Sexual Anorexia Or Low Sexual Desire
Sexual Anorexia Or Low Sexual Desire
Sexual Anorexia Or Low Sexual DesireAre you in "an ardent state" to avoid sex? If you are, you will have Sexual Anorexia. But, if you merely lack desire and would rather do while not sex, you'll be diagnosed with Hyposexuality. Or, even yet, you will have Sexual Arousal Disorder (rarely or never sensing a want to have interaction in sex). The labels don't matter, as all of them consult with low sexual need as a drawback, and there appears to be no consensus among researchers or practitioners as to what constitutes low desire. No matter what category you will belong in or how that category is defined, low sexual need is usually described the "most common sexual complaint by women."
The first query that comes to my mind is, "Why is it the most common?" Is it as a result of low need is common or is it that understanding low sexual want to be a problem is common. Given our "Sex in the Town" standards of high sexual desire and fantastic sexual experiences, it's not shocking that low sexual desire is deemed problematic. And, it worries me that, though it is a typical complaint among women, our ideals position several people as the "alternative," thereby promoting failure and dissatisfaction.
The second question that comes to my mind is, "Why is it ladies's problem?" In most of the articles I read on low sexual need, the unit of study was the female. Males were rarely mentioned. I understand this to be problematic for females as well as for males. For females, it creates stereotypes and encourages notions of "lesser than" when compared to males during a world that condones low sexual desire. For males, it also creates stereotypes and constricts male sexuality to being nothing different than hypersexual.
My final question is, "Why do we have a tendency to have low sexual want?" A number of the reasons cited by researchers are the following:
sexual abuse
attachment problems
relationship processes
depression
lack of enjoyment in life
medication (e.g., for depression)
body image
physical illness
communication and messages regarding sexuality
feelings of sexual incompetence
Given the proposed causal factors, it may be more productive to label our social roles, values, and practices as dysfunctional, rather than label the individual as dysfunctional. It seems that our social structures contribute greatly to low sexual need, not only as a result of communication and messages relating to sexuality are vital, but as a result of the factors listed on top of are often created and maintained by societal structures. For instance, lack of enjoyment in life could have additional to try to to with lifestyle than with biological build-up. Many times our social location and social institutions don't allow for alternate lifestyles. Even sexual abuse could be a societal drawback as it is permitted given the legal, economic, and patriarchal structures.
However, you will think it impossible to vary societal structures, and you're still left with the "problem" of low sexual desire. Well, your problem will be addressed (or changed) by merely shifting your understanding of how it is created and maintained. It's liberating to understand and specific sexuality in the method that you choose is best given the societal structures that bind you. Therapeutic interventions for low sexual want would benefit from exploring societal beliefs about sex and sexuality ("masturbation isn't respectable" or "oral sex is immoral"), given the importance of societal structures in making these beliefs. One study found that in societies where sexual messages were more validating of sexual diversity and where sexual communication was additional open, the "downside" of low sexual desire was less prevalent. Once a societal view of sexuality is taken, the individual will select, given these parameters, which sexual expression is most beneficial; the results of your choice perhaps less, additional, or non-existent sexual desire.