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Canadian terminology
 Sexual assault
 Rape and other unwanted, imposed physical sex
(e.g. kissing, groping, etc.)
▪ Rape
▪ Non-consensual penetration
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Mostly known to victim
95-98% of these acts perpetrated by men
Non-consensual sex highest in nonegalitarian societies
Sociocultural context
 Glorification of violence
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Sexual scripts
 Men assertive and initiate sex
 Women passive gatekeepers
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Early family influences
 Sexual aggressor likely to have been abused
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Peer group
 Abusive friends
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Situation
 Secluded places
 Alcohol
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Miscommunication
 Friendly vs. Sexually attracted
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Power Motives
 Sex and power motives interact
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Norms and attitudes
 Hypermasculinity
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4 Theoretical views
 Victim-precipitated
▪ “She was asking for it”
 Psychopathology
▪ Offenders are sick
 Feminist
▪ Gender inequality (cause and result)
 Social disorganization
▪ Community cannot enforce norms
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Commonalities (Canadian Research)
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Sensation seeking
Early history of behavioural problems
High levels of hostility
Poor sexual adjustment
Serious problems with alcohol (often families)
Abused as children, as adults identify with the
aggressor role
 Inability to express emotions
 Use of pornography during childhood and
adolescence (violence and sex)
Sexual harassment:
1. Non-verbal
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Suggestive sounds, obscene gestures, extreme
leering
Most common, least recognized.
Verbal
2.
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Suggestions or requests for sex, comments on
body, attire, use of crude language to refer to
person’s body parts, functions, showing porno.
3.
Physical
 Unnecessary touching, grasping, cornering,
hugging, kissing without consent or
encouragement
 Least common, most recognized.
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Effects
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Depression
Illness
Insomnia
Absenteeism.
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Can be confused with socially accepted
scripts
 She’s playing hard to get but she wants it as much
as I do, she’ll come around if I don’t let up”
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Confusion
 Culture teaches women to play hard to get
 Hard to know when it’s not an act if the other
person is insensitive or has poor social skills
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Date rape
 Alcohol – consensual or not.
 Drugs – consensual or not.
▪ Rohypnol. GHB
 Epidemic on many North American campuses
▪ BC study: 27% sexual assaults involved these drugs
▪ In a survey, 76% of college males said they would rape if
they could get away with it.
Child Sexual Abuse:
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Very widespread
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Hard to get accurate figures
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Sometimes entire communities
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Mt. Cashel
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Most common: family friend, relative
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Occupations with kids:
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daycare
school
scouts
sports
Pedophilia
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Pederasty
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Adult who likes to have sex with children
A (usually erotic) relationship between an older man
and an adolescent boy outside his immediate family
Some believe children are capable of consensual
sex, and of enjoying it
 Prostitution and pornography.
 Sex tourism, e.g. Thailand, Philippines.
 Web child pornography.
Legally, a child cannot consent to sexual activity.
(To age 14). ANY sexual activity between adult and
child is considered abusive. Sexual activities:
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exhibitionism
kissing
fondling
sexual touching
oral sex
vaginal intercourse
anal intercourse
Between 14 and 17 consent is possible if:
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there is no relationship of trust, authority or
dependency
there is no payment or offer of payment
there is no anal intercourse
About 90% of child sexual abuse is not reported.
Consequences for victims:
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anxiety
PTSS
depression
low self-esteem
psychosomatic illness
aggression
abnormal interest in sex
school problems
sleep problems, nightmares
more vulnerable to subsequent abuse
Lowest risk: assertive child
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Women’s role as sexual abusers rare
Three types of female abusers described
(Matthews):
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male coerced
teacher/lover
predisposed
One difference with male abusers: apparent
lack of sexual arousal, more like self-hatred,
hatred of own body and of femininity.
Repressed and recovered memories of
abuse
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False memory syndrome (E. Loftus)
Dissociation
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▪
▪
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Defends from pain and helps to comply with secrecy
(usually threats)
Facilitates continued interaction with abuser in
‘normal’ circumstances.
Abuser can be dissociated into two different
people: 1) very good and 2) very evil.
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The scientific study of homosexuality
 Frequency
▪ Who is?
 Need a definition
▪ Self-label
▪ Behaviour
▪ How often?
▪ When?
▪ Tea room men, Indonesian men
 Causes
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Kinsey
 37% of all males had at least one same sex
experience to orgasm in adulthood
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1 – 10% of the population
 Canadian Community Health Survey
 National Health and Life Styles Survey
 Twice as many men as women
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Bisexuality
 33% - if based on one encounter
 More sexual activity in general, including
masturbation.
 More high risk behaviour
 Majority married (heterorole)
 Sexual pleasure oriented
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Danger
 71% of bisexual men do not tell their female
partners
 STDs – AIDS
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Adolescent males
 Very common transitional stage
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Difficulty
 Rejected by both hetero and homo
 Heterosexism
 Heterosexual = normal
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Homophobia
 Strong, irrational fears of homosexuals
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Homonegativity
 Negative attitudes and behaviors toward
homosexuals
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Cultural attitude based on religious teachings
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Adams, Wright and Lohr (1996) gave test to
measure homophobia to male college students
 Group 1: high scores
 Group 2: low scores
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All participants were hooked to plethysmograph
that measured erection
They all watched film clips of hetero, gay and
lesbian sex
 Group 1: 54% had increased penile errection
 Group 2: 24% had increased penile circumference
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In an experiment heterosexual and homosexual
males and females watched videos of
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
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Heterosexual sex
Male gay sex
Lesbian sex
Nude males
Nude females
Bonobos having sex
The participants were hooked to a
plethysmograph and were asked to report
verbally when they were aroused
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Heterosexual males became aroused when
watching
 Heterosexual sex
 Lesbian sex
 Nude females
Homosexual males became aroused when
watching
 Male homosexual sex
 Nude males
100% concordance between plethysmograph
results and self report
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Both heterosexual and homosexual women
were aroused by all the videos according to
the plethysmograph
Self reports were at odds with objective data
 Women are not aware when they are aroused
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Another gender difference:
 More women self-label bisexual than males
 More women switch sexual orientation over their
life times
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Possible variables involved
 Genes
 Hormones in utero
 Subtle intrauterine interactions
 Brain: timing
 Early influences
 Identity problems
 Social stereotypes, prejudice
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Cannot look for THE cause
 INTERACTIONS
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Individual differences in etiology
 Circumstances:
 Jail, boarding school
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Cross-cultural evidence:
 Prescribed homosexuality at certain age-stage
 Definition found in many cultures:
 gay man is the one that is penetrated
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Genetic:
 Twin Studies
Monozygotic
Dizygotic
Adopted
Genetic Similarity
100%
50%
0%
Concordance Rate
52%
22%
11%
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Sociological theories:
 Importance of labels
 Labels affect perception
 Perception affects behaviour
 This can influence self-perception
 Leading to self-labelling.
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Reiss
 Negative pathway
▪ Rigidly polarized societies have higher incidence of
male-male sex
▪ High maternal involvement; Low paternal
▪ Little opportunity to learn
 Positive pathway
▪ Very permissive societies
▪ Experimentation OK.
Boys more active and aggressive
Different = exotic
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There is NO abundant evidence of inborn
aggression and activity levels by gender
Contaminated by culture.
Homosocial activities are mostly a cultural
phenomenon.
Children who don’t fit the gender stereotypes
are clearly told they are odd and wrong.
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Many gays are “gender typical” in their
interests, appearance, etc. Bem fell for the
effeminate guy/macho woman stereotype of
gays.
Many atypical (i.e., boys who played with
dolls, girls who played with trucks) kids do
not go on to become gay.
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Sample of 979
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Close coupled
 One long-time partner
 Marriage type relationship
 Few problems
 Few sex partners
 Infrequent cruising
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Open coupled:
 steady live-in partner
 Also many outside partners
 Frequent cruising
 More likely to have problems
 More likely to regret being gay
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Functional
 Not coupled
 High number of sex partners
 Few problems
 Younger
 High sex drive
 Few regrets
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Dysfunctional
 Not coupled
 High number of partners
 Many sex and psychological problems
 Tense
 Unhappy
 Depressed
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Asexual
 Low in sexual interest and activity
 Less exclusively gay
 Very secretive
 Loners
 Highest incidence of suicidal thoughts
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In depth interviews comparing gays/ lesbians
and straights.
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No support for psychoanalytic, learning or
sociological (labelling) theories.
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They speculate a biological basis but have no
data.
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A natural, normal physiological change.
Permanent cessation of menstruation.
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Complex interaction of domains:
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Physical
Social
Psychological
Cultural
Spiritual
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Climacteric (perimenopause)
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Long transition period leading to menopause
35-60
ovaries less and less responsive to FSH
decline of estrogen and progesterone production
anovulatory cycles, periods less blood, shorter
less testosterone
Menopause:
 12 continuous months without a period
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Some estrogen and progesterone produced
by:
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Adrenal glands
Skin
Muscle
Brain
Pineal gland
Hair follicles
These hormones stored in fatty tissue
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Universal signs of
menopause:
 cessation of menses
 cessation of
ovulation
 decreased hormonal
output
 vaginal dryness
 skin changes
 Non-universal
changes
 hot flashes
 tachycardia
 headaches
 memory lapses
 fatigue
 irritability
 depression
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“Associated” medical conditions:
 Osteoporosis (brittle bones)
▪ Bones lack calcium
▪ No correlation between amount of Ca2+ in diet and
incidence of osteoporosis
▪ excess of protein in the diet results in Ca2+ loss during
metabolism.
 Heart Disease
 Osteoporosis
▪ Bones lack calcium
▪ No correlation between amount of Ca2+ in diet and incidence
of osteoporosis
▪ excess of protein in the diet results in Ca2+ loss during
metabolism.
▪ Women 1 in 4, men 1 in 8 (no “estrogen deprivation” in men)
 Prevention:
▪ Muscle mass helps to prevent osteoporosis.
▪ good diet, phytoestrogens
▪ no smoking
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Heart Disease:
 Uncommon until 20th century
 Longevity:
▪ women’s life expectancy from 48 to 84.
 Genetics and Lifestyle
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Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT):
 Completely discredited today
 HRT can cause
▪ reproductive cancers
▪ heart disease
▪ dementias
▪ asthma
▪ hearing loss
▪ memory loss
▪ and other health problems
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Psycho-Socio-Cultural Aspects of
Menopause:
 Associated with loss of status for women
 Aging seen as loss of value
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Fear of Aging Associated With Menopause
Causes:
 negative expectations
 negative thoughts and emotions
 defeatist behaviours
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Androcentric Image of Women:
 sexy
 young
 fertile
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Post-Menopausal women:
 dry
 withered
 unattractive
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Some Cultures Associate Menopause with:
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power
wisdom
high social status
leadership roles
respect
In these cultures women have few complaints
about menopause
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Menopause and Sex:
 50% report more enjoyment:
▪ no fear of pregnancy
▪ partners slower
▪ more self-assured
 Use of artificial lubricants
 Vagina:
▪ use it or lose it (atrophy)
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Male Climacteric
 40-55
 Some real physical changes
▪ Less obvious than women
 Confounded with normal aging changes:
▪ less energy
▪ slower RT (reaction time)
▪ less vigorous responses
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Testosterone Drops:
 testosterone maintains muscle, stimulates bone
health, so less testosterone leads to reduced
muscle mass and weaker bones.
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Sperm Count:
 also affected (drops) due to testosterone drop.
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Sexual Performance Declines:
 increased episodes of impotence
 genitals shrink, prostate enlarges
 more time to reach arousal
 erections less hard
 ejaculations less forceful, less quantity
 increased refractory period
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Estrogen Drops:
 estrogen helps cardiac health, prevents
atherosclerosis, counteracts LDL cholesterol, so
less estrogen increases probability of
atherosclerosis (arterial plaque) and of “bad”
cholesterol.
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HRT for Men:
 Testosterone
▪ Can cause
▪
▪
▪
▪
▪
prostate cancer
prostate enlargement
blood clots
lower HDL (the ‘good’ cholesterol)
heart disease
 Same prevention:
▪ lifestyle
Women – 43%
Men – 30%
Young Women: mostly psychosocial
Old Men: mostly organic
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Drugs that affect sexual response
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•
•
•
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antidepressants
antipsychotics
tranquilizers
alcohol
heroin
morphine
cocaine
marijuana
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Erectile dysfunction
• Can be primary or secondary
•
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premature ejaculation – 29%
male orgasmic disorder
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Female orgasmic disorder
• Primary and secondary – 25-35%
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Arousal disorder (menopause)
Dyspareunia
• Painful intercourse
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Vaginismus
• Spasms of the vagina
• Penetration impossible
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Vulvodynia:
• Chronic irritation, burning, soreness of the vulva
• Without contact
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Vulvar vestibulitis
• Pain inside labia minora, introitus
• Contact (penis, tampon, toy)
•
hypoactive sexual desire: little interest
in sex
• males: 16%
• females: 33%
•
sexual aversion disorder
• males: 8%
• females: 21%
Organic Causes of Erectile Disorder:
• circulatory problems
• heart disease
• diabetes (38%)
• medications (e.g., for hypertension)
• alcohol, short and long term
• recreational drugs
Some causes of painful intercourse or
dyspareunia – women:14-15% (vs. males
3%)
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•
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•
•
•
•
•
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Introitus scars
Vaginal infections and STDs
Uterine or vaginal prolapse
Cancer
PID (pelvic inflammatory disease)
Endometriosis
Cysts
Insufficient lubrication
Not enough foreplay
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Psychological causes
anxiety
fear of sex
fear of failure
inability to let go (cognitive)
spectatoring
interpersonal problems
depression: interferes with sexual desire and
orgasmic capacity
• antidepressants
•
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•
•
•
•
•
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Biological factors:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
testosterone deficiencies
hyper or hypothyroidism
temporal lobe epilepsy
circulatory system pathology or neurological problems
Multiple Sclerosis (leads to male orgasmic disorder)
inadequate lubrication (leads to dyspareunia)
vaginal infections and STDs (leads to dyspareunia)
prolapsed uterus
cervical cancer
•
•
•
•
•
•
endometriosis and PID
diabetes
spinal cord injuries
antihypertension drugs
kidney disease
emphysema
Masters and Johnson’s Sex Therapy:
• acceptance of mutual responsibility
• sexual dysfunction a couple’s problem
• no blame attached
•
elimination of performance demands and
anxiety
• sexual intercourse prohibited during the therapy
Therapeutic steps for anorgasmic women:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Education, information
Self exploration
Kegels (PC Muscle)
Self-touching and self-stimulation. Masturbation
Assertive thoughts, giving self permission
Use of fantasy, books, video, audiotapes
Focus on sensations, not on goal
Bring in partner. Nondemanding sensate focus exercises –
no intercourse
Partner stimulates women manually or orally to orgasm
following her directions
Intercourse when she is ready
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Biological treatments for erectile
dysfunction:
 Surgery: to unblock vessels that supply blood to penis
 Hormones: testosterone, if abnormally low (men and
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women) MIGHT help
Injections: muscle relaxants, into corpus cavernosum.
Allows blood vessel muscles to relax and blood flows in
Suppositories: muscle relaxant into penis
Vacuum pump: increases blood flow into penis
Penile implants: permanent
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Pills:
 Viagra (sildenafil)
 Vasomax (phentolamine) relax blood vessel
muscles
 Spontane (apomorphine) works at brain level to
trigger erection
 Cialis (tadalafil)
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Side effects of Viagra (dose dependent):
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headaches
flushing
indigestion
nasal congestion
visual distortions
drug interactions
dizziness
eye pain
hearing loss
allergic reactions
Vasomax fewer side effects (?)
must be bought by prescription, due to danger of heart attacks.