Gunter Schmidt

Sex differences in responses to psychosexual stimulation by films and slides

In a previous publication we reported on the emotional and physiological-sexual reactions as well as the changes in sexual behavior in men and women when they were confronted with sexual thematic slides (Sigusch, 1970). In contrast to the data of Kinsey (1953), we found relatively few sex-specific differences for the variables we covered. We were not able to establish any sex differences at all for physiological-sexual reactions during the showing of the pictures and for changes in sexual behavior in the 24 hours after the experiment. In this report, too, emotional and physio-sexual behavior will be described, with a special view on sex specific differences. This time, however, we are using a different set of stimuli, namely films and slides that show petting and coitus. In addition, more variables are isolated and examined.

Responses to reading erotic stories: male-female differences.

In individual sessions, 120 female and 120 male students read one of two stories in which the sexual experience of a young couple was described. The stories differed in the degree to which affection was expressed. The results were as follows: (1) On the average, the stories were rated as “moderately sexually arousing.” (2) The emotional reactions during and to a lesser degree in the 24 hr after the experiment may be described as general activation, an increase of emotional instability, and avoidance reactions. (3) Most of the subjects registered sexual-physiological reactions in the genital region during the experiment. (4) In the 24 hr period following the experiment, there was a slight to moderate activation of sexual behavior, sexual fantasy, and sexual drive. (5) With reference to all measured responses, only slight sex differences were found. Compared to men, women displayed significantly less emotional activation and significantly greater emotional instability and avoidance. Coital activity and sexual drive were significantly more increased among women than among men during the 24 hr following the experiment. (6) The type of story has only a very slight influence on the measured responses. This is true for both men and women.

Changes in sex differences in sexual behavior: A replication of a study on West German students (1966–1981)

In 1966, at the start of the student movement and the sexual liberalization process, we studied the sexual behavior and attitudes of 3,666 male and female students from 12 West German universities by mailed questionnaires. In 1981 we replicated this study with 1,922 students from 13 universities (10 the same as 1966, 3 founded after 1966). In both studies the students were selected at random. Results of these comparative studies are presented with a view to the changes in sex differences. Sex differences in masturbation behavior have considerably decreased since 1966; masturbation is nonetheless still the form of sexual behavior with the most striking differences between the sexes. The sex differences in coital behavior are now reversed, female students being earlier and more active than males. As regards the tendency to change partners or for sexual relations outside a steady relationship, the differences between men and women have disappeared. In their attitudes to sexuality, female students in 1981 are somewhat more liberal than their male counterparts, whereas hardly any difference could be found in 1966. These changes in sex differences are observed in all subsamples, i.e., in young and old, in strictly religious and nonreligious students, and in students from both upper- and lower-class backgrounds (educational level of parents).

Changes in adolescents' sexuality between 1970 and 1990 in West-Germany.

Based on two studies (using semistructured interviews) of 16- and 17-year-old West German urban adolescents, the first in 1970N * 602) and the second in 1990 (N * 415), this paper traces the changes in young peoples sexual behavior and attitudes during the past two decades: (i) The marked trend in the 1960s towards having coitus and petting at an ever earlier age does not seem to have continued; the changes noted in the incidence of heterosexual experiences since 1970 are minimal. (ii) Boys feel themselves less at the mercy of their sexual urges than they used to and tend to link sexuality with love and a steady relationship more than they did 20 years ago; there was a similar though less pronounced change among girls. (iii) Girls now get less pleasure and satisfaction out of sexual encounters, and in heterosexual situations take the initiative and control more than they used to. (iv) There is no evidence that the problem HIV/AIDs had a marked influence on the changes described. Results of the comparative studies are discussed in the context of current developments in man/woman relationships and the debate on gender issues.

Changes in sexual behavior among young males and females between 1960-1970.

On the basis of results of three West German sex surveys of a total of 4568 men and women born between 1936–1954, an analysis is made of the changes in youth sexuality in the 60s. Comparisons were made for boys and girls of high educational level (school attendance 13 years or more) and low educational level (school attendance 9 years or less). The following results were found: (1) The age at first masturbation for boys of both educational levels dropped only slightly; for girls of high educational level, the age dropped markedly during the last decade; there was no change among girls of low educational level. (2) The age at first coitus decreased markedly. This is especially true for the moreeducated boys and girls. (3) The age level at which sociosexual activities are started (dating, kissing, petting) decreased markedly among the less-educated boys and girls. (No data are available for more-educated boys and girls.) (4) These changes in behavior do not correspond to any radical change in sexual standards or sexual philosophy. (5) The ability to experience the first coitus positively and free from conflict increased in the less-educated groups. (No data are available for more-educated boys and girls.)

Psychosurgery of sexually deviant patients: Review and analysis of new empirical findings

From 1962 to 1979, 74 men and one woman considered sexually abnormal have received surgical hypothalamotomies in the Federal Republic of Germany. This paper reviews the neurophysiological assumptions behind the surgery, the criteria for surgery, and the effects and side effects of surgery as far as has been documented by medical, psychiatric, psychological, sexual, and social data. The neurophysiological bases for hypothalamotomies on humans with deviant sexual behavior appear dubious, the indications make use of questionable scientific and clinical categories and assumptions, few reliable data have been submitted for side effects, and follow-up studies are based on poor methodology. Restrictive regulations against this type of “experimental therapy” are suggested.

Adolescent exposure to pornography and relationship intimacy in young adulthood

The hypothesis on the role of exposure to pornography during adolescence in predicting intimacy among young adults was tested using a sample of 544 Croatian college students (aged 18–25 years) who were surveyed online. Respondents provided information about pornography use at ages 14 and 17, perceived realism of pornographic depictions of sexual activities, attitudes towards recreational sex and relationship intimacy. Significant gender differences in pornography exposure, perceived realism of pornographic contents and attitudes towards recreational sex were found. No direct relationship was found between adolescent exposure to pornography and relationship intimacy in young adulthood. As hypothesised, the realism of pornography was related both to exposure and intimacy, but only among female participants. Furthermore, the association between the appraisal of pornographic realism and intimacy was shown to be mediated by attitudes towards recreational sex. In light of contemporary concerns over the normalisation of pornography use, particularly among young people, our findings do not support the view that adolescent exposure to sexually explicit materials is a determinant of relationship intimacy among young Croatian adults.

The outcome of couple therapy for sexual dysfunctions using three different formats

Couples suffering from sexual dysfunctions were treated using three different formats: 1) two therapists, long-term; 2) one therapist, long-term; and 3) two therapists, intensive. The analysis of outcome data showed no significant differences between one vs. two therapists. There was a slight trend for better results from long-term as compared to the intensive therapy. These differences, however, were no longer evident at one-year follow-up. It is concluded that the success of couple therapy is rather independent of the format. Recommendations are made for a differential indication for the three formats.

Patterns of Masturbatory Behaviour

Abstract In 1966, 1981 and 1996 the Department of Sex Research at Hamburg University, Germany, carried out three surveys into the sexual behavior of university students. Taken as a longitudinal study they provide information on the social history of sexuality over the past three decades for well-educated young adults (20 to 30 years old) in Germany. The samples consist of 8,641 men and women. In this paper data from the studies is analyzed under two aspects: 1. Shifts in masturbatory behavior 1966–1981–1996. Men and especially women begin to masturbate considerably earlier than used to be in the eighties, not to mention in the sixties. As a consequence, most young women nowadays have already experienced masturbation when having their first heterosexual intercoursethus following a pattern of sexual socialization that traditionally was typical for boys. In addition, in 1996, more students of both sexes had masturbated in the year preceding the investigation. The more relevant point is, however, that young adults (according to active incidence during the last 12 months) now masturbate almost irrespective of whether they have intercourse often or rarely, whether they are singles or live in a steady relationship or whether or not they are satisfied with their current relationship. So masturbation peacefully coexists with sex between partners and a loving relationship more often than it did in 1981 and 1966. 2. Masturbation in steady relationships, 1996. A detailed analysis of masturbation frequencies during the last four weeks also shows small differences between students who live in a sexually satisfying relationship and those without relationship. Only a minority feels the need to justify masturbation on the grounds that they lack sex with their partner. Three-quarters expressly state that masturbation is a form of sex in its own right and, therefore, does not interfere with partner sex. Furthermore, there is a tendency that students living in steady relationships experience masturbation slightly more positively than those living alone.

Lower-class sexuality: Some emotional and social aspects in West German males and females

Emotional and social aspects of lower-class sexuality in West Germany are examined on the basis of results of interviews with 150 male and 150 female, single, 20–21-year-old, unskilled or semi-skilled workers from six large cities. Particular attention was given to the relation between sexuality and love, the significance of fidelity and virginity, partner mobility, mutuality of sexual relations, attitudes to marriage and family, double standards and gender roles, emotional reactions to coitus, as well as the experience of orgasm in the female. A comparison between American and Scandinavian patterns of lower-class sexuality shows that the West German pattern is largely congruent with the Scandinavian pattern.