Male+Masturbation

Ben Ganellen ** Male Masturbation ** **Who masturbates?** Masturbation is defined as “touching one’s own sex organs for pleasure” (Planned Parenthood, 2003). Masturbation is fairly common among men of all ages. 62% of 14-15 year old and 81% of 18-19 year old males reported masturbating in the past year (Melby, 2010). As men age, there masturbation habits do not change drastically. 72% of men in their 50s reported masturbating in the past year as compared to more than 60% of men in their 60 and 46% of men older than 70 (Melby, 2010). Das (2007) found that certain factors, such as education and early sexual contact, strongly correlate with frequency of masturbation. Other studies have found that whites are more likely to masturbate than other ethnic and racial groups, as are people who had difficulty talking to their parents about sex when growing up (Gerressu et al., 2008). Most men say they masturbate because it releases sexual tension and gives them pleasure, but some do it because it helps them relax or get to sleep (Gerressu et al., 2008).

**Masturbation and Negative Emotions** About 50% of adult men feel guilt for masturbating, and most adolescent men are afraid to admit that they masturbate (Planned Parenthood, 2003). Many men experience guilt, shame, or other negative emotions related to masturbation. However, statistics show that most men masturbate despite the negative feelings they may have about masturbation. In fact, men’s feelings of guilt about masturbating did not significantly diminish how much they masturbated (Lo Presto et al., 1985). Masturbation is a largely stigmatized activity that people have mixed feelings about. This stigmatization can be traced back thousands of years. As early as the 4th century, the church condemned masturbation as a sin, and this notion was reinforced throughout the centuries in Christianity and other religions (Planned Parenthood, 2003). Even the medical community condemned masturbation until partway through the 20th century, claiming that it lead to insanity fits, blindness, and even impotence (Gerressu et al., 2008). Today, most doctors and psychologists acknowledge that masturbation is normal (Planned Parenthood, 2003). However, some religious institutions have still not changed their stance on masturbation. The Vatican called masturbation an “intrinsically and seriously disordered act” in the 1970s and reiterated its position again in the 1990s (Planned Parenthood, 2003). Given this abundance of antipathy towards masturbation from sources who have arguably been leaders of social opinion over the centuries, it is no wonder that so many men experience negative emotions related to masturbation.

**Could Masturbation be a Good Thing?** Despite the fact that some institutions condemn masturbation and many individuals feel uneasy about it, researches have been studying the positive effects of masturbation. Shelton (2010) argues that masturbation is an effective tool that should be used to fight HIV and STIs in developing countries. However, UNAIDS, a widely known organization that combats the spread of HIV, does not even mention masturbation in their literature, and the rest of the professional community is similarly silent on the topic (Shelton, 2010). Others have promoted the benefits of masturbation as well. Kaestle et al. (2010) argue that masturbation is beneficial because it can influence relationships with others because it enables people to learn about and explore their own sexual preferences response cycle. This exploration not only leads to a better understanding of one’s sexuality, but to a greater sense of independence and self-esteem, which promote positive intimate experiences and lead to great sexual health and satisfaction (Kasetle et al., 2010). Many men who have problems with premature ejaculation masturbate to practice their ejaculatory control, and men with erectile dysfunction masturbate to learn to control their erections. (Planned Parenthood, 2003). In this manner, masturbation is a means to an end, rather than the end itself. Put more simply, men do not just masturbate because they receive sexual satisfaction from it, they masturbate so that they may receive be more sexually satisfied and reduce anxiety or dysfunction in future sexual encounters with others. Clearly, masturbations has implications beyond simply satisfying oneself sexually. Masturbation can be used as a tool to fight the spread of HIV and STIs, it can lead men to understand their sexual preferences, and it can help them practice for sexual activity with their partners and battle and control any sexual dysfunction they might have.



**How do Men Learn About Masturbation?** If masturbation is so important and widespread among men of all ages, where and how do men learn about masturbation? Masturbation is still a topic that is not frequently discussed in our culture due to the stigma still associated with it. Most teenagers report that they don’t talk about masturbation with their families, even if they are open about other topics (Kaestle et al., 2010). Teenagers took their parents’ silence on the topic of masturbation as a sign of disapproval of the act (Kaestle et al., 2010). This is significant because even if parents did not have a negative attitude towards masturbation, teenagers had no way of knowing so, and in fact, assumed the opposite. This contributes to the sense of shame and guilt that men feel about masturbation. As teenagers they learn to hide the fact that they masturbate from their parents because they believe that their parents don’t want them to masturbate, and thus feel guilty for engaging in the act and disobeying their parents’ wishes. In general, schools do not education teenagers about masturbation than parents do (Kaestle et al., 2010). During the 20th century, when masturbation was still largely stigmatized, most men reported learning about masturbation from other boys or men, either through discussion or demonstration (Planned Parenthood, 2003). Today, men learn about masturbation mainly from the media and their peers (Kaestle et al., 2010). However, these sources of information about masturbation are often not entirely accurate and can lead to false beliefs or misconceptions about masturbation, which can further entrench the stigma associated with masturbation. In this regard, men do not have many places to turn to for accurate information about masturbation. Shelton (2010) asserts that this silence on the topic of masturbation “reinforces the idea that there is something wrong with it” (p. 1). And even when somebody tries to break the silence, the stigma of masturbation can still be overpowering. When Joyce Elders, the Surgeon General of the United States under President Clinton, attempted to create a national discourse about masturbation, she was fired (Elders, 1997). Some researchers have tried to test the effects of a masturbation seminar on attitudes about masturbation and masturbation frequency. In one study, researchers found that the young men who took the masturbation seminar as part of their sex ed class in school developed more positive attitudes toward masturbation because they learned the truth about the negative myths about masturbation, both of which correlate with higher masturbation frequency (Lo Presto et al., 1985). However, the young men did not demonstrate any decrease in guilt associated with masturbating or an increase how frequently they masturbated as compared to the beginning of the seminar (Lo Presto et al., 1985). Evidence from this study demonstrates that further education about masturbation may be beneficial to young men by reducing the amount of false information about masturbation and possibly reducing the stigma associated with it.

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