Functional and Dysfunctional Sexual Behavior: A Synthesis of Neuroscience and Comparative Psychology
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Table of contents
- Copyright Pageiv
- Contentsv
- Prefacexi
- Introductionxv
- Chapter 1 On the purpose of sex and some notes on scientific explanations1
- 1 On the definition of sexual behavior1
- 2 The relationship between biological function and the causation of behavior3
- 2.1 Teleology3
- 2.2 Cause–effect relationships6
- 3 The coincidence between Darwinian and Judæo-Christian views on human sexual behavior10
- 3.1 The biological analysis of sexual behavior in the context of evolution and natural selection10
- 3.2 Saint Augustine and sex: the poena reciproca and the role of love13
- 4 If sex is not for reproduction, what is it for?18
- 5 The high cost of the imposed association between sexual behavior and reproduction19
- 6 Differences and similarities between sex and other primary needs like food and drink22
- Chapter 2 An incentive motivational framework and the description of sexual behaviors30
- 1 Sexual motivation: theoretical framework30
- 2 Copulatory behaviors35
- 2.1 On the importance of the distinction between approach behaviors and the execution of copulatory36
- 2.2 Male copulatory behavior39
- 2.3 Female copulatory behavior47
- 2.4 Copulatory behavior in men and women54
- 2.5 The relationship between sexual desire (motivation) and excitation (arousal)68
- Chapter 3 The stimulus control of sexual incentive motivation: non-human mammals77
- 1 Introduction77
- 2 Detection of a potential mate and the activation of sexual incentive motivation: behavioral consid78
- 2.1 The incentive stimulus78
- 2.2 Auditory sexual incentive stimuli in rats and mice81
- 2.3 Conclusions concerning auditory sexual incentive stimuli (ultrasonic vocalizations) in rodents99
- 3 Olfactory sexual incentive stimuli104
- 3.1 The accessory olfactory system105
- 3.2 The main olfactory system120
- 3.3 Other potentially chemosensitive structures in the nose128
- 4 Visual incentive stimuli131
- 5 General conclusion concerning sexual incentive stimuli in non-human animals133
- Chapter 4 The stimulus control of sexual incentive motivation: the human147
- 1 Introduction147
- 2 Human sexual incentive stimuli: visceral reactions152
- 2.1 General comments152
- 2.2 Endocrine responses to sexual incentives153
- 2.3 Enhanced genital blood flow154
- 3 Human sexual incentive stimuli: approach behaviors160
- 3.1 Visual incentive stimuli160
- 3.2 Chemicals as human sexual incentives162
- 4 Human sexual incentives outside of the laboratory171
- 4.1 General171
- 4.2 Dorothy Tennov's concept of limerence as an approximation to sexual incentive motivation172
- 4.3 Human sexual incentives and social learning174
- 5 An unkind note on sociobiology or evolutionary psychology178
- Chapter 5 Endocrine control of sexual behavior191
- 1 Males191
- 1.1 The importance of testicular hormones in men191
- 1.2 The importance of testicular hormones in non-human males195
- 1.3 The role of testosterone metabolites in non-human males196
- 1.4 The role of aromatization in men198
- 1.5 Conclusion concerning the role of aromatization200
- 1.6 Studies on knockout mice200
- 1.7 Studies on men with spontaneous gene deletions204
- 1.8 Conclusions concerning the hormonal control of male sexual behavior206
- 2 Females207
- 2.1 The role of ovarian hormones in non-primate female mammals207
- 2.2 The role of ovarian and adrenal hormones in female primates209
- 2.3 Hormones and sexual behavior in women214
- 2.4 Variations in women's sexual behavior during the menstrual cycle216
- 2.5 Changes in women's sexual behavior at menopause218
- 2.6 The role of androgens in women219
- 3 General conclusion221
- Chapter 6 Neural control of sexual behavior231
- 1 The male231
- 1.1 Introduction231
- 1.2 The medial preoptic area: motivation or execution232
- 1.3 A note on lordosis in male rats and the influence of the medial preoptic area and of the ventrom233
- 1.4 The potential role of the prefrontal cortex234
- 1.5 Effects of other brain lesions on male sexual behavior235
- 1.6 A comment on the importance of lesion size236
- 1.7 Indirect estimations of nervous activity in association with sexual behavior236
- 2 The female239
- 2.1 Introduction239
- 2.2 The ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus240
- 2.3 The preoptic area242
- 2.4 On the importance of other brain sites inferred from studies of copulation-induced brain activat243
- 2.5 Conclusion concerning the neural control of female sexual behavior in non-human mammals245
- 2.6 A reciprocal inhibitory relationship between the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus and th246
- 2.7 Central nervous control of sexual behavior in the human female247
- 3 General conclusion249
- Chapter 7 Learning and sex: Sexual activity as reinforcement and reward257
- 1 An ultrashort introduction to the principles of learning257
- 2 Habituation of sexual responses260
- 2.1 Studies in non-human mammals260
- 2.2 Studies in humans264
- 2.3 A note on habituation in long-term relationships265
- 3 Sensitization of sexual responses267
- 4 Classical conditioning of sexual responses269
- 4.1 Non-human studies269
- 4.2 Human studies272
- 5 Sexual activity as reinforcement for operant learning275
- 5.1 Studies in non-human mammals275
- 5.2 Studies in humans282
- 6 Social learning of sexual responses282
- 7 Conclusions regarding sexual responses and learning284
- 8 The sexual reward285
- 8.1 The positive affect: behavioral data285
- 8.2 The positive affect: neurotransmitters288
- 9 General conclusion291
- Chapter 8 Preference for same sex partners: Basic concepts and its occurrence in non-human mammals298
- 1 Concepts298
- 1.1 The concept of preference298
- 1.2 The concept of homosexual behavior: a source of much confusion299
- 1.3 Another confusing concept: sexually dimorphic behaviors300
- 1.4 Preferences for sexual motor patterns304
- 1.5 Beyond dimorphisms and homosexual behaviors306
- 2 Preference for a particular sex: non-human mammals306
- 2.1 Introduction306
- 2.2 Studies in intact mammals307
- 2.3 Search for experimentally induced same-sex preferences317
- 2.4 Endocrine events during puberty and their possible importance for sexual preferences330
- Chapter 9 Preference for same sex partners in the human336
- 1 The search for a biological foundation for preferences for the same sex336
- 1.1 The homosexual gene337
- 1.2 The homosexual brain340
- 1.3 The homosexual scalp and hand343
- 2 Preference versus orientation: the role of will and other issues345
- 3 Acceptability of same-sex behaviors and the role of willfulness349
- 4 Problems with the use of the concept of homosexuality and the category of homosexual in scientific352
- 4.1 Uncertainties associated with classification and the notion of stability352
- 4.2 Homosexual behaviors: a lesson from history and some observational data pertinent to the issues354
- 5 Sexual preferences can be explained by incentive motivation theory without any reference to the co359
- 6 Empirical support for an explanation of same-sex preferences in incentive motivational terms362
- 7 The human is not simply another mammal373
- 8 A note on homosexual identity375
- Chapter 10 Some comments on the concepts of 'normal' or 'functional' sexual behavior380
- 1 Introduction380
- 2 The notion of normal versus abnormal380
- 3 Sexual function and dysfunction386
- 4 A short note on non-human mammals389
- Chapter 11 Hypoactive sexual desire disorder392
- 1 Introduction392
- 2 Diagnostic criteria393
- 3 Epidemiology395
- 4 Etiology397
- 4.1 General397
- 4.2 An incentive motivation/learning account of the origin of hypoactive sexual desire disorder399
- 4.3 Some rat data supporting the incentive motivation/learning model and a note on the relationship401
- 4.4 Potential endocrine causes of hypoactive sexual desire disorder405
- 4.5 Other potential causes407
- 4.6 A curious observation of some consequence408
- 4.7 Conclusion409
- 5 Treatment409
- 5.1 Psychotherapeutic procedures409
- 5.2 Pharmacological treatments414
- 6 General conclusion concerning hypoactive sexual desire disorder421
- Chapter 12 Hyperactive sexual desire and the paraphilias430
- 1 Introduction430
- 2 Hyperactive sexual desire431
- 2.1 The search for diagnostic criteria431
- 2.2 A proposal for diagnostic criteria437
- 2.3 Epidemiology and etiology438
- 2.4 Treatment443
- 3 The paraphilias444
- 3.1 General444
- 3.2 Exhibitionism444
- 3.3 Fetishism453
- 3.4 Pedophilia458
- 4 General conclusion468
- Chapter 13 On the omissions476
- Index481
- A481
- B481
- C481
- D482
- E482
- F482
- G482
- H483
- I483
- K484
- L484
- M484
- N484
- O485
- P485
- R486
- S486
- T488
- U488
- V488
- W489
This book explores the full consequences of the dissociation between sexual behaviors and reproduction. Among the themes covered is the difference between the stereotyped sexual behaviors in non-human mammals and the astounding variety of human sexual behaviors. The role of learning in shaping sexual behaviors is explained, and it is shown how particular sexual experiences may be at the origin of common human sexual dysfunctions. Chapters on sexual incentives and a summary of the endocrine and central nervous control of sexual behaviors are included.
• Analyzes the origin and foundations of some of the myths surrounding sexual behaviors
• Highlights how learning shape human sexual behaviors
• Provides an overview of the endocrine and neural regulation of mammalian sexual behaviors
• Presents a comprehensive analysis of human sexual desire disorders
• Employs many entertaining examples for illustrating main points
• Written by a scientist thoroughly familiar with the research literature
• Presents examples of translational sex research
• Analyzes the origin and foundations of some of the myths surrounding sexual behaviors
• Highlights how learning shape human sexual behaviors
• Provides an overview of the endocrine and neural regulation of mammalian sexual behaviors
• Presents a comprehensive analysis of human sexual desire disorders
• Employs many entertaining examples for illustrating main points
• Written by a scientist thoroughly familiar with the research literature
• Presents examples of translational sex research