Psychology of sex - Total No. of Records in System :: 2032

MARRIAGEa significant commentary that, of those who believed sexintercourse unnecessary for health, 59.5 more than halfpracticed masturbation. It may not be surprising thatof those who replied affirmatively a larger proportionIt is(76.0 per cent.) acknowledged the same practice.natural to find that of those answering affirmatively alarger proportion than in the negative group had knowledgeof sexual intercourse.Those who belittle the difficulties of sexual abstinencemay do well to consider the experience of the early Christianascetics in the desert, as described, for instance, inthe Paradise of Palladius. These men were vigorous andresolute, they were wholeheartedlydevoted to the idealsof asceticism, they were living under the best possiblecircumstances for cultivating such ideals, and their regimewas austere to a degree that is for us impossible andalmost inconceivable. Yet there was nothing that troubledthem so much as sexual temptation, and thistrouble tosome degree persisted throughout life.It may be added that another fact should warn usagainst any facile acceptance of mere platitudesin dealingwith this question. I refer to the fact that, puttingaside altogether the experiences of ancient ascetics andcoming down to the present day, all careful investigationshows that the proportion of persons, even among physicians,who really live continuously in true sexual abstinence,that is without any manifestation of sexual activity,is really very small.* It is only considerable whenwe leave out of account the imperfect forms of normalsexual gratification involved in flirting, etc., the abnormal*Meirowsky of Cologne, by inquiries among eighty-six physicians,found that only one had never had sexual intercourse before marriage,In English speaking lands the proportion may well be smaller, but onthe other hand the proportion adoptingauto-erotic practices probablylarger.[261]