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Cassius Epps
Research Paper

Sex and Psychology

Human sexuality is a very complex matter. Throughout our lives we experience a
wide array of emotions due to our reproductive processes. Because of its effect on us,
we often do things we dont understand for sex. Men and women alike do their very best
to attract one another with no real understanding of the force that drives them. In some
cases, this force pushes men and women into separate territories that serve to alienate
them as the pressure rises. While these people are the masters of their own fates, some
simply dont have the information needed to fix the issues that persist in their
relationships. As such, I believe that people should change the way they learn about
sex. Men and women should discuss their sexual issues in depth in order to effectively
solve them.
When we are young, our parents tell our female cohorts that men only have one
thing on their minds. This may hold true. As Sadie Dingfelder notes in her article,
Understanding Orgasm, a study by William McKibbin, Ph.D. revealed that many men
in committed relationships not only cared about their own sexual gratification, but also
whether their partners reached orgasm during intercourse. This concern only increased
as the men spent more time away from their significant other. Some even expressed
that they would try harder the next time they had sex with their partner. However, a
rather interesting obstacle is silently standing in these mens way. Psychology professor,
Kim Wallen, writes in her book, Hormones and Behavior, that only an approximate eight
percent of women experience consistent orgasms during intercourse. Yet, popular

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culture portrays a much larger number. (Dingfelder) As such, a discrepancy naturally
occurs. This leads those who read this research to wonder how such a portrayal is
really affects men. Logically, we can conclude that this causes a lot of confusion. Men
walk around thinking that female orgasms are a common occurrence, and when such
beliefs are dispelled it can be a huge blow to the self-esteem. In fact, many of the men
in McKibbins study stated that, should they find that their female counterparts were
faking orgasms, they would be emotionally distressed. (Dingfelder) Yet another logical
conclusion of doom arises. If a man knows he would be emotionally distraught to find
that his partner was faking an orgasm, its logical to assume that he would become
more persistent in his efforts to bring his partner to climax. However, the statistics are
not in his favor. Add to that the fact that a study was published in The Journal of Sex
Research in which sixty percent of women interviewed expressed that they had faked
orgasms, and one could easily expect to find confusion in the minds of men.
(Dingfelder) If all of this information is to be trusted, this paints a grim picture for the
male ego. At this point, the possibility for distrust could very easily become an issue.
If men are concerned that their partners are not achieving orgasm and said
partners are faking orgasms, how can these men trust in their ability to perform
sexually? The fact is, some of them arent. Furthermore, such self-doubt can cause a
psychological cycle that, in turn, can effect sexual performance. In studies conducted at
Boston University, researchers attempted to find a correlation between sexual anxiety
and performance. They found that men who experienced anxiety concerning sexual
performance were more likely to experience performance issues. In these tests, men
who regularly experienced sexual performance issues, and those who didnt, were all

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told that they would be receive an electro-shock if they did not get themselves aroused,
or erect. (Benson) Those who did not regularly experience such issues often became
focused on stimulating themselves and were able to complete the task. Those who did
experience these issues were often too preoccupied with the possible negative outcome
that they were completely unable to perform. (Benson) The study also found that these
men were much more likely to attribute any instance in which they could not perform to
a persistent issue. (Benson) This study shows us that men will indeed react if they
perceive a challenge to their ability to perform. In this case, the men with no regular
issues performing align with the men examined in McKibbins study. As was mentioned
previously, men in McKibbins study expressed that they would be distressed if they
werent bringing their partners to orgasm and that they intended to try harder the next
time they had intercourse with their partners. However, as was also mentioned, the
outcome could align more closely with that of those with performance anxiety and
issues. However, the pattern persists that a challenge against performance will generate
a response.
Challenge of performance is not the only factor that effects male arousal,
however. Amanda Timmers and Meredith Chivers, both researchers at Queens
University in Ontario, Canada, performed a series of experiments which studied the
effect of sociosexuality on arousal. Men presented rather interesting results. They
seemed to experience a higher state of arousal when presented with stories of
scenarios that included their preferred gender, a casual sexual partner, and/or various
partners performing the same preferred sexual tasks. These results are interesting
considering those found in women. When women were presented with stories of similar

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scenarios, they were less restrictive in their criteria. (Timmers and Chivers 136)
Dingfelder mentions a biologist, Alan S. Dixon Ph.D., who theorizes that human beings
probably evolved in societies in which it was common for a women to sleep with many
men over a relatively short period of time. His reasoning for this concerns the size of
the males testicles and amount of sperm produced. (Dingfelder) If this is true, mens
insistence on female satisfaction may be a carryover from our genetic past. One could
assume, if logic is to be applied, that men instinctually perceive satisfaction as a key to
maintaining respective control over mating ritual. This is supported by the
aforementioned men who were more adamant about female sexual gratification after a
long absence. Instinctually, a man may be equating said absence with the infidelity of
our genetic ancestors. Therefore, when they believe there is a challenge against their
performance, they are motivated to try harder to perform better, and, in turn, disband the
confusion that is associated with said effects.
While studies show that men are motivated by sex, they also seem to show that
women have trouble finding distinct motivations for having sex. While theres solid
evidence for sperm competition, theres less grounding for the theory that womens
orgasms have anything to do with fertilization, says Elisabeth Lloyd, PhD. (Dingfelder)
If women dont necessarily need to orgasm to complete the process of reproduction,
why do they orgasm? Dingfelder believes there are multiple possibilities. The first is a
happy accident. Given that most of the eight percent of women found to have orgasms
during intercourse tended to have clitorises closer to their vaginal openings, their ability
to orgasms may have been a physiological coincidence. Another, more psychological,
reason is that the orgasm is a signal to the woman of psychological acceptance of the

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sexual partner. In other words, arousal and orgasm are more likely to happen when the
woman actually finds the man attractive, or otherwise acceptable as a mate.
(Dingfelder) If the latter theory holds true, one could assume that psychology plays a
substantial role in sexual gratification. In an article from Scientific American, a
neurologist named Martin Portner discusses a young woman who provides support for
this assumption. Gretchen, and a host of other woman in a study on arousal, report that
they are having trouble achieving arousal due to a recent operation in which their
ovaries were removed. In the study, Gretchen and the other women were given patches
that they were told had testosterone in them. As is often the case in scientific studies,
some of these patches were placebos. While participating in the study, Gretchen reports
that her arousal has returned. The patch even has an unexpected result:
She did not often have such strong emotions. But she suddenly felt powerless
against her passion and the desire to throw herself into the arms of the cousin
whom she saw at a family funeral. It can only be because of that patch, said
GretchenAfter 12 weeks of the trial, Gretchen had felt her sexual desire return.
Touching herself unleashed erotic sensations and vivid sexual fantasies.
Eventually she could make love to her husband again and experienced an
orgasm for the first time in almost three years. But that improvement was not
because of testosterone, it turned out. Gretchen was among the half of the
women who had received a placebo patchwith no testosterone in it at all.
(Portner 27)
Given that this woman was experiencing such potent arousal and orgasm, even
without her ovaries or testosterone, we can only conclude that her arousal was linked to

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psychological factors. Gretchens participation in the study, alone, hints at her sexual
and psychological past. Logically, one would assume that the ninety-two percent of
women who dont regularly orgasm during intercourse could easily have not noticed the
difference after a procedure which would decrease the likelihood of it happening.
Therefore, it is possible that Gretchen was, in fact, part of the eight percent of women
who do experience climax regularly. Also, her reaction to the procedure, and then to the
experiment, is telling of possible psychological inhibitions that could be affecting her
arousal. Visualizing Psychology, an introductory-level psychology textbook, describes
two possible causes of such reactions. The first, parasympathetic dominance of the
nervous system, which means that the body must be relaxed enough to allow
increased blood flow to the genitals. The second, sympathetic dominance, can disrupt
the sexual response patterns that occur under parasympathetic dominance. This is
normally due to the experiencing of strong emotions, such as anxiety or fear. (Carpenter
and Huffman 49) Therefore, I propose a scenario that may describe the overall cause of
Gretchens woes. Before she had her ovaries removed, she regularly reached climax.
When she underwent the procedure, her doctor likely informed her that women had
reported a decrease in sexual arousal after having undergone the procedure. Since the
lack of testosterone in her body did, indeed, make it more difficult for her to achieve
arousal, she likely felt as though her lack of orgasm was due to the operation. This is
the same psychological effect that was expressed by the sexually deficient men in the
Boston University study. Because she knew there was a risk of sexual deficiency, she
became sexually anxious and was unable to relax during sex. As such, the processes of
parasympathetic dominance were disrupted and her chances of arousal were

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decreased drastically. When she decided to participate in the study, she was told that
her patch would essentially perform the task that her ovaries once did. Therefore, even
though she received a placebo patch, she felt secure in her ability to achieve arousal
and orgasm because she believed that her deficiency had been cured. This security, in
turn, allowed her to relax enough to become aroused and reach climax. If this is to be
believed, that would mean that the patch was, in fact, able to cure the anxiety that
Gretchen was experiencing, by way of the placebo effect. While this is only a
hypothetical scenario, it does illustrate the possible effects of psychological distress on
sex and arousal. This also serves as support for the idea that the female orgasm is
possibly a signal of psychological acceptance. If a woman does not accept the man she
is with as a possible mate, it is logical to assume that her anxiety over a possibly
unwanted pregnancy could inhibit her ability to become aroused.
This still does not explain why women fake orgasms. Logically, one would
assume that a woman would make her situation be known if she were not satisfied.
Otherwise, there is no reason for having sex other than strict reproduction. Kim Wallen
may have the answer. In her book, she writes, Very few women can climax through
intercourse alone, but in Hollywood, that 8 percent is portrayed as 100 percent.
(Dingfelder) This could mean that women are faking orgasms because of social
standard. When women watch movies and pornographic material in which the female
characters are almost always reaching orgasm, they may ask themselves why they
dont commonly reach climax. The answer they give themselves may likely be that there
is something wrong with them. A doctoral student from Temple University conducted a
study in order to find out, for sure, what the reasoning was. She found that most women

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actually had a reason that had nothing to do with themselves, however. In fact, these
women stated that they actually faked orgasms in order to spare their partners feelings.
(Dingfelder) This has psychological implications concerning the inability to have orgasm.
If the women are of the state of mind to fake orgasms, they likely have, at some point
during sex, become preoccupied with the idea that they will not be having an orgasm
during this bout of intercourse. As such, the question arises as to whether this
preoccupation with their partners feelings could, in fact, be the partial cause of their
inability to reach climax. The implication here is that woman, much like men, create a
cycle of sexual deficiency for themselves by allowing their anxieties to affect their sexual
gratification.
Even more interesting is the fact that this method of cyclic deficiency is not
respective to women. Men also fake orgasms. A psychology professor at the University
of Kansas performed a study on men. She found some interesting results:
When men pretended orgasm, it was often because they saw no other way for
sex to end, she says. In response to the question about what would have
happened had he not pretended, one man wrote, I would probably be going to
this day! (Dingfelder)
Such results help to shed light on the reason behind our cyclic issues. If this
study is to be believed, the cycles may, as previously hinted, intersect. Men are
attempting to please the women because they feel that there is a challenge to their
performance if their partner does not achieve climax. Women are concerned with their
partners emotional well-being, while also being concerned with their own lack of sexual
gratification, which inhibits their performance. If both parties are too inhibited to perform

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properly, this could potentially mean a pointless writhing of bodies in the long-run. Given
such possible obstacles, a logical amendment to current practices would be a dedicated
honesty technique. For example, partners could take a dedicated moment in order to
discuss the realities of their sexual situations. Women could convey to their partner the
measurements of their arousal and gratification so that their partner can understand the
problem and work toward a solution, such as manual or oral stimulation. Men should do
the same, while also discussing any issues they have with arousal. As was discussed in
Bensons article, men who were challenged and able to focus on the problem were able
to effectively solve it. Also, those who have stimulation issues can feel more comfortable
introducing new elements into the relationship. Instead of attempting the same
techniques for arousal, men could potentially find new ones that work more effectively
or at least understand their issues more thoroughly. When they can do this, they might
find that the issue is medical and not psychological. In any case, honesty and
communication is key to successful sexual stimulation in a relationship.
In conclusion, the research presented here clearly shows that psychology has a
direct effect on sex and sexual stimulation. As such, those who find themselves having
issues should work to understand their emotions in order to achieve maximum pleasure
while having sex. Furthermore, partners should not take each others sexual
deficiencies as personal commentaries as an immediate reaction. While some
deficiencies could be signs of a lack of acceptance, it could also be a sign of personal
turmoil. Therefore, the main conclusion to be drawn is that honesty must always play a
role in a sexual relationship.

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Works Cited
Au Benson, Etienne. "Sex: The Science of Sexual Arousal." Apa.org. American
Psychological Association, Apr. 2003. Web. 20 Nov. 2014.
Carpenter, Siri, and Karen Huffman. Visualizing Psychology. New York: John Wiley &
Sons, 2008. Print.
Dingfeldeer, Sadie F. "Understanding Orgasm." www.apa.org. Apr. 2011. Web. 20 Nov.
2014.
Portner, Martin. "The Orgasmic Mind: The Neurological Roots of Sexual Pleasure."
Scientific American. Scientific American Global, 3 Apr. 2008. Web. 28 Nov. 2014.
Timmers, Amanda D., and Meredith L. Chivers. "Sociosexuality and Sexual Arousal."
Journal. Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection. EBSCO, n.d.
Database. 20 Nov. 2014.