Writer's Guide to Character Traits (2nd edition) by Linda Edelstein

Author:Linda Edelstein [Linda Edelstein]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: нонфикшн, Creative Writing
Published: 2011-04-23T07:00:00+00:00

Traits of Sexual Behaviors

A survey of more than three thousand men and women ages eighteen to fifty-nine found that 43 percent of women and 31 percent of men regularly suffer from a lack of interest in sex, an inability to reach orgasm, or some other sexual dysfunction.3 The problems that follow are a mix of behaviors—some have a physical basis and some are exclusively psychological.

SEXUAL ADDICTION OR SEXUAL COMPULSION

A sexual addict is a person, more often male than female, unable to adequately

control his sexual behavior. The term "addict" indicates that the behavior has

slipped into the disruptive range. The sexual addict has an overwhelming need

for sex or is preoccupied with sex or the procurement of it. The term refers to

more than excesses in frequency or participation in certain types of sex; it also

Indicates compulsive sexual behaviors, the most common of which are mastur-

bation and continual affairs (often simultaneously) while married.45

The threshold for what constitutes hypersexuality is subject to debate, and

critics question if a standardized diagnostic threshold even exists. Sex drive

varies widely in humans, and what one person would consider a "normal" sex

drive might be considered excessive by some, and low by others. The consensus

among those who consider this a disorder is that the threshold is met when the

behavior causes distress or impaired social functioning. Sexual compulsion can

be a symptom of bipolar disorder.

2 Bailey (2005).3 The Journal of the American Medical Association (February, 1999).4 Gold and Heffner (1998).5 Gold, Steven, and Heffner (1998).

TRAITS OF A SEXUAL ADDICT

Not all of the following traits will be seen in the same person. However, the compulsive aspects are always present.

• Cannot control behavior despite the risk of potential adverse consequences: jobs, marriages or health

• Has frequent sexual encounters

• Masturbates compulsively

• Seeks new sexual encounters out of boredom with the old ones

• Desires to get excesses under control but is unsuccessful in attempts to stop behavior

• Engages in sexual activity without physiological arousal

• Is self-destructive and may jeopardize marriage or career

• Spends excessive time in sexual behaviors, thinking about sex, and sexual encounters

• Desires excitement and may ignore other responsibilities

• Convinces self that sexual behaviors are okay, or rationalizes: "It's not real sex"

• Is guilty, lonely, and angry

• Lacks control in other areas of life

• Believes that sex is the answer to problems

• Has difficulty being emotionally intimate; relies on sex instead as main mode of expression

• May have had a childhood marked by little control and blurred boundaries or abuse

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