Sexually Transmitted Diseases - I. I. Mavrov 2005

Deviations from the norm in sexual life
Sexual deviations

Sexual dreams. Naturally, these occur more frequently the less sexual satisfaction a person experiences in real life. It is believed that if an individual constantly dreams about various Sexual Deviations, the presence of such tendencies may be assumed, while dreams featuring a same-sex partner point to potential homosexuality.

Daytime sexual daydreams or erotic fantasies are also common. If these prove more arousing than interactions with a real partner, leaving the individual in a state of constant tension that persists even at work, this also indicates a predisposition toward sexual deviations (provided the content of these fantasies aligns accordingly).

Sexual boasting. This drives a man to boast smugly and arrogantly about his sexual conquests while significantly exaggerating them. Male sexual boasting is frequently accompanied by extreme actions with negative consequences, as it pushes a man toward excesses and sexual "exploits" that far exceed his actual natural sex drive and capabilities.

Hypocrisy is behavior that masks insincerity and malice with feigned sincerity and virtue. This trait is deeply rooted in certain individuals. Yet hardly anywhere does hypocrisy play a greater role than in relations between the sexes. Nowhere else do otherwise entirely honest men and women deceive so much, shamelessly lying to their spouses or concealing the truth from them.

However, hypocrisy also possesses a positive aspect: by hiding unworthy feelings, inclinations, and passions from their partner and even from themselves, a person strives to suppress them, convincing both themselves and their loved one of their noble and benevolent intentions.

Flirting is a romantic game, coquetting, and the expression of various forms and shades of sexual attraction between a man and a woman, short of intercourse. It can be conscious or unconscious, manifesting as any activity aimed at displaying one's own eroticism and awakening a reciprocal feeling in a sexual partner.

The range of flirting is broad: spanning from amorous glances and light, seemingly accidental touches, through all sorts of sexual games, hints, personal signals, caresses, teasing, coquetting, kissing, and embracing, to so-called intense emotional prohibitions and suggestive touches.

As a rule, flirting does not go too far, concluding with an alternation of visual and tactile sensations. However, if the person flirting notices a favorable response to their unobtrusive advances and a silent mutual understanding is established between the parties, the sexual game develops further, typically without either side uttering a single word about their feelings.

Flirting can take on the most diverse forms and, for many, can functionally replace the sexual act; in such cases, it may be considered a sexual deviation.

Petting refers to partners achieving sexual gratification through mutual caresses without engaging in sexual intercourse. This peculiar form of satisfying sexual drive includes all mutual touches that cause sexual arousal, excluding genital contact. Such sexual activities—intentionally triggering orgasm through the artificial stimulation of erogenous zones (usually bare, though genitalia are stimulated only through clothing)—can occur within a two-way sexual contact and may be homo- or heterosexual, superficial or deep, active or passive.

Petting allows individuals to derive sexual pleasure without violating prevailing moral norms, which explains its current widespread popularity.

Onanism (masturbation) is the artificial stimulation of erogenous zones (most often one's own genitalia) for the purpose of achieving orgasm. A distinction is made between psychic (imaginary) onanism—sexual fantasies accompanied by orgasm without masturbation or any other physical manipulations, where satisfaction (typically with erection, ejaculation, and orgasm) is achieved through vivid mental imagery of a specific sexual situation; prolonged onanism, where the onanistic act is extended by pausing manipulations or distracting attention; interrupted onanism, where the act is intentionally halted before orgasm is reached; onanism with premature orgasm unaccompanied by ejaculation; instrumental onanism; and mutual onanism, in which two individuals of the same or different sexes perform manipulations on each other.

The factors contributing to the onset of onanism most frequently include Early Development of sex drive and premature sexual maturation causing frequent and prolonged erections, children observing adults' sexual life, and seduction by another person. Late entry into marriage, prolonged sexual abstinence, various erotic stimuli (reading erotic literature, pornography, etc.), and unhealthy upbringing also play a significant role. Individuals suffering from Schizophrenia, psychopathy, and other nervous disorders frequently resort to onanism. Some engage in it entirely unconsciously at night during Sleep.

The onanistic act, especially when frequently repeated, is not equivalent to a sexual act and is rarely practiced in isolation. In physically healthy individuals with a strong type of Higher Nervous Activity, onanism may not cause significant harm. At the same time, it should be kept in mind that masturbation often begins in childhood, when the Organism has not yet matured sexually, generally physically, or psychologically. In children, onanism is most often unaccompanied by lustful sensations and lacks ejaculation, as spermatozoa production begins only during Puberty, typically after the first nocturnal emission (semenarche). One should not exaggerate The Significance of masturbation in young children; as a rule, it ceases after the age of 3.

Early pre-pubertal onanism (at ages 7–13), excessive masturbation, and psychic or perseverative-obsessive masturbation of a compulsive nature—observed in the absence of libido and orgasm—can exert a detrimental effect on sexual health. Pathological masturbation also includes stimulation of inappropriate erogenous zones, which may subsequently shape corresponding aberrant patterns in Sexual Behavior.

When sexual development is asynchronous, or when psychosexual development is premature or delayed, inappropriate sexual scripts may form. Inserting objects into the Urethra or Vagina during masturbation is pathological. The absence in men of the specific sensations generated by friction during intercourse, or the lack of vaginal sensations in women during masturbation, negatively impacts sexual development. It should be noted that onanism may form part of The Structure of various perversions or be combined with them (narcissism, exhibitionism, fetishism, voyeurism), as well as certain sexual disorders. It can lead to the dissociation of platonic, erotic, and sexual libido.

During puberty (ages 12–18)—when psychosexual development occurs alongside The formation of the platonic, erotic, and initial phase of the sexual libido, i.e., during the period of adolescent hypersexuality—masturbation, if moderate in character, is to some extent "physiological" and does not harm sexual health. Nor should masturbation be considered pathological during the transitional phase of sexual maturation (ages 16–26), or as a substitute masturbation when regular sexual activity is impossible. However, one must account for the fact that lacking a partner, particularly during the period of mature sexuality (ages 26–55), negatively affects sexual health. In particular, the level of sexual adaptation to the opposite sex declines.

The pathological nature of onanism in both men and women is determined by the age of onset, type, intensity, condition of genital and extragenital, adequate and inadequate erogenous zones, the characteristics of somatic, psychological, somatosexual, and psychosexual development, the duration of masturbation, and the degree of dependence of sexual behavior upon it.

Treatment and Prevention. The correction of pathological masturbation must be approached differentially, taking into account the degree of its pathogenic impact on sexual health. In some cases, pedagogical and educational measures are necessary, while in others, treatment should employ various psychotherapeutic Methods, such as rational psychotherapy, bibliotherapy, and sexual-behavioral or sexual-erotic training.

Proper sex and physical education play a major role in the prevention and treatment of childhood onanism. Medication is not of decisive importance here, though small doses of sedatives may occasionally be recommended. The primary objective of treatment boils down to creating a calm environment, distracting the patient's attention, and strictly eliminating stimuli. Any attempts at masturbation—which children usually do not conceal—should be systematically yet cautiously suppressed.

Onanism in school-aged children takes the character of an impulsive drive. It is an act executed immediately following a triggering stimulus. Within seconds, a child may not anticipate that the act will occur, and having performed it, they are incapable of assessing its significance. Therefore, shouting by parents promising various punishments, alongside moralizing lectures of any kind, are at best useless and at worst—as is most frequently the case—traumatize the child.

The child should not be left alone. The daily routine must be structured so that the child is physically exhausted before bedtime. Gradually, the child should develop the habit of placing their hands on top of the blanket (not as a punishment) upon getting into bed. The presence of adults at the moment of falling asleep is mandatory. Strict observation (over 2–3 weeks) should be established to prevent the child from carrying any mastattempt through to completion: their attention is diverted, or the act is obstructed regardless of crying or stubbornness. Such continuous and unwavering resistance over a defined period leads to The breakdown of the impulsive act's structure.

It is crucial to determine precisely which moments act as the inciting stimulus for masturbation. In A number of cases, the causes of onanism may include itching in the genital area or other irritating factors in the anogenital region. For protracted cases of onanism in children aged 7–10, hypnotherapy is indicated.

It must be emphasized that observing parents' sexual life, as well as witnessing erotic scenes of any kind, has a detrimental effect on children of any age. In many cases, an unexpected erotic impression—which may arise from reading naturalistic descriptions in literature or pornographic magazines—plays a decisive role in the subsequent shaping of individual features of sexual life. In some instances, this prompts the premature realization of the sex drive.

Treating onanism during adolescence is a difficult task, as gratifying the arising desire becomes an end in itself for the teenager, carefully concealed from others, while their own willpower remains insufficient. In such cases, psychotherapy is advisable and should be conducted without parents present, since their presence makes it difficult to establish the necessary rapport between doctor and patient and to carry out motivated suggestion.