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

PSYCHOLOGY OF SEXThere seems to be little doubt that an intimate relationexists, both in men and women, between the olfactorymucous membrane of the nose and the whole genitalapparatus, that they frequently show a sympathetic action,that influences acting on the genital sphere will affect thenose occasionally, influences acting on the nose reflexlyaffect the genital sphere.In a few exceptional, but still quite normal, peoplesmell would appear to possess an emotional predominancewhich it cannot be said to possessin the average person.These exceptional people are what Binet in his study ofsexual fetishism called olfactive type; such persons forma group which, though of smaller size and less importance,is fairly comparable to the well-known groups of visualtype, of auditory type, and of psycho-motor type. Suchpeople would be more attentive to odors, more moved byolfactory sympathies and antipathies, than are otherpeople. The term "ozolagny" was devised by Kiernan forsexual gratification derived from the sense of smell. Manywomen who may be considered normal are sexually excitable(occasionally even to the point of orgasm) byspecial odors, as of the general body odor of a belovedman (sometimes when blended with that of tobacco) orand are some-of leather (which is ultimately a skin odor)times overcome by a sudden almost hallucinatory recollectionof the body odor of a lover.Even in ordinary normal persons, personal odor tendsto play a not inconsiderable part in sexual attractions andsexual repulsions. This is sometimes termed "olfactionism."The comparative bluntness of the sense of smellin Man, however, makes it difficult for olfactory influencesto be felt, as a rule, until the preliminaries of courtshipare already over; so that smell cannot normally possessthe same significance in sexual attraction in Man that it[54]