Sex, Love, and Psychology – serie

This book exposes how a coalition of political, religious, and civic leaders are using the issue of sex to frighten, misinform, and bully Americans—paving the way for dramatic new public policies that are already restricting everyone's rights.Americans are more vulnerable today than ever to anxiety about sexual danger, to believing that their sexuality is not "normal" or moral, and to laws and public policies that restrict their rights, criminalize their consenting behavior, and confuse and miseducate their children. In the second edition of America's War on Sex: The Continuing Attack on Law, Lust, and Liberty, psychologist, sex therapist, and courtroom expert witness Marty Klein sets the record straight and uncovers how the "Sexual Disaster Industry" works—a powerful social and political propaganda machine that is supported by the very citizens it victimizes.This book analyzes eight "battlegrounds" in which America's War on Sex is being fought and examines how each one is the focus of an unrelenting struggle to regulate sexuality in direct contradiction to our Constitutional guarantees, scientific fact, and the needs of average Americans. Klein places these various attacks on our rights in historical context, explains how the money and political power are coordinated from the same sources, and shows how the Religious Right inflames Americans' anxiety about sexuality even as it proposes repressive schemes to reduce that anxiety. This book tackles a sensitive and volatile topic head-on, addressing how the political, social, historical, religious, and emotional issues surrounding public policy interfaces with sexuality as no other work has before.

Who will want me now? It's a heart-wrenching question for teenagers infected with HIV.The number of HIV/AIDS-infected teenagers in the United States is increasing. Nearly 35,000 U.S. teenagers now have AIDS. Far more have been diagnosed with HIV, and an undetermined number have the virus and do not yet know. Each year, some 1,700 young people aged 13 to 24 are diagnosed with the ravaging end result of this infection: AIDS.In this volume, experts who work with HIV/AIDS-infected teenagers examine the psychological and social fallout compounding the frightening medical issues faced by adolescents who've received the diagnosis. Readers share the challenge with teens as they face the stigma of HIV/AIDS and the tough decisions about who to tell of their infection and when to do it. We learn the hard truth about health care, self care, and new treatment options for affected teens. And we read about the heartbreaking end-of-life care issues for dying adolescents. Perhaps most important, the authors offer resources teens and their families can turn to for information and support. And they explain what family, friends, teachers, and other professionals can do to help infected teens maximize their mental health and their quality of life.

In a novel look at rock 'n' roll lyrics, psychologist Barry Farber highlights those that rise above the rest because they are not only clever, but also wise in their psychological themes and conclusions. These great lyrics embody enduring truths about topics as diverse as love, identity, money, sex, religion, aging, social justice, and the search for meaning. Join Farber in a fun and informative journey across rock 'n' roll history to see how we can learn about significant areas of life through the medium of psychologically wise rock 'n' roll lyrics.The Beatles meet Sigmund Freud. Bob Marley trades ideas with Carl Rogers, and Joni Mitchell shares thoughts with psychological great Erik Erikson. Those aren't actual face-to-face meetings, but a reflection of the fascinating interplay developed for this book by Barry Farber. In a novel look at rock 'n' roll lyrics, Columbia University professor Farber shows us those lyrics that rise above the rest because they are not only clever but also wise in their psychological themes and conclusions. These great lyrics embody enduring truths about topics as diverse as love, identity, money, sex, religion, aging, social justice, and the search for meaning. Join psychologist Farber in a fun and informative journey across rock 'n' roll history to see how we can learn about significant areas of life through the medium of psychologically wise rock 'n' roll lyrics.

People born with one gender's sexual organs who are drawn physically, psychologically, and spiritually to life as a member of the opposite gender, are more common than is generally realized. In this unprecedented book, Heath introduces the transsexual mindset, explaining how identity discord develops and what the most recent research shows about a potential biological basis. She details the history of transsexuality, the psychological, social, and family issues transsexuals face, and the associated legal and human rights issues. Diagrams depicting the major elements in Gender Reassignment Surgery are included, as are explanations of the physiological and psychological effects of hormone therapy and associated procedures for transsexuals, their outcomes, and potential complications. Appendices offer lists of support groups and other resources for transsexual men, women, and family members, a link to a list of surgeons worldwide performing GRS, and a glossary of terms.When the movie Transamerica—about a pre-operative man in the week before he became a woman—won two Golden Globe Awards and was nominated for an Academy Award in early 2006, cheers went up around the world from the real and growing transsexual community. In fact, people born with one gender's sexual organs who are drawn physically, psychologically, and spiritually to life as a member of the opposite gender, are more common than is generally realized. Gender reassignment surgery is being performed worldwide, from Beverly Hills to New York, and from Canada to England, Switzerland, Australia, Thailand and Hong Kong.In this unprecedented book, Professor Heath introduces the transsexual mindset, explaining how identity discord develops and what the most recent research shows about a potential biological basis. She details the history of transsexuality, the psychological, social, and family issues transsexuals face, and the associated legal and human rights issues. Diagrams depicting the major elements in Gender Reassignment Surgery are included, as are explanations of the physiological and psychological effects of hormone therapy and associated procedures for transsexuals, their outcomes, and potential complications. The book covers pioneers in gender reassignment such as sexologist Harry Benjamin, M.D., and famous transsexed people including Christine Jorgenson, who made headlines worldwide in 1952 and 1953. Appendices offer lists of support groups and other resources for transsexual men, women, and family members, a link to a list of surgeons worldwide performing GRS, a glossary of transsexed terms, and a summary of the Harry Benjamin Gender Dysphoria Association, the largest international organization focused on transsexuality.

As a psychotherapist who focuses on working with the issues that challenge midlife and older men, Robert Schwalbe feels that the 60s and beyond can be the most rewarding or the most miserable period in a man's life. An aging male baby boomer looking at 60 encounters very specific psychological and physical changes. The impact of these changes can be felt in relationship to others and in how a man sees himself in his world. Does he continue to fit in? In particular, how a man adapts to being in his 60s is an indicator of how he feels about living the rest of his life. Dr. Schwalbe knows from personal experience, as well as from his patients, the challenges produced by anxiety and depression in dealing with aging in a youth-oriented society. He looks at competition in the gym, sports field, financial and business arena, the political world to the social and sexual world and urges men to adapt to the outside forces. The key is in the expectations and how to recognize and plan for them. Candid and straightforward talk with vignettes drawn from Dr. Schwalbe's practice illustrate problems and solutions related to marriage, relationships, career, retirement (don't, he urges), divorce, death of a partner, fitness, nutrition, sexual behavior, dealing with adult children, lifestyle changes, financial planning, ageism, and many other topics.Schwalbe presents a heart-felt and therapeutically tested guide to keeping things in perspective in order to maintain self confidence and self esteem. Most importantly, this book is directed to the aging male baby boomer (and to those who love him, know him, or live with him). It tells him that he is not alone and that the intimate thoughts that he has about his aging body and mind are shared by millions of men who are in their 60s and are dealing with their new age.

Through classic, new, and emerging research, with statements from experts and interviews with Chronic Pelvic Pain (CPP) sufferers and their partners and spouses, Secret Suffering: How Women's Sexual and Pelvic Pain Affects Their Relationships exposes and gives strong voice and compassionate understanding to this complex disorder.Secret Suffering: How Women's Sexual and Pelvic Pain Affects Their Relationships is the first book to explain how pelvic and sexual pain affects the lives of women (and men) and their partners in their own words/ The work also provides information on cutting-edge research and describes the most effective treatment modalities. Susan Bilheimer, coauthor, shares her own experiences as a patient who has gone down the painful, frustrating road of living with an illness that is often dismissed and not taken seriously. Robert J. Echenberg, M.D., coauthor, has treated over 700 women (and some men) with the disorder. He shares his decades of experience and expertise as a gynecologist and specialist in the treatment of chronic pelvic pain.Not only does CPP interfere with a woman's physical and mental health, it can wreak havoc in family relationships, ruin careers, and wreck marriages. In the majority of cases, women suffer in silence. Even when they do seek medical help, what they find too often is inadequate care, as most doctors, even gynecological specialists, are not properly trained in recognizing, much less treating, all aspects of CPP.Through classic, new, and emerging research, with statements from experts and interviews with CPP sufferers and their partners, Secret Suffering exposes and gives strong voice and compassionate understanding to this complex disorder. Most importantly, information on effective treatments for CPP, as well as the depression and other psychological fallout it may cause, are presented. Through Secret Suffering, Bilheimer and Echenberg finally shatter the silence, educate patients, build understanding, and demand that chronic pelvic and genital pain be taken seriously by the medical community.

Sexuality is much more than sex; it is the embodiment of how we perceive our sexual selves and encompasses past experiences, attitudes, values, as well as the meanings that we have constructed throughout our lives about our sexual behavior. It is integral to healthy human functioning, and it can be severely affected whenever a person becomes the victim of illness or injury. This book describes how illness and injury impact sexual functioning. From cancer to diabetes, hysterectomy to injury, from mental illness to combat injury, the author covers a wide variety of illness and disease that can directly impact sexuality. Based on cutting edge research, current practice in this area by leading sex therapists and experts, the author provides readers with a guide to how illness and disease can affect sexual functioning and how victims can handle the various issues involved. Case studies, quotes from patients, and tips and solutions for problems encountered in all aspects of sexual functioning are included throughout.Until now, a comprehensive overview of the challenges to sexuality from illness and injury was not available. This book explains the reasons why illness and injury affect sexuality. This information alone will help many people who are experiencing problems in their sex lives as a result of the illness itself or the treatments for it. It also presents suggestions for how people can help themselves to solve their problems. Helpful resources are included at the end of each chapter for further information and help. Each chapter contains stories of people who have experienced sexual problems as a result of illness or injury and many readers will see themselves in these examples. Just knowing that other people have the same sorts of problems may be a comfort. In addition, the information and explanations in the book can be helpful in starting a conversation with health care providers about problems in sexual functioning. Readers will come away with a better understanding of how they can cultivate sexuality during and after battling illness and injury.

Experts address key issues—from attitudes and behaviors to harassment and homophobia—related to sexuality among college students.With essays by a wide range of knowledgeable contributors, Sex in College: The Things They Don't Write Home About draws on recent research to examine just about every aspect of its intriguing subject. The book begins with general chapters that offer historical, cross-cultural, and theoretical perspectives on college students' sexual attitudes and behaviors. One chapter offers a framework for understanding the unique developmental perspective of young adults. Another chapter explores the research methods used to study college students' sexual practices.Subsequent chapters cover: dating and intimacy on campus, the perspective of young adults about love, sexuality education and classes, and sexual orientation. The darker side of college sexuality is also examined in chapters centering on such topics as infidelity in college dating relationships, homophobia and sexual harassment on campus, sexual risk-taking and sexually transmitted infections, sexual problems and dysfunction among young adults, and sexual assault among college students.

Offering a new perspective on male prostitution, In the Company of Men employs qualitative methodology to present a real-world view of the issues, both obvious and obscure, surrounding the world's "second-oldest profession."In the Company of Men: Inside the Lives of Male Prostitutes is the only book to document male prostitution from the perspective of a group of men working for a single male escort agency. The in-depth account goes behind the scenes to shed light on the very hidden world of Internet male escorts, their customers, and the niche they inhabit in modern American society. At the same time, it has much to tell us about post-modern identity, culture, and sexuality—and the transformative influence of the Internet on sexual behavior and male prostitution.Through numerous interviews, the book examines the sometimes-dichotomous relationship between the image men convey and the lengths to which they go in order to meet their most private needs. Readers travel down a cyber Sunset Boulevard to see what attracts young men to work as escorts, how an escort agency serves economic and personal goals, and how a community can evolve among the men involved.

This text provides a groundbreaking look at sexual instincts and offers a clinical psychologist's and sex therapist's insights and solutions to the challenges of monogamous relationships.Monogamous relationships are firmly embedded in the framework of our society, and yet the divorce rate and common failures of intimacy in long-term relationships challenges the efficacy of this paradigm. Oddly, the concept of monogamy has been virtually ignored by mental health professionals, while anthropologists, sociologists, biologists, and zoologists have researched and explored the topic.Monogamy: The Untold Story presents not only the scientific research about the challenges of monogamy, but also the practical solutions to overcome them. In part one, the author explores sexual instincts and monogamy from an anthropological, biological, psychological, and social perspective. Part two offers men and women a step-by-step guide to enhancing passion and strengthening their intimate bond by capitalizing on their natural sexual instincts.

A sex manual like no other, this book covers a variety of mental health problems and offers ways to overcome them when they threaten to undermine a loving relationship.Until now, the marketplace has offered little valuable information for couples in which one or both partners suffers from mental illness with resulting sexual problems. Sex, Love, and Mental Illness: A Couple's Guide to Staying Connected is for all of those couples. It will help both parties understand the effects of mental illness—and of the medications used to treat it—on sexual desire and performance and provide ways to maintain both physical and emotional intimacy.The first section of the book centers on common sexual concerns and loving someone with a mental disorder. The second addresses a wide range of mental disorders, their effects on relationships, and ways couples can work together to overcome those effects. Among the conditions covered are mood disorders; anxiety disorders; chronic pain; eating disorders; substance-related disorders; post traumatic stress; ADD; Asperger's Syndrome; and even severe mental illness, such as schizophrenia. The emphasis throughout is on each partner developing empathy and communication skills to enhance the sexual experience and preserve a healthy relationship.

This book offers a detailed road map for overcoming sexual and relationship impasses originating from painful childhood experiences.Large numbers of adults with histories of childhood trauma and neglect suffer persistent relationship and sexual difficulties. Unfortunately, most have failed to receive adequate help with emerging from these deep and complex problems.Coming Home to Passion: Restoring Loving Sexuality in Couples with Histories of Childhood Trauma and Neglect explores the enduring impacts—physiological, psychological, and behavioral—of childhood trauma and neglect. Author Ruth Cohn, drawing on 25 years of experience working with trauma survivors and their partners and families, lays out a practical and actionable course for recovery in clear, accessible language. This book provides direction and hope to those with trauma backgrounds while also serving as a unique resource for professional readers. Integrating in-depth information on attachment and relationship, trauma and neglect, and sexuality, Cohn details a practical, hands-on treatment approach for revitalizing love, health, and passion.

This book explains how the short-lived sexual revolution 50 years ago has led to the current evolution of our sexual values and behaviors and social standards among youth culture, examining topics such as communication technologies and sex, teen pregnancy, and divorce rates in the Bible Belt.Is an increase in sexual activity during adolescence a normal part of the transition to adulthood, or evidence of a societal problem? Why would conservative religious youth become sexually active earlier than their peers and be more likely to have an unintended pregnancy or sexually transmitted disease? How are women continuing to lead our society's sexual transformation?Written by an author whose 40-year career in sexology and university administration provides a uniquely qualified perspective upon both sex research and the changing sexual perceptions of American youth, this comprehensive book is must-read for both parents and policy makers. America's Sexual Transformation traces the philosophical, cultural, and scientific developments responsible for the beginning and end of America's sexual revolution that have now spawned a more substantive sexual transformation. It examines traditional theories and attitudes regarding sex, and demonstrates how the findings of sex research provide entirely new paradigms that should replace outmoded and harmful theories. This groundbreaking book also explains who we are as sexual individuals and how we got to be that way.

Authored by a sex therapist who regularly works with clients wanting to improve their relationships, this book explains how technology can create conflict or additional anxiety and discloses techniques to help individuals gain confidence or strengthen their personal relationships.The statistics are telling: 85 percent of all adults use the Internet; 88 percent use email; 91 percent own cell phones; 56 percent own smartphones; 73 percent send and receive text messages; and 67 percent use social networking sites. The advent of personal communication devices and ubiquitous connectivity has dramatically shifted the way we communicate, and as a result, the way we date and pursue relationships has changed. The share of 18- to 24-year-olds who use online dating has roughly tripled from 10 percent in 2013 to 27 percent today. Modern dating techniques and technology-enabled interpersonal communication have resulted in very distinct emotional side effects.Dating and Mating in a Techno-Driven World explores dating in our 21st-century world with a unique approach, providing understandable information for anyone who is dating or seeking a long-term relationship while also serving as a clinical guide for therapists who want to learn how to treat individuals and especially couples presenting with some sort of issue related to technology. Instead of simply offering an analysis of the trends that are occurring, author Rachel Hoffman addresses the interpersonal problems and conflicts that result from digital or remote communication and "courting" and explains how to treat them. The topics addressed include utilizing dating apps, the effects of social media on relationships, and how technology can be distracting in relationships. Each chapter of the book supplies a case study or vignette, an analysis of the situation, research findings related to the topic, and clinical information that identifies the implications for therapists working with individuals or couples with a similar experience.

A psychologist specializing in couples therapy provides an honest and compassionate guide to dealing with a spouse's or partner's love affair, from the one-night stand to the grand amour.As a result of innovative technologies and a globalized world, temptation and opportunity often intersect, allowing infidelity to increasingly create problems between spouses, partners, and other couplings in which at least one person expects exclusive intimacy. In this timely work, noted couples therapist Joel Block examines the challenges of affairs, including types of affairs; their motivations and effects; and how to repair and improve a relationship, or part ways, after an affair. Questions addressed include: "What is the motivation?", "Is it a result of deep dissatisfaction? Or not a reflection of the relationship at all?", and "Can relationships be affair-proofed?" Providing vignettes from the author's therapy sessions to illustrate points, the book also explains how to respond to discovery; minimize disruption in the lives of children; and when separation or divorce is the chosen solution, understand new modes of "conscious de-coupling" that keep post-breakup life stable as well as satisfying. A lifeline for recovering from crisis, this text will interest general readers looking for advice to react to, cope with, or avoid infidelity, as well as students and professionals in the fields of psychology, counseling, and social work.