User:Q8hs21/sandbox

A History of Masturbation
Main article: History of masturbation

Masturbation is stimulating your genitals with your hand and/or stimulating the genitals of someone else (with an object), for sexual pleasure (see also Mutual Masturbation). It is a subject that many people feel uncomfortable discussing, and can cause feelings of guilt.

Historically, masturbation has been frowned upon by society beginning in the mid to late 1700s and was thought to cause many mental health and physical issues, such as epilepsy. Early in the 18th Century, mutual masturbation, kissing, and fondling were much more prevalent than penile-vaginal penetration. However, with the publication of Onania, or the Heinous Sin of self-Pollution, And All Its Frightful Consequences, In Both Sexes, Considered: With Spiritual and Physical Advice To Those Who Have Already Injured Themselves By This Abominable Practice, around 1708, a seed was planted and a negative attitude towards masturbation became prevalent by the end of the century. Onan was originally defined as coitus interruptus, however, it came to be known as ejaculating with no intent to reproduce. The act was considered a serious medical and social concern, and one doctor even attributed the symptoms of a 23-year-old man who was likely suffering from epilepsy to his masturbatory habits.

One of the main staples of antimasturbation literature was a book called L’Onanisme, Dissertation sur les Maladies Produites par la Masturbation [Onanism,; or, a Treatise upon the Disorders Produced by Masturbation] written in 1758 by a Swiss physician and professor of medicine, Simon Auguste David Tissot. He strongly believed that masturbation was wrong and could lead to insanity. He believed that keeping semen inside the body was healthy, and that the loss of one ounce of semen was equivalent to the loss of 40 ounces of blood. Tissot’s book became very popular and even influenced the medical profession in that neurosis was attributed to masturbation.

L'Onanisme... focused mainly on male masturbation with only a brief mention of the consequences of masturbation in women. The focus of society was also primarily on male masturbation, however, due to the possible loss of vaginal fluid, masturbation was also unacceptable in females. Masturbation by women was thought to cause hysteria, epileptic fits, and menstrual derangements.

In the 19th century, Benjamin Rush, a famous Philadelphian professor wrote in the first psychiatric text published in the USA, that masturbation caused afflictions such as epilepsy, loss of memory, and even death. Some people even attempted to or committed suicide over anticipated consequences of masturbation.

In addition to the focus on the consequences of masturbation, by the end of the 18th century, sexual behaviour was beginning to be defined mainly by heterosexual penetrative sexual contact. This encouraged a phallocentric (i.e., male genital focused) conceptualization of sex, which discouraged the practice of non-penetrative sex; essentially all other forms of sex were considered foreplay. This conceptualization has likely influenced the current views on sex as exclusively penetrative, and in turn can discourage those who cannot engage in penetrative sex or do not wish to engage in it.

Current views on Masturbation
Sigmund Freud’s psychosexual development phases were important in reducing the idea of masturbation as pathological. In more current times, there has been work done by researchers such as Alfred Kinsey that has shown the true prevalence of masturbation. Kinsey’s comprehensive research in the 1950s provided undeniable evidence that masturbation was more prevalent than society would like to think. Havelock Ellis also began to reduce the myths surrounding masturbation in the early 1900s suggesting that only prolonged masturbation could be harmful, however, his beliefs were not shared by the majority of the population. More recently, a study of American university students found that two-thirds of the women and almost all of the men in the study reported masturbating at least once in their lives. There is still stigma surrounding the act of masturbation, however, it is not associated with the detrimental effects that it was previously.

Currently, masturbation is used in therapy for issues such as Female Orgasmic Disorder (or anorgasmia) and hypoactive sexual desire disorder. From a sociological perspective, masturbation has progressed from being seen as a cause of mental and physical illness to being used as a form of therapeutic treatment.

Masturbation in Therapy
Directed masturbation can be used to treat:
 * Female Orgasmic Disorder (or anorgasmia)
 * Paraphilias - Has been used in the case of a child molester to redirect masturbatory fantasies from female children to female adults
 * Hypoactive sexual desire disorder - Masturbating alone can influence sexual desire, which in turn makes couples more likely to engage in coupled sexual activity.
 * Premature ejaculation - Masturbation-like techniques used for treating have high success rates
 * Primary anorgasmia - self-administered masturbation training can help women who have trouble orgasming to become orgasmic.

For more information on sexual dysfunctions see: Sexual Interest/Arousal Disorder (SIAD)

Cultural Perspectives on Masturbation

 * Reported to a lesser degree in cultures such as Islam that is less accepting of premarital sexual activity, especially in women.
 * Certain groups such as Aka and Ngandu people in central Africa do not report masturbating
 * Large focus on European and Western views towards masturbation
 * The Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia in the 1990s believed that masturbation caused many physical and mental issues such as damage to the spine and mental illnesses

More About Masturbation

 * Both Kellogg’s Corn Flakes and Graham Crackers were created in the hope that their plain taste would reduce sexual impulses. Their creators held very strong antimasturbation views
 * Masturbation can relieve stress and help induce sleep
 * Gender differences -
 * Men and women are generally quite similar in sexual attitudes and behaviours, however, men are much more likely to masturbate than women

Expanding Sexual Scripts
Since the end of the 18th century, penetrative sex has been the typical expectation for the majority of heterosexual sexual contact. A North American example in terms of the sexual script of partnered activities, is that kissing and petting eventually lead to penetrative sexual intercourse. In one study, only about 40% of university students believed that mutual masturbation was considered sex, and just under 50% considered touching of another person's genitals sex. It is important for these sexual scripts to be expanded because there are some who are not able, or who do not wish, to engage in penetrative sex.

Mutual masturbation, or masturbating with one or more people present, is another option for non-penetrative sex. It can be a form of foreplay, a way to take a break during penetrative sex, or an alternative to penetrative sex. Mutual masturbation is a good alternative for couples that do not wish to engage in penetrative sex due to the possibility of pregnancy, the risk of STI transmission, or other personal reasons.

There are different ways to masturbate with a partner that do not necessarily involve using the fingers. One such option is using a vibrator, which is prevalent among lesbian couples and is an excellent addition to masturbatory activity.

More Benefits

 * Avoiding pregnancy – no penile-vaginal penetration in heterosexual sexual contact can greatly reduce the chance of pregnancy.


 * Non-penetrative contact carries the lowest risk of sexually transmitted disease (STI) transmission.
 * There is, however, still a risk as evidenced by the occurrence of STI transmission with non-penetrative lesbian contact . If STI transmission is a concern, mutual masturbation can be a safer alternative.


 * Mutual masturbation may alleviate feelings of guilt caused by the act of masturbating because one is not the only person engaging in the activity<ref name="Kay" /.