Sexual Aversion and Lack of Sexual Desire in Woman: a Case from Clinical Practice

The article presents a clinical case with a 25-year-old female patient A., who has been married for 1 year, but before she was in a commonlaw marriage during 5 years with her present spouse, who is 30. They have not got any children. When she sought medical advice the patient informed that during 1.5 years she had been feeling sexual aversion to her husband (when he tried to take her in his arms, she had creeping sensations on her arms and back, a feeling of lump in her throat, and a desire to cry). She attributed it to the fact that her husband “does not pay enough attention to me”, he did not defend her against accusations from the side of his relatives and stood with his mother, faulting the patient for causing conflictual relations between the women. She did not feel any sexual desire toward her husband. Their sexual life was once a week. She let her husband loose with her only after she drank alcohol. A month before it was the end of their 8-month period, when she did not let her husband loose with her at all. Her husband put up with restrictions in their sexual life; he did not have any lover. Four months before she parted with her lover, with whom she was going 3-4 months. She did not feel any aversion to him. With time, by means of long conversations she succeeded in making her husband completely take her part in the conflict with his parents, and the spouses even severed any contacts with them. Our additional examination succeeded in revealing a number of the patient’s characterological peculiarities, particularly histrionic personality disorder, this fact confirming our clinical observations. The following diagnosis was made: sexual aversion, absence of sexual desire (selective variants) with development by the conversion (hysterical) mechanism. Treatment was provided with help of cognitive effects and hypnosuggestive therapy (its seven sessions were given). The cognitive effects were targeted at the patient’s complete acceptance of the belief that her husband fully supported her at that time and was entirely reliable. It was explained that in some cases disorders might base on the mechanism of conditioned pleasantness/desirability (conversion mechanism). But it was done in a very nuanced and kind way, since a straight-line explanation of this mechanism (“it is in your interests”) may cause a negative response and the treatment may be discontinued by patients. It was pointed out that sexual dysfunctions could result from influence of psychological factors: her bad relationships with her husband’s parents and with him. Suggestion in the hypnotic state was particularly targeted at elimination of sexual aversion, appearance of sexual desire toward her husband, generation of pleasant sensations during his caresses and kisses, presence of voluptuous (lascivious) sensations in frictions during coitus. Sexual intercourses were modeled too. It was also suggested that her husband was her defender, he stood with her and was entirely reliable. As the result of the given treatment, sexual aversion to the patient’s husband was nullified and her sexual desire toward him was completely restored.

Sexual Aversion and Lack of Sexual Desire in Woman: a Case Report

Sexual aversion is the problem, which is little discussed in medical literature. The article contains definitions of sexual aversion in some classifications and dynamics of concepts of this pathology represented in other classifications. In the author’s opinion, its removal from a list of sexual disorders in certain classifications cannot cancel the very existence of this disorder. The author’s case study is described, which deals with sexual aversion and absence of libido (they both are psychogenic). A 38-year-old female patient B., married during 3.5 years, had not got any children. She had higher education and worked within her speciality. Her husband was 36; he finished vocational technical school. During previous 3 years he had not been working (he was supposedly looking for suitable job, but allegedly could not find it). Their family was financed by the patient. When she was asked what really troubled her, the patient reported: “I don’t want him. I have no desire to have sex either with him or anybody else. I don’t perceive him as man, because he does not work, does not bring any money in the family and does not do any household chores. I accept him more as my brother or son.” She also had sexual aversion to her husband. When he approached her and began kissing, he disgusted her and caused an unpleasant sensation, as if “some slug is creeping”. She was disgusted with her husband. His touches were unpleasant for her. “Some rejection has begun”. She allowed her husband to have sexual intercourse only once a month. She described sexual aversion to her husband in the following way: “Now he is approaching and begins pouting his lips towards me, but even his smell becomes unpleasant for me, though before I liked how he smelt, and his smell is the same. Then he begins kissing me, but I absolutely hate his slobber, though before I accepted it normally. And his beard is spiky. I don’t like it either, but before I accepted it normally. Also I don’t like that he’s got thinner. He has become so thin, even thinner than me, though he eats well. But he is keeping a diet because of a chronic disease of his gastrointestinal tract. He’s become so skinny… He has already had such a figure that he becomes resembling a woman. Before he did not look like that. He was well-nourished and strong; he went in for sports. But now he says that he is ill, feels bad and has a stomachache”. The facts, described above in the complaints, appeared more than one year before. As a result of my analysis I drew a conclusion that her sexual disorder developed in the patient as a consequence of psychotraumatic effects caused by the fact that her husband had not been working for a long period of time and, naturally, did not earn anything. It should be added to the above that the chronic pathology of his gastrointestinal tract resulted in worsening of his body composition. The patient sought medical advice to sort herself out and reveal causes of her sexual problems. When she completely perceived their psychogenic character and assessed the difficulties, with what their therapy may be involved, she did not express any desire to undergo treatment.

Are moral norms rooted in instincts? The sibling incest taboo as a case study

According to Westermarck’s widely accepted explanation of the incest taboo, cultural prohibitions on sibling sex are rooted in an evolved biological disposition to feel sexual aversion toward our childhood coresidents. Bernard Williams posed the “representation problem” for Westermarck’s theory: the content of the hypothesized instinct (avoid sex with childhood coresidents) is different from the content of the incest taboo (avoid sex with siblings)—thus the former cannot be causally responsible for the latter. Arthur Wolf posed the related “moralization problem”: the instinct concerns personal behavior whereas the prohibition concerns everyone. This paper reviews possible ways of defending Westermarck’s theory from the representation and moralization problems, and concludes that the theory is untenable. A recent study purports to support Westermarck’s account by showing that unrelated children raised in the same peer groups on kibbutzim feel sexual aversion toward each other and morally oppose third-party intra-peer-group sex, but this study has been misinterpreted. I argue that the representation and moralization problems are general problems that could potentially undermine many popular evolutionary explanations of social/moral norms. The cultural evolution of morality is not tightly constrained by our biological endowment in the way some philosophers and evolutionary psychologists believe.

Painful intercourse. Dyspareunia and Vaginismus

Dyspareunia and Vaginismus are two clinical forms of painful sexual intercourses, affecting mostly the premenopausal women with vaginal atrophy, and young 18-24 years old women. The symptoms may be caused by medical and gynaecological problems. The unpleasant intercourse has got a huge impact on the partner and the quality of marriage. Some women accuse themselves; some are aggressed, and their partner develop sexual aversion, anxiety, shame, depression, hostility, anger. The understanding partner is opened to communication and supports the healing process. Psychotherapy is needed for both partners, with clearly defined objectives which informs the couple that complete remission is very difficult to obtain. Women who suffer of dyspareunia have an increased sensitivity to pain. In the case of dyspareunia caused by medical conditions, healing consists of relaxation methods, exercises, progressive muscle relaxation and variation of sexual life „temperature” of the relationship, involving the partner in the therapy too. The client needs to feel that she is beautiful, attractive. She needs to maintain a permanent dialog with the partner. This is an important marital problem and therapists need to respect the values of the family involved. For the future it is important to help women and couples (classical, homosexual, disabled) to cure painful sexual intercourse and improve their intimacy.

Sexual Aversion

Sexual aversion is a phobic reaction often involving trauma, not necessarily related to sexual abuse or rape. It consists of avoidance of sex related stimuli that have been associated by the patient with distressing experiences. It leads to sexual dysfunction for either male or female, and it can have a tremendous impact on a person’s life. This article investigates the etiology, evolution and factors the construct implies and explores some treatment considerations.

Incestuous Behavior In Virginia Cleo Andrews’ Flowers In The Attic And Tabitha Suzuma’s Forbidden

This study aims to give more understanding about incestuous behaviour especially in Virginia Cleo Andrews’ Flowers in the Attic and Tabitha Suzuma’s Forbidden. There are three focuses of the study; they are (1) how incest described in those novels, (2) what the causing factors of incest, and (3) what the impact of it. In answering the first question, incest on its features can be classified into three types; they are based on the offenders, the motivation, and the way of treating. For the second question, this study is analysed trough two parts. The first part is based on the condition before that incest happened and for the second part is based on the psychoanalysis theory by Karen Horney. In her theory, she explains about the childhood experience and neurotic needs that are related in finding the possible causing factors of incest as the focus of this study. Then, for the third question, the possible effects of sibling incest such as; trauma, isolated on social sanction, sexual aversion disorder, and other psychological problems. The result of this study has been found that sibling incest which is happened in those novels is driven by both sides of the offenders. What they do are on their mutual desire and willingness. And the dysfunctional family that they face also really influences their psychology. In Forbidden, it is found that there are two motivations that influence Lochan and Maya to do sibling incest, they are; affection and aggression while in Flowers in the Attic, there are three motivations that are found, they are; affection, eroticism and aggression. For the second question, this research reveals that there are three causing factors of sibling incest that are happened in both novels, they are; dysfunctional family, between age peers, and law of homogamy. Not only that, from the findings, it is also found that all of the offenders experienced the child abuse and neglect in their childhood. They also get the emotional maltreatment from their parents. Their childhood experiences then shape their personality and it deals with the psychological problems which are influenced by the neurotic needs that they seek. The third question is about the impact of sibling incest towards the offenders’ life. And it is found that all of the offenders blame themselves for everything that has happened in their lives, even one of those offenders Lochan decides to commit suicide

The Analysis Of Psychopathology In Alfred Hitchcock Movies

INTRODUCTION: During the 20th century, psychiatry began to use the cinema as didactic-pedagogical help resource in the study of psychopathology. The Films of Alfred Hitchcock usually present as main themes mental disorders and the psychoanalysis. However, these films were not created with academic goal and it is natural that there are distortions. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the importance of Hitchcock films as didactic resource in the study of psychopathology, identify possible distortions and seek to justify them on the basis of the historical context. METHODOLOGY: The abstracts of the 53 feature-length films of the director were read and deleted the movies that did not have the mental disorder as a central theme; they were dumb; or those who had only the antisocial personality disorder. It was performed a narrative review. RESULTS: Six films were selected through an intentional sampling. When he speaks of the Heart (1945) shows a picture of amnesia with dissociative fugue. The psychoanalysis is represented in a very superficial. The Indiscreet (1954) describes a voyeuristic disorder and should not be indicated. The Wrong Man (1956) depicts a severe depressive episode with psychotic symptoms. A body that falls (1958) presents the themes of specific phobia of height and the acute stress disorder. Psychosis (1960) represents a framework of dissociative identity disorder, but the scenes of violence may cause a negative view of the mentally ill. Marnie (1964) has as themes the specific phobia and sexual aversion disorder. The psychoanalysis is presented in distorted form and caricature. CONCLUSION: The films directed by Alfred Hitchcock can be useful in the study of psychiatry and should be considered the distortions that can worsen the stigma.

Intergenerational Incest Aversion

The biological costs of inbreeding are expected to have shaped human incest aversion. These costs depend on biological sex, relatedness, and age. Whereas previous studies have focused on investigating how these factors modulate incest aversion in siblings and cousins—family members of the same generation—here we examined relatives of different generations. In a population-based sample, 2,499 respondents reported reactions to imagined sexual behaviors with either a biological child or parent, a niece/nephew or aunt/uncle, or a stepchild or stepparent; these responses were compared to reactions to imagined sexual behaviors involving a friend’s child or parent. Replicating prior results, women report stronger incest aversions than do men. We extend previous findings by showing that incest aversions tended to be stronger between close (vs. more distant) intergenerational relatives. Indeed, for biological relatives, decreased degree of relatedness was associated with decreased incest aversion, and for biological relatives, the certainty in relatedness was also positively associated with incest aversion. As expected, age modulated sexual aversion for unrelated, but not related, target individuals. Sexual aversions toward step-relatives did not differ from sexual aversions to biological relatives.