Psychosexual Counselling

Symptoms of Psychosexual Disorder

June 28, 2016 by Albert

Contemporary society – or perhaps human nature- works in such a way that accountability or individual failures rarely rest on the shoulders of those who deserve it. Mistakes cannot be the fault of the individual; it must be your neighbor, the government, the stress caused by others, or the stars above that work against you. In other words, misgivings have a way of working their way from the external to affect the individual. Psychologists give some credibility to that argument – that is why nature versus nurture continues to haunt the field in a philosophical battle royale. However, when it comes to psychosexual disorders, it works conversely. Psychosexual disorders result in an anxiety and conflict over sex as natural sexual desires and feelings become unconsciously suppressed and avoided. It is the internal that begins to creep itself on the external. Psychosexual disorders originate in the mind, but show themselves through external behavioral symptoms, predominantly sexual dysfunction and perversions.

The origin of psychosexual disorders is debated. Many agree that childhood is the period of greatest importance, but that is not uniform and psychosexual disorders may have several origins depending on experiences. Some psychologists argue that external factors, such as sexual abuse during psychosexual development during childhood, are the primary reason for later anxieties and dysfunctions. Freud also placed particular focus on the external with his stages of healthy psychosexual development.

Symptoms Psychosexual — Symptoms of Psychosexual Disorders

However, he viewed that these external events did not directly create a disorder within the child. Rather, the child, depending on the stage which he did not successfully resolve and under what circumstances, was bound to interpret this failure in his own way. Therefore, (s)he would express symptoms of psychosexual disorders in his own unique way. Therefore, based on the theory of Freud, symptoms of psychosexual disorders are unique to the individual.

Popular psychology subcategorizes psychosexual disorders into three parts: sexual dysfunctions, sexual perversions, and gender identity disorders. Each of these categories reflect themselves in unique ways. Sexual dysfunctions stand out not only because of (more…)

Psychosexual Disorders in Adolescence

June 28, 2016 by Albert

Perhaps no time is more complicated in a person’s life than adolescence. Adolescence serves as the physical and mental transition period from childhood to early adulthood and is marked by plenty of changes. From the hormone-fueled mood swings to the hormone-fueled sexual intrigue, the developments that enhance and threaten adolescence can have a profound effect on not only the personality of the individual during adolescence, but well into adulthood too. For experts on psychosexual disorders, adolescence requires a cautious balancing act. Psychosexual disorders and anxieties that stem from early childhood begin to intensify during the psychosexual development stages. As a result, as adolescence is a period of transition, it is an ideal time to address the issues before the individual enters early adulthood and carries problematic psychosexual disorders in adolescence to early adulthood. Of course, the complication is in getting adolescents who are undergoing an identity crisis with or without psychosexual disorders to discuss the disorders, and without creating new problems by expressing them.

Reaction to puberty is perhaps the most unpredictable aspect of not only a parent’s life, but the individual who undergoes it. Biologically speaking, it is a complex series of bodily occurrences that changes the body into an adult one capable of reproduction. Puberty has everything to do with sexuality – therefore, to not properly address puberty as a possibly essential role in the development of psychosexual disorders is disingenuous and erroneous.

The popular hypothesis that has guided the field is that psychosexual disorders are created long before adolescence. Sigmund Freud asserted this when he described the psychosexual development stages that preceded adolescence. Meanwhile, biological theorists accredit prenatal hormones for the psychosexual differentiation which are merely intensified during an individual’s life, most notably when (more…)

Psychosexual Disorders in Women

June 28, 2016 by Albert

Mainstream media and popular imagination seem to suggest that only one gender monopolizes the field of sexual perversion, debauchery, and disorders. While perhaps the male gender has an iron grip on sexual dysfunctions in popular imagination, in reality, females are increasingly joining their male counterparts in opening up about their own sexual dysfunctions and exploring the psychosexual disorders. For many years, females have been straight jacketed from engaging their concerns and anxieties that they are as vulnerable to as male. Whether because of cultural factors or lack of access to proper information, it has been a taboo for females to discuss their individual psychosexual disorders, even if the disorders are highly common. However, the times are changing, and scientific knowledge of the different types of recognized psychosexual disorders in women are now being dealt with the same care and caution as their male counterparts.

Psychosexual disorders come in several forms. Sexual perversions, for example, involve projecting strong sexual desires towards an unusual situations or objects. While many of these fetishes of “pecialization”, from bestiality to necrophilia to pedophilia, are largely intertwined with males, the minority of females who suffer from sexual perversions should not be ignored either. Adequate research will reveal that females are highly engaged in these communities too – with the same obsessions and urges as those commonly associated with males.

Psychosexual Disorder in Woman — Psychosexual Disorders in Woman

What this suggests is two fold: first, that the psychological angle of these sexual perversions should not be ignored; and second, that the behavioral effects manifest themselves in similar ways in both sexes. Perhaps the disproportionate ratio of gender open about their sexual perversions may partly be a result of the greater stigmatization and demonization towards female who do enjoy such activities but wish not to shine a light on them self. By contrast, the banality of male suffering from these psychosexual disorders are taken into higher consideration and given greater attention.

Another category of psychosexual disorders in women is gender identity disorders. This is characterized by (more…)

Psychosexual Disorders in Men

June 28, 2016 by Albert

As Governor Mark Sanford staged a press conference to confess to an extramarital affair in June 2009, the sensationalist juice of the story was only matched by its banality. Sex has always been viewed as not just a part of politics, but the fact that it was a male who engaged in it made it that much more mundane. This unsurprising outcome is assigned many meanings; evolutionary scientists assert that males are more orientated towards sexual activities in order to spread their seeds as far as possible. Others believe social expectations have reinforced the sexual habits of men of all ages, ethnicities, and cultural backgrounds. While there are elements of truth to such perspectives, psychologists in the field of psychosexuality partially dismiss these claims. Rather, they assert that the sexual habits of males are merely a product of the events leading up the development of their sexual dysfunctions, sexual perversions, and behavior. Thus, the best way to confront them is to engage the mind of the individual.

Psychosexual disorders in men are commonly limited to signify the lack of ability to perform or any psychosexual dysfunctions. This is altogether unsurprising considering that sexual dysfunctions are the most face-saving, least-demonized form of disorder available to seek help for, particularly when you compare it to other disorders such as sexual perversions or gender identity disorders. Issues of hypoactivity, or lack of sexual desire and arousal, in men has enjoyed transparency for many decades.

Sexual dysfunctions are important as they are viewed as destructive to relationships and the mental health of the male. Of course, that brings up another common problem and explanation for why sexual dysfunctions are popularly reported.

Psychosexual dysfunctions are commonly seen as a problem that begins outside of the mind, rather than the mind inflicting it on the flesh. The mind is a haven for privacy in all of us; to reveal too much of its secrets or to believe it has such a control over you is humbling and opens the floodgates for more insecurities.

Naturally, psychosexual disorders that affect the sexual habits of males, from impotence to premature ejaculation, may be due to health reasons, such as (more…)