A Review of: “Adolescent Sexuality: A Historical Handbook and Guide” edited by Carolyn Cocca

Two well‐cited studies (Fisher, 1980; Schwartz, 1973) have suggested that people with negative emotional orientations toward sexuality (i.e., “erotophobia” or “sex guilt”) have difficulty learning contraceptive information. However, a recent laboratory study (Goldfarb, Gerrard, Gibbons, &; Plante, 1988) has raised doubts about this conclusion by demonstrating that erotophobic women can learn contraceptive information if they are exposed to it. The current study was designed to further clarify the relationship between emotional orientation toward sex and ability to learn sexually relevant material. Specifically, it compared pretest and post‐test knowledge of contraception and AIDS in erotophobic and erotophilic students in a university class on human reproduction. While the results indicated that male erotophobics initially knew less, there were no knowledge differences between males and females or erotophobics and erotophilics at the end of the course. Thus, these results support the conclusion that erotophobics are capable of learning sexual material if they are exposed to it. The implications of these results for educational strategies for decreasing unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases are discussed.     

A Review of: “Crossing Sexual Boundaries: Transgender Journeys,Uncharted Paths. Edited by J. Ari Kane-DeMaios & Vern L. Bullough.”

THE SEXUAL VICTIMIZATION OF CHILDREN. Mary de Young. Jefferson, NC: McFarland &; Company, 1982; 179 pages; $18.95.

“FEMININITY,” “MASCULINITY,” AND “ANDROGYNY” A Modern Philosophical Discussion. Mary Vetterling‐Braggin (Ed.). Totowa, NJ: Littlefield, Adams, &; Co., 1982; 326 pages; $8.95.

IMPOTENCE: Physiological, Psychological, Surgical Diagnosis and Treatment. Gorm Wagner and Richard Green. New York: Plenum Press, 1981; 182 pages; $24.50.

Bullough, V. L. Age at Menarche: A Misunderstanding. Science 1981, 213, 365–366.     

A Review of: “Handbook of the Evolution of Human Sexuality. Edited by Michael Kauth.”

This study explores the role of the hostess club culture in the creation and maintenance of masculinity in Taiwan. The article focuses on flower drinking (the consumption of alcohol in bars, often integrated with prostitution), which is a common practice in Taiwan. Data were obtained from 58 in-depth interviews with men from a variety of occupations and social backgrounds (mean age = 38.50, SD = 11.00) and 73 questionnaires administered to soldiers (mean age = 21.00, SD = 1.10). Findings indicated that demonstration of skill at flower drinking and facility with the related social etiquette are important channels for male bonding that were central to the mid- to upper-class participants' professional development. Flower drinking also provided a method of discriminating men from other men through their choices of why and where to go and how to behave while there. Specific ways that Taiwanese masculinity differs from Western and from Japanese masculinity, and support for the continuing relevance of the traditional Confucian ideal of masculinity, wen-wu, are discussed.     

The Science of Orgasm Has Finally Come: A Review of: “The Science of Orgasm. By Barry R. Komisaruk,Carlos Beyer-Flores,and Beverly Whipple.”

This research sought to examine psychologically mediated effects of differential penis size. To investigate this issue, we asked male and female undergraduates (N = 284) to read erotic passages that differed only in the length of the penis that was ascribed to the male protagonist—3 in. long (small), 5 in. long (medium), 8 in. long (large), or no mention made of penis size (control condition). Arousal and attributional responses to these portrayals were then assessed. In addition, subjects' erotophobia‐erotophilia (their disposition to respond to erotic stimuli with negative to positive emotions) and their level of prior sexual experience were assessed. Results showed that the erotic passages were significantly arousing and that the manipulation of perceptions of penis size was highly effective. Despite the effectiveness of the manipulation, however, subjects did not report differential arousal or (for the most part) attributional responses to depictions of small, medium, or large penises. Correlational analyses revealed that erotophilic (versus erotophobic) persons may be more aroused by depictions of a large penis, and more sexually experienced males seemed to be more aroused by depictions of medium than by small or large penises. In all cases, however, the observed correlations were modest. Overall, the findings suggest that, for most individuals, penis size may be as unimportant on a psychological level as it appears to be on a physical level.     

A Review of: “Exploring Black Sexuality. By Robert Staples.”

Higgins, Trussell, Moore, and Davidson (2010) expand our understanding of sexual satisfaction by showing that first vaginal sex is more likely to be psychologically than physically satisfying and by revealing differences between women and men and similarities between African Americans and Whites. Their analyses highlight the need for further theory-building, explicating the dynamics of change over time, integrating qualitative and quantitative approaches, and articulating implications for public policy. These are crucial steps toward developing a social science of sexual satisfaction. More research that focuses on positive aspects of sexuality, such as satisfaction, should be encouraged.     

A “Nutcracker” Theory of Modern Organizations: A Conflict View

Abstract

This paper presents a point of view toward formal organizations which departs from the equilibrium models contained on both bureaucratic and open system theory. Specifically, a conflict perspective is taken in terms of which organization disequilibrium is understood to be typical of organizations as a consequence of their being continually subject to the threat of withdrawal of monetary and non-monetary supports from both internal members and external publics with which organizations are interdependent. The factors contributing to these circumstances of conflict are attributed to recent maturations of rights of citizenship and participatory democracy, the social organization of these sources of conflict are termed the “nutcracker” effect.     

A Review of: “Psychology of Orphaned Children”

For many years, intercountry adoption (ICA) in the United Kingdom was an unregulated, “tolerated” practice which was neither scrutinized nor supported to the degree of domestic adoption. Since 1999, legislative changes have sought to place ICA on equal footing with domestic adoption. This article addresses the extent to which this objective has been achieved through an examination of post-placement support practices and parents’ experiences, preferences, and expectations of support services. The findings of this study indicate that a less proactive, inclusive approach, limitations of professional knowledge and experience, the lack of appropriate services, and families’ support preferences contribute to the persistence of a “two-tier service.”     

A Review of: “Producing Sperm Sperm Counts: Overcome by Man's Most Precious Fluid. By Lisa Jean Moore.”

This paper offers a preliminary conceptualization of the psychological structure of AIDS‐related attitudes among American adults and describes some of the social and psychological factors that affect those attitudes. Data were collected first from participants in focus groups in five U.S. cities and then from respondents in a national telephone survey. Two major psychological dimensions of attitudes were observed consistently. The first dimension, labeled COERCION/COMPASSION, includes judgments about the extent to which AIDS is viewed as highly contagious and requiring containment, through coercion if necessary. It also includes attributions of blame to people with AIDS. The second dimension, PRAGMATISM/MORALISM, includes judgments about the extent to which AIDS is viewed as controllable through research, public education and governmental sponsorship of behavior‐change programs. The two attitude dimensions are not highly correlated. Regression analyses suggest that the two dimensions have different social and psychological antecedents and that these antecedents differ between White and Black Americans. Using the two factors, a tentative typology of responses to the AIDS epidemic is presented. Implications for AIDS education and policy are discussed.     

A Review of: “Online Social Support: The Interplay of Social Networks and Computer-mediated Communication By A. Bambina.”

Abstract

ENVISIONING INFORMATION, Edward R. Tufte, Graphics Press. Box 430, Cheshire, CT 06410, 128 pages. Cloth bound. $48.00 postpaid from publisher. Reviewed by Michael G. Petree Topeka.     

A Rapid Review of Sexual Wellbeing Definitions and Measures: Should We Now Include Sexual Wellbeing Freedom?

An increasing number of studies refer to sexual wellbeing and/or seek to measure it, and the term appears across various policy documents, including sexual health frameworks in the UK. We conducted a rapid review to determine how sexual wellbeing has been defined, qualitatively explored and quantitatively measured. Eligible studies selected for inclusion from OVID Medline, PsychInfo, PubMed, Embase, CINAHL were: in English language, published after 2007, were peer-reviewed full articles, focused on sexual wellbeing (or proxies for, e.g. satisfaction, function), and quantitatively or qualitatively assessed sexual wellbeing. We included studies with participants aged 16–65. Given study heterogeneity, our synthesis and findings are reported using a narrative approach. We identified 162 papers, of which 10 offered a definition of sexual wellbeing. Drawing upon a socio-ecological model, we categorised the 59 dimensions we identified from studies under three main domains: cognitive-affect (31 dimensions); inter-personal (22 dimensions); and socio-cultural (6 dimensions). Only 11 papers were categorised under the socio-cultural domain, commonly focusing on gender inequalities or stigma. We discuss the importance of conceptualising sexual wellbeing as individually experienced but socially and structurally influenced, including assessing sexual wellbeing freedom: a person’s freedom to achieve sexual wellbeing, or their real opportunities and liberties.     

Sexual mate-swapping: A comparison of “normal” and “clinical” populations

While the results of research by sociologists and psychologists indicate that sexual mate-swapping is not a pathological behavior, psychodynamic considerations suggest that mate-swappers may have had difficulty adequately completing the developmental tasks of adolescence. Large scale surveys support this speculation in that mateswappers recall more unhappy childhood experiences and extremes of either parental overprotectiveness or neglect than do matched populations of non-mate-swappers. The researcher hypothesized that mate-swapping may represent an attempted solution to long standing individual and/or marital problems resulting from these earlier difficulties. An exploratory study of six mate-swapping couples in marital therapy supported the researcher's speculation that mate-swapping among a client population should be viewed from both a sociological and psychodynamic perspective. Further studies are needed to ascertain to what extent individual personality factors influence the choice of mate-swapping among the general, non-client population.     

A Review of: “Sex and Ethics: Essays on Sexuality,Virtue, and the Good Life. Edited by Raja Halwani.”

Early family backgrounds of gay fathers compared to a matched sample of gay nonfathers were investigated, with particular emphasis on parent‐son relationships. It was hypothesized that, contrary to predictions based on Freudian theory, there would be no difference in homosexual fathers' and nonfathers' perceptions of their early family life and relationships with their mothers and fathers. Questionnaires from 30 gay fathers and 30 gay nonfathers derived from a larger nationwide study of 285 homosexual men from Dignity chapters in the Northeastern, Midwestern, Southern, Southwestern, and Western United States were analyzed using analysis of variance. No difference was found between the gay fathers' and gay nonfathers' perceptions of their parents' acceptance of them. Both groups perceived their mothers to be significantly more accepting than .their fathers. Both groups also reported growing up in intact homes where heterosexual relationships were modeled for them, pleasant memories existed, and marital discord was not commonplace. These results support the growing body of research which questions the Freudian‐based concept of a causal relationship between early familial relationship patterns and sexual orientation.