Sexology is the systematic study of human sexuality. It encompasses all aspects of sexuality, including attempting to characterise "normal sexuality" and its variants, including paraphilias. Human sexuality refers to the expression of sexual sensation and related emotional intimacy between human beings. ... Most cultures have social norms regarding sexuality. ... Paraphilia (in Greek para παρά = besides and -philia φιλία = love) is a mental health term recently used to indicate sexual arousal in response to sexual objects or situations which may interfere with the capacity for reciprocal affectionate sexual activity. ...

Modern sexology is a multidisciplinary field which uses the techniques of fields including biology, medicine, psychology, statistics, epidemiology, sociology and sometimes criminology to bear on its subject. It studies human sexual development and the development of sexual relationships as well as the mechanics of sexual intercourse and sexual malfunction. It also documents the sexuality of special groups, such as handicapped, children, and elderly, and studies sexual pathologies such as sex addiction and sexual abuse. Main article: Life There are many universal units and common processes that are fundamental to the known forms of life. ... Medicine on the Web NLM (National Library of Medicine, contains resources for patients and healthcare professionals) Virtual Hospital (digital health sciences library by the University of Iowa) Online Medical Dictionary Collection of links to free medical resources Categories: Medicine | Health ... Psychology (ancient Greek: psyche = soul. ... Statistics is a type of data analysis whose practice includes the planning, summarizing, and interpreting of observations of a system possibly followed by predicting or forecasting of future events based on a mathematical model of the system being observed. ... Epidemiology is the study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states or events in specified populations, and the application of this study to control of health problems (Last 2001). ... Social interactions of people and their consequences are the subject of sociology studies. ... Criminology is a sub-field of sociology dealing with matters related to crime and criminal behavior. ... Human sexuality is the expression of sexual feelings. ... An intimate relationship is a interpersonal relationship where there is a great deal of physical or emotional intimacy. ... A pair of lions copulating in the Maasai Mara, Kenya. ... Sexual problems, also called sexual dysfunction or sexual malfunction, are defined as difficulty during any stage of the sexual act (which includes desire, arousal, orgasm, and resolution) that prevents the individual or couple from enjoying sexual activity. ... Geriatric sexology is the systematic study of sexuality in the elderly. ... Sex Addiction is a state in which a person has a compulsive physiological and psychological need for habitual sexual activity. ... Sexual abuse is physical or psychological abuse or harm that involves sexual behavior. ...

Note that sexology is descriptive, not prescriptive: it attempts to document reality, not to prescribe what behavior is suitable, ethical, or moral. For this reason, sexology has often been the subject of controversy between supporters of sexology and those who believe that sexology pries into matters which they consider too private, too sacred, or too disgusting for scientific investigation.

History of the study of sex

A number of ancient sex manuals exist, including Ovid's Ars Amatoria, the Kama Sutra of Vatsyayana, the Ananga Ranga and The Perfumed Garden for the Soul's Recreation. However, none of these treated sex as the subject of a formal field of scientific or medical research. Sex manuals are books which explain how to perform sexual intercourse and other sexual practices. ... Engraved frontispiece of George Sandyss 1632 London edition of Publius Ovidus Naso, (Sulmona, March 20, 43 BC â€“ Tomis, now Constanta AD 17) Roman poet known to the English-speaking world as Ovid, wrote on topics of love, abandoned women, and mythological transformations. ... The Ars Amatoria (The Art of Love) is a series of three books by the Roman poet Ovid, the first two written about 1 BC to AD 1 and the third somewhat later. ... The Kama Sutra is an ancient Indian text on sex, widely considered to be the standard work on love in the Sanskrit literature. ... Vatsyayana is a scholar (Rishi) from India. ... The Ananga Ranga is an Indian love manual written around 1172 AD. It is aimed specifically at preventing the separation of a husband and wife. ... The Perfumed Garden by Sheikh Nefzaoui is a sex manual and work of erotic literature. ...

One of the earliest sex researchers prior to the 20th century sexology movement was Richard Freiherr von Krafft-Ebing, whose book Psychopathia Sexualis, published in 1886, recorded a dizzying array of sexual anomalies. (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... Richard Freiherr von Krafft-Ebing (August 4, 1840 – December 22, 1902), German / Austrian psychiatrist, wrote Psychopathia Sexualis (1886), a famous study of sexual perversity, and remains well-known for his coinage of the term sadism. ... Psychopathia Sexualis (Psychopathy of Sex) is the most famous work Richard Freiherr von Krafft-Ebing, first published in 1886. ... 1886 is a common year starting on Friday (click on link to calendar) // Events January 18 - Modern field hockey is born with the formation of The Hockey Association in England. ...

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Sigmund Freud developed a theory of sexuality based on his studies of his clients. Wilhelm Reich and Otto Gross, two scholars of Freud, conducted revolutionary studies around human sexuality. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Sigmund Freud Sigmund Freud (May 6, 1856 – September 23, 1939) was an Austrian psychiatrist and the founder of the psychoanalytic school of psychology, a movement that popularized the theory that unconscious motives control much behavior. ... Dr. Wilhelm Reich Wilhelm Reich (March 24, 1897–November 3, 1957) was an Austrian-American psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, and author, who was trained in Vienna by Sigmund Freud. ...

Magnus Hirschfeld founded the Institut für Sexualwissenschaft (Institute for Sexology) in Berlin in 1919. When the Nazis took power, one of their first actions, on May 6, 1933, was to destroy the Institute and burn the library. Magnus Hirschfeld Magnus Hirschfeld (Koburg, May 14, 1868 - May 14, 1935) was a prominent German physician, sexologist, and gay rights advocate. ... The Institut für Sexualwissenschaft (Variously translated as Institute of Sex Research or Institute for Sexology) (Germany, 1919-1933) was an early sexology research institute. ...   Berlin? (pronounced: , German ) is the capital of Germany and its largest city, with 3,426,000 inhabitants (as of January 2005); down from 4. ... 1919 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

In 1947, Alfred Kinsey founded the Institute for Sex Research at Indiana University at Bloomington, now called the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction. 1947 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Dr. Alfred Kinsey interviewing a respondent to his survey. ... The Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction, often shortened to Kinsey Institute, exists to promote interdisciplinary research and scholarship in the fields of human sexuality, gender, and reproduction. The Institute was founded as the Institute for Sex Research at Indiana University at Bloomington in 1947 by Alfred... Indiana University may refer to: the Indiana University system Indiana University of Pennsylvania This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... A Fourth of July parade passes the Monroe County courthouse in Bloomington, Indiana Bloomington is a city located in Monroe County, Indiana. ... The Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction, often shortened to Kinsey Institute, exists to promote interdisciplinary research and scholarship in the fields of human sexuality, gender, and reproduction. The Institute was founded as the Institute for Sex Research at Indiana University at Bloomington in 1947 by Alfred...

Scope of Sexology

Sexology in its modern form is largely a 20th century phenomenon.

Sexology relates to a number of other fields of study:

• several fields of medicine, including andrology, gynaecology, and the anatomy of the sex organs
• the psychology, sociology, and anthropology of sexual behavior
• neuroscience can be used to study many basic sexual reflexes, and is increasingly relevant to more complex aspects of sexual behavior
• psychiatry studies some of the more extreme disorders of sexual behavior
• many aspects of sexual behavior are or have been regulated by law in various jurisdictions, and various classes of sexual offences are studied by criminology
• biology studies the sexual behavior of other animals, which can be compared with human sexual behavior
• the techniques of evolutionary biology can be brought to bear on the causes of sexual behavior
• the epidemiology of sexually transmitted diseases

Sexology also touches on public issues such as the debates over abortion, public health, birth control, sexual abuse and reproductive technology. Medicine on the Web NLM (National Library of Medicine, contains resources for patients and healthcare professionals) Virtual Hospital (digital health sciences library by the University of Iowa) Online Medical Dictionary Collection of links to free medical resources Categories: Medicine | Health ... Andrology (from the Greek andros, man) is the medical specialty that deals with mens health, particularly relating to the problems of the male reproductive system and urological problems that are unique to men. ... The shamefulness associated with the examination of female genitalia has long inhibited the science of gynaecology. ... Anatomical drawing of the human muscles from the Encyclopédie. ... Psychology (ancient Greek: psyche = soul. ... Social interactions of people and their consequences are the subject of sociology studies. ... Anthropology (from the Greek word άνθρωπος = human) consists of the study of humankind (see genus Homo). ... Neuroscience is a field of study which deals with the structure, function, development, genetics, biochemistry, physiology, pharmacology and pathology of the nervous system. ... Psychiatry is the branch of medicine that diagnoses, treats, and studies mental illness and behavioral conditions. ... Sexual behavior is a form of physical intimacy that may be directed to reproduction (one possible goal of sexual intercourse) and/or to the enjoyment of activity involving sexual gratification. ... Corruption Jurisprudence Philosophy of law Law (principle) List of legal abbreviations Legal code Intent Letter versus Spirit Natural Justice Natural law Religious law Witness intimidation Legal research External links Wikibooks Wikiversity has more about this subject: School of Law Look up law in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Law, Legal Definitions... Criminology is a sub-field of sociology dealing with matters related to crime and criminal behavior. ... Main article: Life There are many universal units and common processes that are fundamental to the known forms of life. ... Evolutionary biology is a subfield of biology concerned with the origin and descent of species, as well as their change over time, i. ... Epidemiology is the study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states or events in specified populations, and the application of this study to control of health problems (Last 2001). ... Sexually-transmitted infections (STIs), also known as sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs), are diseases that are commonly transmitted between partners through some form of sexual activity, most commonly vaginal intercourse, oral sex, or anal sex. ... Public health is an aspect of health services concerned with threats to the overall health of a community based on population health analysis. ... Birth control (also called family planning or contraception) is any plan or method for preventing or reducing the likelihood of pregnancy without abstaining from sexual intercourse. ... Sexual abuse is physical or psychological abuse or harm that involves sexual behavior. ... Reproductive technology is a term for all current and anticipated uses of technology in human and animal reproduction, including: artificial insemination artificial wombs cloning (see human cloning for the special case of human beings) cryopreservation of sperm, oocytes, embryos embryo testing embryo transfer genetic engineering hormone treatment to increase fertility...

Notable sexologists

This is a list of notable sexologists, sorted by the year of their birth:

• Richard Freiherr von Krafft-Ebing (1840–1902)
• Wilhelm Fliess (1858-1928)
• Havelock Ellis (1859-1939)
• Albert Moll (1862-1939)
• Edward Westermarck (1862-1939)
• Magnus Hirschfeld (1868-1935)
• Iwan Bloch (1872-1922)
• Theodor Hendrik van de Velde (1873-1937)
• Otto Gross (1877-1920)
• Ernst Gräfenberg (1881-1957)
• Harry Benjamin (1885-1986)
• Alfred Kinsey (1894-1956)
• Wilhelm Reich (1897-1957)
• Wardell Pomeroy (1913-2001)
• Albert Ellis (born 1913)
• Kurt Freund (1914-1996)
• Ernest Borneman (1915-1995)
• William Masters (1915-2001) and Virginia Johnson (born 1925)
• John Money (born 1921)
• Preben Hertoft (born 1928)
• Oswalt Kolle (born 1928)
• Milton Diamond (born 1934)
• Rolf Gindorf (born 1939)
• Simon LeVay (born 1943)
• Anne Fausto-Sterling (born 1944)
• John Gagnon [1]
• Gilbert Herdt (born 1949)
• Edward O. Laumann

Richard Freiherr von Krafft-Ebing (August 4, 1840 – December 22, 1902), German / Austrian psychiatrist, wrote Psychopathia Sexualis (1886), a famous study of sexual perversity, and remains well-known for his coinage of the term sadism. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Havelock Ellis (1859-July 8, 1939) was a British doctor, sexual psychologist and Fabian. ... Edward Alexander Westermarck (November 20, 1862 - September 3, 1939) was a Finnish philosopher and sociologist. ... Magnus Hirschfeld Magnus Hirschfeld (Koburg, May 14, 1868 - May 14, 1935) was a prominent German physician, sexologist, and gay rights advocate. ... The Dutch physician and gynæcologist Theodoor Hendrik van de Velde (1873 - 1937) served as Director at the Gynæcological Institute in Haarlem, the Netherlands. ... Ernst Gräfenberg (26 September 1881 in Adelebsen near Göttingen - 28 October 1957 in New York) was a German-born medical doctor and scientist. ... Harry Benjamin (1885-1986) was a German-born psychologist. ... Dr. Alfred Kinsey interviewing a respondent to his survey. ... Dr. Wilhelm Reich Wilhelm Reich (March 24, 1897–November 3, 1957) was an Austrian-American psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, and author, who was trained in Vienna by Sigmund Freud. ... Wardell Baxter Pomeroy (December 6, 1913 - September 6, 2001) was an American sexologist and co-author of Alfred C. Kinsey. ... Albert Ellis in 2003. ... Kurt Freund (17 January 1914 - 23 October 1996) was a sexologist who began studies of male sexual orientation using penile plethysmography (PPG) in the early 1950s. ... Ernst Wilhelm Julius Bornemann (1915-1995) was a German filmmaker, crime writer (under the pen-name Cameron McCabe), jazz critic, and sexologist. ... Time magazine, May 25, 1970 Gynecologist William Howell Masters (December 27, 1915 – February 16, 2001) and psychologist Virginia Eshelman Johnson (born February 11, 1925) pioneered research into human sexual behavior during the 1950s and 1960s. ... Time magazine, May 25, 1970 Gynecologist William Howell Masters (December 27, 1915 – February 16, 2001) and psychologist Virginia Eshelman Johnson (born February 11, 1925) pioneered research into human sexual behavior during the 1950s and 1960s. ... John Money (born 1921), Ph. ... Preben Hertoft (1928-), Danish was a professor in medical sexology, psychiatrist, senior MD, Dr. med. ... Milton Diamond, Ph. ... Rolf Gindorf (born May 14, 1939) is a German sexologist. ... Anne Fausto-Sterling, Ph. ...

See also

• Philosophy of sex
• Gender and sexuality studies
• List of sexology topics
• Sex education

Philosophy of sex is the part of applied philosophy studying sex and love. ... Gender and sexuality studies is a collective term for the interdisciplinary study of human gender and sexuality. ... This is a list of topics related to sexology, human sexuality and marriage customs, and related topics such as human sexual anatomy, reproductive biology, andrology, gynaecology, obstetrics and, where relevant, anthropology. ... Sex education is education about sexual reproduction in human beings, sexual intercourse and other aspects of human sexual behavior. ...

External links

• Kinsey Institute
• Sexology (Spiritual aspects)
• Humboldt University of Berlin Sexology Department - includes one of the world's largest Sexuality Encyclopedias
  • Magnus Hirschfeld Archive of Sexology
  • Critical Dictionary of Sexology
  • Sexology World-wide
  • Sexological Training for Health Professionals
• Society for Human Sexuality
  • History of Sexology