Masturbation as a Means of Achieving Sexual Health, Article Critique Example

Summary Statement

This article by Dr. Eli Coleman, professor of Human Sexuality at the University of Minnesota Medical School, is divided into three main sections–1), the stigmatization of masturbation which despite all of the hard scientific evidence still remains condemned by many individuals and especially several major religions; 2), the challenges facing sexologists or those who study the various complexities of human sexuality and who continue to attempt to eliminate myths and negative attitudes concerning masturbation; and 3), the need for additional research in relation to understanding differences in masturbatory attitudes, fantasy and masturbation, sexuality education, and public health. The article concludes by emphasizing the “positive power of masturbation” and the need to minimize the negative aspects of this controversial topic in human sexuality (Coleman, 1999, p. 14).

Contributions

The main contribution found in this article related to sexuality and sex therapy is Coleman’s exploration on the challenges facing sexologists related to helping to eliminate many of the prevailing myths, misunderstandings, and negative attitudes and beliefs concerning masturbation. As Coleman points out, sexologists and sex therapists who see masturbation as a normal aspect of human sexual functioning continue to conduct research via clinical studies and community health initiatives in order to normalize masturbation as a common method of achieving sexual pleasure (1999, p. 8). However, in 1999 when Coleman presented this article as a paper to the Annual Meeting of the Midcontinent Region of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality, professional literature on de-stigmatizing masturbation was scant as were clinical studies based on examining the efficacy of masturbation as a way to “promote joy, satisfaction, and pride” in those who practice it (1999, p. 8).

Limitations

Unlike other research articles that one might find in a scientific journal, this article does not contain a methodology section which usually contains a study sample, how the data was collected, and some type of assessment; a results and/or findings section; nor a discussion section which usually explains the basic research question or hypothesis. But Coleman does include an abstract at the beginning and a simple introduction that examines past research on masturbation, such as by Kinsey who revealed that masturbation was a “common sexual activity and was apparently non-pathological” (1999, p. 6). Basically then, this article is more or less a broad examination on the connections between sexual health and masturbation and what in 1999 was being done by sex therapists and sexologists to help debunk many of the myths that surround masturbation as a form of self-pleasure and gratification.

However, Coleman does utilize a number of important sources as support for his observations. For example, in his introduction, Coleman cites the statistical findings of sex researchers from the early to mid 1990’s, such as Laumann, Gagnon, and Michael who discovered that in the U.S., “62% of men and 42% of the women reported that they had masturbated in the preceding year, and  Leitenberg, Greenwlad and Tarran who came to realize that the “perceived ill-health effects of masturbation are mostly based upon ancient religious orthodoxy and mythology” (1999, p. 6).

Overall, it appears that the main goal of Coleman as an expert in human sexuality is to provide the reader with a basic overview on masturbation and human sexual health. Although not mentioned anywhere in this article, it seems that “Masturbation as a Means of Achieving Sexual Health” was part of a larger book with the exact same title, published by the Haworth Press in 2002. The book’s editor, Walter O. Bockting, points out that Coleman’s article which opens the book is basically a “synthesis that (Coleman) provided at the conclusion of the conference” in 1999. Bockting adds that this article is more or less a thesis on masturbation as a “critical component in the development of sexual health” which Coleman supports with many examples taken from numerous studies and clinical trials from the 1990’s (2002, p. 2).

Because this article is basically a thesis summary of the topic, it leaves much to be desired on the part of the reader, especially if the reader happens to be well-versed in the complexities of human sexuality. For instance, in the section “Masturbation Remains Stigmatized,” Coleman only briefly discusses how many of today’s religions, such as Islam and Christianity, continue to criticize if not outright condemn the practice of masturbation. It would have been more appropriate to have added a bit here in relation to why masturbation is viewed with such contempt and disgust by religious persons and the church, particularly the Roman Catholic Church. As noted by Grace Mackinnon, 1975’s church-issued Declaration on Certain Problems of Sexual Ethics maintains that masturbation is an “intrinsically and gravely disordered action” and that solitary sex “contradicts the meaning of human sexuality” in regards to the sexual relationship between a husband and his wife (2004).

Also, in his conclusion, Coleman only mentions the need for further research on “enjoying the positive power of masturbation and minimizing (its) negative aspects” (1999, p. 14). He also fails to elaborate on the research questions (or more precisely, a series of simple questions related to the sexual benefits of masturbation) which he proposes in this article. However, Coleman does inform the reader that he hopes what he has provided helps to stimulate further research on the topic of masturbation and how to influences, both positively and negatively, the sexual health of human beings.

In essence then, this article serves as a basic foundation for further exploring the fascinating world of masturbation which Coleman describes as possessing “the power to produce pleasure and healthy sexuality” and to “induce guilt and shame and sexual pathology” (1999, p. 14). Certainly, this article does help to enhance and explain not only the intricacies of human sexuality but also how masturbation fits into the larger research picture as a topic of great interest to both scholars and students.

It must be remembered that this article was written as an introduction to a larger body of work and that Coleman presented it as the closing remarks at the Annual Meeting of the Midcontinent Region of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality in 1999. This fact explains why Coleman has seemingly brushed over so many important aspects of masturbation and sexual health, such as the associations between the pathological disorders of paraphilia, being sexual arousal and gratification from non-sexual objects, and compulsive sexual behaviors like pedophilia and masturbation. This topic alone would certainly make for fascinating reading. Overall, Coleman’s article is well-written and well-researched and as a stand-alone introduction helps to open the door for more research on a subject that continues to be spoken of only in whispers, due to self-guilt and self-shame which Coleman sees as the remnants of mythology and misunderstanding.

References

Bockting, W. O. (2002). Masturbation as a Means of Achieving Sexual Health.  Binghamton, NY: Haworth Press, Inc.

Coleman, E. (1999). Masturbation as a means of achieving sexual health. Annual  Meeting of the Midcontinent Region of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality. The Haworth Press, Inc., 2002, 5-16.

MacKinnon, G. (2004). Masturbation: Mortal Sin? Retrieved from http://catholiceducation.org/articles/religion/re0706.html