm in women is called orgastic dysfunction. There are two more types of sexual dysfunction that do not fit completely with this typology. The first is a female disorder called vaginisimus. This occurs when, during coitus, the walls of the vagina contract involuntarily, making insertion of the penis difficult or impossible. The second disorder is dyspareunia, or pain during intercourse. This occurs in both sexes, but is usually a female complaint. To make these types even more specific, Kaplan subdivides these disorders into two dimensions. They are primary and secondary. Primary dysfunction has been with the individual as far back as their earliest sexual experiences. In a secondary dysfunction the response has been normal on at least one occasion, but is abnormal at the time of diagnosis. Sexual inadequacy is a common fear among men and women alike. Many psychologists state that this fear is almost always present in cases of individuals growing up of strict religious orthodoxy households, and that were taught that sex is sinful and repulsive. ?One woman seen by Masters and Johnson was told by her mother on her wedding day: It would be her duty as a wife to allow her husband ?privileges?. The privileges were never spelled out. She also was assured that she would be hurt by her husband, but that ?it? would go away in time. Finally and most important, she was told that ?good women? never expressed interest in the ?thing?. Her reward for serving her husband would be, hopefully, in having children.?(Acocella 266) Sexual deviations, which are now spoken of casually, were talked about in whispers no more than twenty-five years ago. There are ten different areas of sexual deviations. These ten are: fetishism, transvestitism, exhibitionism, voyeurism, pedophilia, incest, rape, sadism, and masochism. Fetishism is the strong sexual attraction to inanimate objects. The most common objects of fetishism are women's shoes, underpants, wigs, and fur. One case was cited about a man being sexual gratified by the sight of well-formed automobile exhaust pipes. Virtually all of the reported cases of fetishism involve males. This does not necessarily mean that there are not any cases involving females, but, it just means that females are much less likely to be arrested, or even reported, than males. A woman with obvious sexual quirks or abnormalities may attract attention or scorn, but most people do not consider her dangerous. Males, on the other hand, with this behavior, tend to be viewed as a public menace. Transvestites are similar to fetishists in that they are sexually excited by inanimate objects. But, transvestites go one step further, and actually put on their fetishes, which are the clothes of the opposite sex. Because of the association with female clothing, transvestitism is easily confused with homosexuality, but they are two quite separate patterns. Some homosexuals do cross-dress, but these individuals are referred to as ?drag queens'. ?..according to one study of 262 transvestites (Buckner, 1970), the cast majority of transvestites think of themselves as heterosexuals.?(Acocella 273) Transvestitism is thought to be relatively rare, but as with female sexual aberrations, the reported rarity may be due to lack of public exposure of public alarm. Many transvestites lead quiet, conventional lives, cross-dressing in