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==== Problems for Males ====
==== Problems for Males ====
A man whose penis has suffered a blunt trauma or injury during intercourse may rarely sustain a [[penile fracture]],<ref>[http://www.emedicine.com/med/topic3415.htm eMedicine article on Penile Fracture and Trauma]</ref> or come later in life to suffer from [[Peyronie's disease]].<ref>[http://www.aafp.org/afp/990800ap/549.html American Academy of Family Physicians article on Peyronie's Disease: Current Management]</ref> [[Phimosis]] is "a contracted foreskin (that) may cause trouble by hurting when an attempt is made to pull the foreskin back".<ref>[http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/diseases/facts/phimosis.htm netdoctor.co.uk article on Foreskin contraction (phimosis)]</ref> In these cases, any energetic manipulation of the penis can be problematic. But However if any boy masturbates it could be fatel and could cause pregnency
A man whose penis has suffered a blunt trauma or injury during intercourse may rarely sustain a [[penile fracture]],<ref>[http://www.emedicine.com/med/topic3415.htm eMedicine article on Penile Fracture and Trauma]</ref> or come later in life to suffer from [[Peyronie's disease]].<ref>[http://www.aafp.org/afp/990800ap/549.html American Academy of Family Physicians article on Peyronie's Disease: Current Management]</ref> [[Phimosis]] is "a contracted foreskin (that) may cause trouble by hurting when an attempt is made to pull the foreskin back".<ref>[http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/diseases/facts/phimosis.htm netdoctor.co.uk article on Foreskin contraction (phimosis)]</ref> In these cases, any energetic manipulation of the penis can be problematic.


Lawrence I. Sank (1998) observed that masturbating prone (lying face downward) could be responsible for sexual problems in men including anorgasmia and erectile dysfunction, as observed in four men he examined. He coined the term ''traumatic masturbatory syndrome'' to describe this theory. As of 2007, no follow-up research has been conducted and the idea is not familiar or widely-held within the medical community. Some sources, however, give credence to the idea. One sex therapist (Margolies, 1994) condemned masturbation by rubbing against a pillow or mattress and Lipsith et al (2003) <ref>{{cite journal
Lawrence I. Sank (1998) observed that masturbating prone (lying face downward) could be responsible for sexual problems in men including anorgasmia and erectile dysfunction, as observed in four men he examined. He coined the term ''traumatic masturbatory syndrome'' to describe this theory. As of 2007, no follow-up research has been conducted and the idea is not familiar or widely-held within the medical community. Some sources, however, give credence to the idea. One sex therapist (Margolies, 1994) condemned masturbation by rubbing against a pillow or mattress and Lipsith et al (2003) <ref>{{cite journal

Revision as of 00:26, 2 May 2007

"Mulher sentada de coxas abertas", 1916 drawing by
Gustav Klimt

Masturbation refers to sexual stimulation, especially of one's own genitals and often to the point of orgasm, which is performed manually, by other types of bodily contact (except for sexual intercourse), by use of objects or tools, or by some combination of these methods.[1] Masturbation is the most common form of autoeroticism, and the two words are often used as synonyms, although masturbation with a partner (mutual masturbation) is also common. Animal masturbation has been observed in many species, both in the wild and in captivity.

Etymology

Look up masturbation in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

The word masturbation is believed to derive from either the Greek word mezea (μεζεα, "penises") or the Latin manus ("hand") and the Latin turbare ("to disturb"). A competing etymology based on the Latin manu stuprare ("to defile with the hand") is said by the Oxford English Dictionary to be an "old conjecture". The Pocket Oxford Dictionary once offered (c. 1960) the definition: 'bodily self-pollution'. The esoteric and little-used synonym manustupration is similarly derived from manus stuprare.

Origins

Masturbation exercises sexual functions to increase fertility during intercourse.

Female

Masturbation in females is a tool to regulate the conditions in the vagina, cervix and uterus, which is used to either increase or decrease the chances of conception from intercourse, depending on the timing of the masturbation. This timing is a subconscious decision. If she has intercourse with more than one male, it favors the chances of one or the other male's sperm reaching her egg. [2]

During orgasm, the woman's cervix extends and retracts at each contraction (cervical tenting), and the opening to the cervix gapes open. If a seminal pool is still present in the vagina when she masturbates, a significant number of sperm will be sucked up into her cervix.

She can also increase the acidity of the cervical mucus to provide protection against infections.

Male

The function of masturbation is to flush out old sperm with low motility from the male's genital tract. The next produced ejaculate contains more fresh sperm, which has higher chances of achieving conception during intercourse. If more than one male is having intercourse with a female, the sperm with the highest motility will compete more effectively.[3]

Masturbation techniques

Ways of masturbating common to members of both sexes include pressing or rubbing the genital area, either with the fingers or against an object such as a pillow; inserting fingers or an object into the anus (see anal masturbation); and stimulating the penis or vulva/clitoris with electric vibrators, which may also be inserted into the vagina or anus. Members of both sexes may also enjoy touching, rubbing, or pinching the nipples or other erogenous zones while masturbating. Both sexes sometimes use lubricating substances to intensify sensation.

Reading or viewing pornography, or sexual fantasy, are often common adjuncts to masturbation. Masturbation activities are often ritualised. Various fetishes and paraphilias can also play a part in the masturbation ritual. Some potentially harmful or fatal activities include autoerotic asphyxiation and self-bondage

Some people get sexual pleasure by inserting objects into the urethra [4] (The urethra is the tube through which urine and, in men, semen, flows.) If these objects are urethral sounds, the practice is known as "sounding."[5] Other objects such as ball point pens and thermometers may be used. This practice can cause injury and infection.[6]

Some people masturbate by using machines that simulate intercourse.

Some people may masturbate until they are close to orgasm, stop for a while to reduce excitement, and then resume masturbating. They may repeat this cycle multiple times. This "stop and go" method is practiced in order to achieve even stronger orgasms.

Rarely, people quit stimulation just before orgasm to retain a heightened energy that normally comes down after orgasm [7] due to the release of prolactin hormone. A hazard of this technique is pelvic congestion.

Female

19th c. shunga print by Kunisada

Female masturbation techniques are quite numerous and much more varied than those of males. Techniques include stroking or rubbing of the vulva, especially the clitoris, with the index and/or middle fingers. Sometimes one or more fingers may be inserted into the vagina to repeatedly stroke the frontal wall of the vagina where the g-spot is located. This gives a sensation close to that of orgasm.[8] Masturbation aids such as a vibrator, dildo or Ben Wa balls can also be used to stimulate the vagina and clitoris. Many women caress their breasts or stimulate a nipple with the free hand, if these are receptive areas for sexual stimulation. Anal stimulation is also enjoyed by some.

Lubrication is sometimes used during masturbation, especially when penetration is involved, but this is by no means universal and many women find their natural lubrication sufficient — some even produce more lubricant alone than with a partner[citation needed], though the reasons for this seem to be primarily psychological.

File:Canard vibrant.jpg
A vibrating duck. By de-dramatising the vibrator, these toys have gained a wider acceptance.

Common positions include lying on back or face down, sitting, squatting, or even standing. While sitting in a bath a female may use a tap which thrusts water out at a high pressure aimed at the clitoris to provide an extremely pleasureable experience. Lying face down, one may straddle a pillow, the corner or edge of the bed, a partner's leg or some scrunched-up clothing and "hump" the vulva and clitoris against it. Standing up, the corner of an item of furniture, or even a washing machine, can be used to stimulate the clitoris through the labia and clothing. Havelock Ellis reported that turn-of-the-century seamstresses using treadle-operated sewing machines could achieve orgasm by sitting near the edge of their chairs.[9]

Some can reach orgasm merely by crossing their legs tightly and clenching the muscles in their legs, which creates pressure on the genitals. This can potentially be done in public without observers noticing. Some prefer to use only pressure, applied to the clitoris without direct contact, for example by pressing the palm or ball of the hand against underwear or other clothing.

A few women can orgasm spontaneously, after experiencing prior sexual arousal, due to intellectual stimulation alone, for instance listening to certain pieces of music. Often, these mental triggers have associations with previous instances of arousal and orgasm. Some women even claim to be able to orgasm spontaneously by force of will alone, but that ability, if it exists at all, may not strictly qualify as masturbation as no physical stimulus is involved.[10] Sex therapists will sometimes recommend that female patients take time to masturbate to orgasm, especially if they have not done so before.[11][12]

Male

Male masturbation techniques are also influenced by a number of factors and personal preferences. Techniques may also differ between circumcised and uncircumcised males, as some techniques which may work for one can often be quite painful for the other.

File:MORONOBU.jpg
Japanese man in the company of two entertainers.
Early ukiyo-e print in the shunga (erotic) style. Hishikawa Moronobu, c. 1680; Private collection.

The most common male masturbation technique is simply to hold the penis with a loose fist and then to move the hand up and down the shaft until orgasm and ejaculation take place. The speed of the hand motion will vary from male to male, although it is not uncommon for the speed to increase as ejaculation nears and for it to decrease during the ejaculation itself. When uncircumcised, stimulation of the penis in this way comes from the "pumping" of the foreskin. This gliding motion of the foreskin reduces friction. When circumcised, there is more direct contact between the hand and the glans, thus a personal lubricant is sometimes used to reduce friction.

Circumcised or not, men may rub or massage the glans, the rim of the glans, and the frenular delta.

Another technique is to place just the index finger and thumb around the penis about halfway along the shaft and move the skin up and down. A variation on this is to place the fingers and thumb on the penis as if playing a flute, and then shuttle them back and forth. A less common technique is to lie face down on a comfortable surface such as a mattress or pillow and rub the penis against it until orgasm is achieved. This technique may include the use of a simulacrum, or artificial vagina.

There are many other variations on male masturbation techniques. Some men place both hands directly on their penis during masturbation, while others use their free hand to fondle their testicles, nipples, or other parts of their body. Some may keep their hand stationary while pumping into it with pelvic thrusts in order to simulate the motions of sexual intercourse. Others may also use vibrators and other sexual devices more commonly associated with female masturbation. A few extremely flexible males can reach and stimulate their penis with their tongue or lips, and so perform autofellatio.

The prostate gland is one of the organs that contributes fluid to semen. As the prostate is touch-sensitive, some directly stimulate it using a well-lubricated finger or dildo inserted through the anus into the rectum. Stimulating the prostate from outside, via pressure on the perineum, can be pleasurable as well.

Ejaculation of semen is sometimes controlled by wearing a condom or by ejaculating onto a tissue or some other item. The individual male's ability to project his semen over a distance during ejaculation may also influence a male's behaviour at ejaculation, as some males on rare occasions have been known to ejaculate up to three meters (about ten feet). Most males rarely ejaculate much farther than a fraction of that distance however.

A somewhat controversial ejaculation control technique is to put pressure on the perineum, about halfway between the scrotum and the anus, just before ejaculating. This can, however, redirect semen into the bladder (referred to as retrograde ejaculation). If repeated on a regular basis, this technique could cause long term damage due to the pressure put on the nerves and blood vessels in the perineum. A dry orgasm is one that is reached while withholding ejaculation (or where retrograde ejaculation has taken place). Proponents of dry orgasm say that this is a learnable skill that can shorten the refractory period.

Masturbation frequency, age and sex

File:Satirello che ne masturba un altro - Roma, Museo di Villa Giulia, foto di Giovanni Dall'Orto - marzo 2005.jpg
Renaissance art depicting two boys engaging in sex play (fresco, Museum of Villa Giulia, Rome).

Frequency of masturbation is determined by many factors, e.g., one's resistance to transient sexual tension, hormone levels influencing sexual arousal, sexual habits established during youth, peer influences, health, intensity of the ejaculatory urge,[13] and one's attitude to masturbation formed by culture.[14] Medical causes have also been associated with masturbation.[15][16][17]

"Forty-eight female college students were asked to complete a sexual attitudes questionnaire in which a frequency of masturbation scale was embedded. Twenty-four of the women (the experimental group) then individually viewed an explicit modeling film involving female masturbation. One month later, all subjects again completed the same questionnaire. Subjects in the experimental group also completed a questionnaire evaluating aspects of the film. Results indicated that the experimental group reported a significant increase in the average monthly frequency of masturbation, as compared to the control group. This same group, however, reported that the film had no effect on sexual attitudes or behavior."

It is thought that most people begin masturbating when reaching adolescence. Many scholarly and clinical studies have been done on the matter, and many informal surveys have asked the question. A 2004 survey by Toronto magazine NOW was answered by an unspecified number of thousands.[18] The results show that an overwhelming majority of the males — 81% — began masturbating between the ages of 10 and 15. Among females, the same figure was a more modest majority of 55%. (Note that surveys on sexual practices are prone to self-selection bias.) It is not uncommon however to begin much earlier, and this is more frequent among females: 18% had begun by the time they turned 10, and 6% already by the time they turned 6. Being the main outlet of child sexuality, masturbation has been observed in very young children. In the book Human Sexuality: Diversity in Contemporary America, by Strong, Devault and Sayad, the authors point out, "A baby boy may laugh in his crib while playing with his erect penis (although he does not ejaculate). Baby girls sometimes move their bodies rhythmically, almost violently, appearing to experience orgasm."

According to a Canadian survey of Now magazine readers cited above, the frequency of masturbation declines after the age of 17. However, most males masturbate daily or even more frequently well into their 20s and sometimes far beyond. This decline is more drastic among females, and more gradual among males. While females aged 13–17 masturbated almost once a day on average (and almost as often as their male peers), adult women only masturbated 8–9 times a month, compared to the 18–22 among men. It is also apparent that masturbation frequency declines with age. Adolescent youths report being able to masturbate to ejaculation six or more times per day, while men in middle age report being hard pressed to ejaculate even once per day. The survey does not give a full demographic breakdown of respondents, however, and the sexual history of respondents to this poll, who are readers of an urban Toronto lifestyle magazine, may not extend to the general population.

This may be because females are less likely to masturbate while in a heterosexual relationship than men. Both sexes occasionally engage in this activity, however, even when in sexually active relationships. Popular belief asserts that individuals of either sex who are not in sexually active relationships tend to masturbate more frequently than those who are; however, much of the time this is not true as masturbation alone or with a partner is often a feature of a relationship. Contrary to conventional wisdom, several studies actually reveal a positive correlation between the frequency of masturbation and the frequency of intercourse as well as the number multiple sex partners. One study reported a significantly higher rate of masturbation in gay men and women who were in a relationship. [19] [20] [21] [22]

For both males and females, masturbation is a way to relieve stress, anxiety and even boredom. For many with compressed schedules or frequent travel, regular masturbation enables them to maintain sexual output and performance for when opportunity eventually knocks.

Among some cultures, such as the Hopi in Arizona, the Wogeno in Oceania, and the Dahomeans and Namu of Africa, masturbation is encouraged, including regular masturbation between males. In certain Melanesian communities this is expected between older and younger boys. One interesting twist is the Sambia tribe of New Guinea. This tribe has rituals and rites of passage surrounding manhood which involve frequent ejaculation through fellatio. Semen is valued and masturbation is seen as a waste of semen and is therefore frowned upon even though frequent ejaculation is encouraged. The capacity and need to ejaculate is nurtured for years from an early age through fellatio so that it can be consumed rather than wasted. Semen is ingested for strength and is considered in the same line as mothers milk. [23]

Other cultures have rites of passage into manhood that culminate in the first ejaculation of a male, usually by the hands of a tribal elder. In some tribes such as the Agta, Philippines, stimulation of the genitals is encouraged from an early age.[24] Upon puberty, the young male is then paired off with a "wise elder" or "witch doctor" who uses masturbation to build his ability to ejaculate in preparation for a ceremony. The ceremony culminates in a public ejaculation before a celebration. The ejaculate is saved in a wad of animal skin and worn later to help conceive children. In this and other tribes, the measure of manhood is actually associated more with the amount of ejaculate and his need than penis size. Frequent ejaculation through masturbation from an early age fosters frequent ejaculation well into adulthood. [25]

Masturbation is becoming accepted as a healthy practice and safe method for sharing pleasure without the strings. It is socially accepted and even celebrated in certain circles. Group masturbation events can be found online in just about any state. Masturbation marathons are yearly events and are occurring across the globe from the U.S. to the UK. These events provide a supportive environment where masturbation can be performed openly among young and old without embarrassment. Participants talk openly with onlookers while masturbating to share techniques and describe their pleasure.[26] [27]

Health and psychological effects

Benefits

It is held in many mental health circles that masturbation can relieve depression, stress and lead to a higher sense of self-worth (Hurlbert & Whittaker, 1991). Masturbation can also be particularly useful in relationships where one partner wants more sex than the other — in which case masturbation provides a balancing effect and thus a more harmonious relationship.[citation needed]

In 2003, an Australian research team led by Graham Giles of The Cancer Council Australia [2] concluded that frequent masturbation by males appears to help prevent the development of prostate cancer. The study also indicated that this would be more helpful than ejaculation through sexual intercourse because intercourse can transmit diseases that may increase the risk of cancer instead. Also, frequent ejaculation is more easily obtained and sustained over time with the aid of masturbation.

Masturbation is also seen as a sexual technique that protects individuals from the risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases. Support for such a view, and for making it part of the American sex education curriculum, led to the dismissal of US Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders during the Clinton administration.

Some people actually consider masturbation as a cardiovascular workout.[28] And while doctors have no proof of this actually being true, those suffering from cardiovascular disorders (particularly those recovering from myocardial infarction, or heart attacks) should resume physical activity (including sexual intercourse and masturbation) gradually and with the frequency and rigor which their physical status will allow. Some doctors will advise those recovering from heart attacks to resume sexual activity (solitary or with a partner) when one is able to climb two flights of stairs without experiencing shortness of breath or chest pain. [citation needed]

Blood pressure

A study has shown that a test group which only had intercourse experienced, as a whole, lower blood pressure in stressful situations than those who had intercourse but also had masturbated for one or more days (Brody, 2006).

Insertion

Objects inserted into the vagina or anus should be clean and of a kind that will not scratch or break. Care should be taken not to fully insert anything into the anus — any object used should have a flared or flanged base; otherwise retrieval can require medical intervention. Modern dildos and anal plugs are designed with this feature.

Pregnancy

Masturbation involving both a man and a woman(see mutual masturbation) can result in pregnancy only if semen contacts the vulva. Masturbation with a partner can also theoretically result in transmission of sexually transmitted diseases by contact with bodily fluids.

Problems for Males

A man whose penis has suffered a blunt trauma or injury during intercourse may rarely sustain a penile fracture,[29] or come later in life to suffer from Peyronie's disease.[30] Phimosis is "a contracted foreskin (that) may cause trouble by hurting when an attempt is made to pull the foreskin back".[31] In these cases, any energetic manipulation of the penis can be problematic.

Lawrence I. Sank (1998) observed that masturbating prone (lying face downward) could be responsible for sexual problems in men including anorgasmia and erectile dysfunction, as observed in four men he examined. He coined the term traumatic masturbatory syndrome to describe this theory. As of 2007, no follow-up research has been conducted and the idea is not familiar or widely-held within the medical community. Some sources, however, give credence to the idea. One sex therapist (Margolies, 1994) condemned masturbation by rubbing against a pillow or mattress and Lipsith et al (2003) [32] suggest that masturbation could play a part in male psychogenic sexual dysfunction (MPSD), citing Sank as their authority. MPSD is a difficulty in reaching orgasm during intercourse, and developing a dependence on masturbation.

Compulsive masturbation

Masturbating frequently presents no physical, mental or emotional risk in itself,[33] but masturbation can be used to relieve boredom or stress. In either case, as with any "nervous habit", it is more helpful to consider the causes of the boredom or of the stress, rather than try to repress the masturbation.[34]

There is some discussion between professionals and other interested parties as to the existence or validity of sexual addictions. Nevertheless, there are lists of warning signs such as when sexual activity affects a person's ability to function in everyday life, or is placing them at risk, for example, of pursuing illegal or destructive activities. Very frequent and compulsive masturbation may be seen as a sign of sexual addiction.[35]

Masturbation in history and society

Antiquity

File:Masturbating satyr, amasis painter.JPG
Comical scene with masturbating satyrs. 6th c. black-figure Athenian vase, Amasis painter

There are depictions of male masturbation in prehistoric rock paintings around the world. Most early people seem to have connected human sexuality with abundance in nature. A clay figurine of the 4th millennium BC from a temple site on the island of Malta, depicts a woman masturbating. However, in the ancient world depictions of male masturbation are far more common.

Male masturbation became an even more important image in ancient Egypt: when performed by a god it could be considered a creative or magical act: the god Atum was believed to have created the universe by masturbating to ejaculation, and the ebb and flow of the Nile was attributed to the frequency of his ejaculations.

The ancient Greeks had a more relaxed attitude toward masturbation than the Egyptians did, regarding the act as a normal and healthy substitute for other forms of sexual pleasure. They considered it a safety valve against destructive sexual frustration. The Greeks also dealt with female masturbation in both their art and writings. One common term used for it was anaphlan, which roughly translates as "up-fire."

Diogenes, speaking in jest, credited the god Hermes with its invention: he allegedly took pity on his son Pan, who was pining for Echo but unable to seduce her, and taught him the trick of masturbation in order to relieve his suffering. Pan in his turn taught the habit to young shepherds.[36]

Religious views

Main article: Religious views on Masturbation
Also see Sexuality and Religion for broad coverage of this topic

Religions vary broadly in their views of masturbation, from completely impermissible to encouraged as a way to achieve greater spirituality.

Philosophical arguments

Immanuel Kant regarded masturbation as a violation of the moral law. In the Metaphysics of Morals (1797) he made the a posteriori argument that 'such an unnatural use of one's sexual attributes' strikes 'everyone upon his thinking of it' as 'a violation of one's duty to himself', and suggested that it was regarded as immoral even to give it its proper name (unlike the case of the similarly undutiful act of suicide). He went on, however, to acknowledge that 'it is not so easy to produce a rational demonstration of the inadmissibility of that unnatural use', but ultimately concluded that its immorality lay in the fact that 'a man gives up his personality... when he uses himself merely as a means for the gratification of an animal drive'.

Subsequent critics of masturbation tended to argue against it on more physiological grounds, however (see medical attitudes).

Medical attitudes

Excerpt from United States patent number 745264, filed on May 29, 1903 by Albert V. Todd. It describes a device designed to prevent masturbation by inflicting electric shocks upon the perpetrator, by ringing an alarm bell, and through spikes at the inner edge of the tube into which the penis is inserted. The entire patent document: Page 1, 2, 3, 4.
Excerpt from United States patent number U.S. patent 995,600, filed on January 19, 1910 by Jonas E. Heyser. The entire patent document: Page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

The first use of the word "onanism" to consistently and specifically refer to masturbation appears to be Onania, an anonymous pamphlet first distributed in London in 1716. In it was a bombastic tirade, drawing on familiar themes of sin and vice, this time in particular against the "heinous sin" of "self-pollution". After dire warnings that those who so indulged would suffer impotence, gonorrhea, epilepsy and a wasting of the faculties (included were letters and testimonials supposedly from young men ill and dying from the effects of compulsive masturbation) the pamphlet then goes on to recommend as an effective remedy a "Strengthening Tincture" at 10 shillings a bottle and a "Prolific Powder" at 12 shillings a bag, available from a local shop.

One of the many horrified by the descriptions of malady in Onania was the notable Swiss physician Samuel-Auguste Tissot. In 1760, he published L'Onanisme, his own comprehensive medical treatise on the purported ill-effects of masturbation. Citing case studies of young male masturbators amongst his patients in Lausanne, Switzerland as basis for his reasoning, Tissot argued that semen was an "essential oil" and "stimulus" that, when lost from the body in great amounts, would cause "a perceptible reduction of strength, of memory and even of reason; blurred vision, all the nervous disorders, all types of gout and rheumatism, weakening of the organs of generation, blood in the urine, disturbance of the appetite, headaches and a great number of other disorders."

Though Tissot's ideas are now considered conjectural at best, his treatise was presented as a scholarly, scientific work in a time when experimental physiology was practically nonexistent. The authority with which the work was subsequently treated - Tissot's arguments were even acknowledged and echoed by luminaries such as Kant and Voltaire - arguably turned the perception of masturbation in Western medicine over the next two centuries into that of a debilitating illness.

This continued well into the Victorian Era, where such medical censure of masturbation was in line with the widespread social conservatism and opposition to open sexual behavior common at the time.[37] There were recommendations to have boys' pants constructed so that the genitals could not be touched through the pockets, for schoolchildren to be seated at special desks to prevent their crossing their legs in class and for girls to be forbidden from riding horses and bicycles because the sensations these activities produce were considered too similar to masturbation. Boys and young men who nevertheless continued to indulge in the practice were branded as "weak-minded."[3] Many "remedies" were devised, including eating a bland, meatless diet. This approach was promoted by Dr. John Harvey Kellogg (inventor of corn flakes) and Rev. Sylvester Graham (inventor of Graham crackers). The medical literature of the times describes procedures for electric shock treatment, infibulation, restraining devices like chastity belts and straitjackets, cauterization or - as a last resort - wholesale surgical excision of the genitals. Routine neonatal circumcision was widely adopted in the United States and the UK at least partly because of its believed preventive effect against masturbation (see also History of male circumcision). In later decades, the more drastic of these measures were increasingly replaced with psychological techniques, such as warnings that masturbation led to blindness, hairy hands or stunted growth. Some of these persist as myths even today.

At the same time, the supposed medical condition of hysteria—from the Greek hystera or uterus—was being treated by what would now be described as medically administered or medically prescribed masturbation for women. Techniques included use of the earliest vibrators and rubbing the genitals with placebo creams.[38]

Medical attitudes toward masturbation began to change at the beginning of the 20th century when H. Havelock Ellis, in his seminal 1897 work Studies in the Psychology of Sex, questioned Tissot's premises, cheerfully named famous men of the era who masturbated and then set out to disprove (with the work of more recent physicians) each of the claimed diseases of which masturbation was purportedly the cause. "We reach the conclusion," he wrote, "that in the case of moderate masturbation in healthy, well-born individuals, no seriously pernicious results necessarily follow."

Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of The Scout Association, incorporated a passage in the 1914 edition of Scouting for Boys warning against the dangers of masturbation. This passage stated that the individual should run away from the temptation by performing physical activity which was supposed to tire the individual so that masturbation could not be performed. By 1930, however, Dr. F. W. W. Griffin, editor of The Scouter, had written in a book for Rover Scouts that the temptation to masturbate was "a quite natural stage of development" and, citing Ellis's work, held that "the effort to achieve complete abstinence was a very serious error."

The works of Sexologist Alfred Kinsey during the 1940s and 1950s insisted that masturbation was an instinctive behavior for both males and females, citing the results of gallup poll surveys indicating how common it was in the United States. Some critics of this theory held that his research was biased and that the gallup poll method was redundant for defining "natural behavior".

In 1994, when the Surgeon General of the United States, Dr. Joycelyn Elders, mentioned as an aside that it should be mentioned in school curricula that masturbation was safe and healthy, she was forced to resign, with opponents asserting that she was promoting the teaching of how to masturbate. Many believe this was the result of her long history of promoting controversial viewpoints and not due solely to her public mention of masturbation. Her case led to the coining of a new and humorous slang term for masturbation: "firing the surgeon general."[4]

Law

The legal status of masturbation throughout history have varied from virtually unlimited acceptance to complete illegality. In fact in a 1640s law code for the Puritan colony of New Haven, Connecticut in the 17th century "blasphemers, homosexuals and masturbators" were eligible for the death penalty.[39]

Masturbate-a-thon

Main article: Masturbate-a-thon

Masturbate-a-thons are public, charity events that are "intended to encourage people to explore safer sex, talk about masturbation and lift the taboos that still surround the subject."[40] May is considered "Masturbation Month" by an evolving loosely connected group of masturbation activists, including Betty Dodson, Joani Blank, Susan Block, Kyla Zellers, and Carol Queen.

Euphemisms

Because masturbation is often an uncomfortable topic among peers, a huge variety of euphemisms and dysphemisms have been invented to describe it. For a complete list of terms, see the entry for masturbate in Wikisaurus.

Masturbation in other animal species

Main article: Animal sexuality § Autoeroticism (masturbation)

Masturbatory behavior has been documented in a very wide range of species. Individuals of some species have been known to create tools for masturbation purposes.[41]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Based on "masturbation" in Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition, Merriam-Webster, Inc., 2003
  2. ^ Baker, Robin (June 1996). Sperm Wars: The Science of Sex. Diane Books Publishing Company. p. 319. ISBN 978-0788160042.
  3. ^ Thomsen, Ruth (October 2000). "Sperm Competition and the Function of Masturbation in Japanese Macaques". Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  4. ^ "Go ask Alice!: Cock-stuffing" (html). Columbia University, New York. 2005-02-18. Retrieved 2006-07-29. {{cite web}}: |first= missing |last= (help)
  5. ^ Various authors (2006-04-21). "Urethral Sound" (html/wiki). Body Modification Ezine. Retrieved 2006-07-29.
  6. ^ McJackoff, Daniel (2005-09-09). "Case report: A foreign body in the urethra" (html). Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants. Retrieved 2006-07-29. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ http://www.csis.hku.hk/~bruce/masturb1.html
  8. ^ Keesling, Barbara (Nov/Dec 99 (Last Reviewed: 30 Aug 2004)). "Beyond Orgasmatron" (html). Psychology Today. Retrieved 2006-07-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ Ellis, Havelock (1927), Studies in the Psychology of Sex (3rd edition), Volume I,; Auto-Erotism: A Study of the Spontaneous Manifestations of the Sexual Impulse; section I; "The Sewing-machine and the Bicycle:" quotes one Pouillet as saying "it is a well-recognized fact that to work a sewing-machine with the body in a certain position produces sexual excitement leading to the orgasm. The occurrence of the orgasm is indicated to the observer by the machine being worked for a few seconds with uncontrollable rapidity. This sound is said to be frequently heard in large French workrooms, and it is part of the duty of the superintendents of the rooms to make the girls sit properly."
  10. ^ Koedt, Anne (1970). "The Myth of the Vaginal Orgasm" (html). Chicago Women's Liberation Union. Retrieved 2006-07-29.
  11. ^ Shuman, Tracy (2006-02). "Your Guide to Masturbation" (html). WebMD, Inc./The Cleveland Clinic Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Retrieved 2006-07-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ Knowles, Jon (2002-11). "Masturbation — From Stigma to Sexual Health" (html). Katharine Dexter McCormick Library/Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. Retrieved 2006-07-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ^ Physiology & Behavior, 2005 Oct 15; Vol. 86 (3), pp. 356-68.
  14. ^ E. Heiby and J. Becker examined the latter. [1]
  15. ^ "Bladder calculus presenting as excessive masturbation." Ceylon Med. J. 2006 Sept., 51(3):121-2.
  16. ^ "Excessive masturbation after epilepsy surgery." Epilepsy Behav. 2004 Feb., 5(1):133-6.
  17. ^ "Severe impulsiveness as the primary manifestation of multiple sclerosis in a young female." Psychiatry Clin. Neurosci. 2005 Dec., 59(6):739-42.
  18. ^ http://www.nowtoronto.com/minisites/loveandsex/2004/s_survey_results.php
  19. ^ Sexual practices in youth: analysis of lifetime sexual trajectory and last sexual intercourse. Cad Saude Publica. 2006 Jul;22(7):1471-81. Epub 2006 Jun 14.
  20. ^ Prevalence of Masturbation and Associated Factors in a British National Probability Survey. Arch Sex Behav. 2007 Feb 27.
  21. ^ Increased libido associated with quetiapine. J Psychopharmacol. 2006 Jan;20(1):125-7.
  22. ^ Sexual behavior in lesbian and heterosexual women: relations with menstrual cycle phase and partner availability. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2002 May;27(4):489-503.
  23. ^ The Sambia
  24. ^ Cited by Hewlett, B. S. (1996) Diverse contexts of human infancy, in Ember, C. & Ember, M. (Eds.) Cross-Cultural Research for Social Science. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall
  25. ^ The clinical outcome of childhood masturbation. Turk J Pediatr. 2000 Oct-Dec;42(4):304-7.
  26. ^ Masturbate-a-thon by The Center For Sex & Culture
  27. ^ viewlondon.co.uk article on Masturbation Marathon London
  28. ^ "Cardiovascular changes associated with sexual arousal and orgasm in men". Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment. 4 (2). Springer Netherlands: 151–165. June, 1991. doi:10.1007/BF00851611. 1079-0632 (Print) 1573-286X (Online). Retrieved December 28, 2004. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  29. ^ eMedicine article on Penile Fracture and Trauma
  30. ^ American Academy of Family Physicians article on Peyronie's Disease: Current Management
  31. ^ netdoctor.co.uk article on Foreskin contraction (phimosis)
  32. ^ Lipsith, Josie (2003). "Male Psychogenic Sexual Dysfunction: The Role of Masturbation". Sexual and Relationship Therapy. 18: 448–471. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  33. ^ University of Pennsylvania Office of Health Education article on masturbation
  34. ^ Childrens Medical Office of North Andover, P.C. article on Masturbation in Early Childhood
  35. ^ BBC Relationships: Addicted to sex
  36. ^ Dio Crysostom, Discourses, iv.20
  37. ^ http://www.noharmm.org/paige.htm
  38. ^ Rachel P. Maines (1999). The Technology of Orgasm: "Hysteria," the Vibrator, and Women's Sexual Satisfaction. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0-8018-6646-4.
  39. ^ James, Lawrence (September 15, 1997). The Rise and Fall of the British Empire. St. Martin's Griffin. p. 41. ISBN 978-0312169855. The context is a discussion of the social habits of the early North American colonists.
  40. ^ "Masturbate-a-thon website" (html). Masturbate-a-thon. 2006/08/04. Retrieved 2006-08-06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  41. ^ Bruce Bagemihl: Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity. St. Martin's Press, 1999. ISBN 0-312-19239-8

References

  • Brody, Stuart. "Blood pressure reactivity to stress is better for people who recently had penile-vaginal intercourse than for people who had other or no sexual activity." Biological Psychology, Volume 71, Issue 2, February 2006, pages 214-222.
  • Brody, Stuart. "Slimness is associated with greater intercourse and lesser masturbation frequency" Journal Of Sex & Marital Therapy Volume 30, Issue 4, July - September 2004, Pages 251-261
  • DeMartino, Manfred F. Human Autoerotic Practices. New York: Human Sciences Press, 1979. ISBN 0-87705-373-1.
  • Joanides, Paul (2004) Guide to Getting It On, p. 396 (Possible issues with prone masturbation)
  • Josie Lipsith, Damian McCann, and David Goldmeier. Male Psychogenic Sexual Dysfunction: The Role of Masturbation. Sexual and Relationship Therapy 18: 448-471 (2003). (Possible issues with prone masturbation)
  • Marcus, Irwin M. Masturbation: From Infancy to Senescence. New York: International Universities Press, 1975. ISBN 0-8236-3150-8.
  • Eva Margolies. Undressing the American Male: Men with Sexual Problems and What Women Can Do to Help Them. New York: Penguin, 1994. ( Possible issues with prone masturbation)
  • Stengers, Jean; van Neck, Anne. Masturbation: the history of a great terror. New York: Palgrave, 2001. ISBN 0-312-22443-5. (Discusses Victorian attitudes toward masturbation.)
  • Lawrence I. Sank. "Traumatic Masturbatory Syndrome." Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy 24(1): 37-42 (1998).
  • Hurlbert, David Farley & Karen Elizabeth Whittaker. (1991). “The Role of Masturbation in Marital and Sexual Satisfaction: A Comparative Study of Female Masturbators and Nonmasturbators.” Journal of Sex Education & Therapy, 17(4), 272–282.
  • Buddhist Sexual Ethics, by Winton Higgins
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