Sexology 26862 223920740 2008-07-06T14:49:56Z MarionTheLibrarian 7133336 /* Notable contributors */ added Zucker w/ wikilink '''Sexology''' is the systematic study of [[human sexuality]]. It encompasses all aspects of sexuality, including attempting to characterise "[[sexual norm|normal sexuality]]" and its variants. Modern sexology is a multidisciplinary field which uses the techniques of fields including [[biology]], [[medicine]], [[psychology]], [[statistics]], [[epidemiology]], [[pedagogics]], [[sociology]], [[anthropology]], and sometimes [[criminology]] to bear on its subject. It studies human [[sexual development]] and the development of [[sexual relationship]]s as well as the mechanics of [[sexual intercourse]] and [[sexual malfunction]]. It also documents the sexuality of special groups, such as handicapped, children, and [[geriatric sexology|elderly]], and studies sexual pathologies such as [[sex addiction]] and [[child sexual abuse]]. Note that sexology is considered descriptive, not prescriptive: it attempts to document reality, not to prescribe what behavior is suitable, ethical, or moral. Sexology has often been the subject of controversy between supporters of sexology, those who believe that sexology pries into matters held [[Sacred (comparative religion)|sacred]], and those who [[Philosophy|philosophically]] object to its claims of [[Objectivity (science)|objectivity]] and [[empiricism]]. == History == A number of ancient [[sex manual]]s exist, including [[Ovid]]'s ''[[Ars Amatoria]]'', the ''[[Kama Sutra]]'' of [[Vatsyayana]], the ''[[Ananga Ranga]]'' and ''[[The Perfumed Garden|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. One of the earliest sex researchers prior to the 20th century sexology movement was [[Richard Freiherr von Krafft-Ebing]], whose book ''[[Psychopathia Sexualis (book)|Psychopathia Sexualis]]'', published in 1886, recorded a dizzying array of sexual anomalies. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, [[Sigmund Freud]] developed [http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/14969 a theory of sexuality] based on his studies of his clients. [[Wilhelm Reich]] and [[Otto Gross]], were disciples of Freud, but rejected by him because of their emphasis of the role of sexuality for the revolutionary struggle for the emancipation of mankind. [[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. In 1947, [[Alfred Kinsey]] founded the [[Institute for Sex Research]] at [[Indiana University (Bloomington)|Indiana University]] at [[Bloomington, Indiana|Bloomington]], now called the [[Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction]]. [[Masters and Johnson]] released their works ''Human Sexual Response'' in 1966 and ''Human Sexual Inadequacy'' in 1970. Their books sold well, and they were founders of what became to be known as the [[Masters & Johnson Institute]] in 1978. [[Fritz Klein]] developed the [[Klein Sexual Orientation Grid]] a multi-dimensional system for describing complex sexual orientation, similar to the [[Kinsey scale]], but measuring seven different vectors of [[sexual orientation]] and [[sexual identity|identity]] separately, and allowing for change over time. In 1978 [[Fritz Klein|Klein]] published ''The Bisexual Option'', a groundbreaking psychological study of [[bisexuality]] and in 1998, he founded the [[American Institute of Bisexuality|American Institute of Bisexuality (AIB)]] to encourage, support and assist research and education about [[bisexuality]]. The late [[Vern Bullough]] was a historian of sexology, as well as a researcher in the field. A list of his books is provided. [http://www.vernbullough.com/bullough/publications/publicationsindex.html] == Interdisciplinary relations and limits== Sexology, as currently defined, is largely a 20th and 21st 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 disorders of [[sexual behavior]] when they impact on clinical conditions or reach a point where they become [[dysfunction]]al or sources of psychological difficulty. * 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]] (general) and [[ethology]] (behavioral) study 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 disease]]s Sexology also touches on public issues such as the debates over [[abortion]], [[public health]], [[birth control]], [[sexual abuse]] and [[reproductive technology]]. ==Notable contributors== ''See also: [[:Category:Sexologists]]'' This is a list of sexologists and notable contributors to the field of sexology, sorted by the year of their birth: * [[Richard Freiherr von Krafft-Ebing]] (1840-1902) * [[Sigmund Freud]] (1856-1939) * [[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) * [[Max Marcuse]]<ref>Humboldt-Universität, Berlin. [http://www2.hu-berlin.de/sexology/GESUND/ARCHIV/COLLMM1.HTM Magnus Hirschfeld Archive for Sexology.] Retrieved on November 23, 2007.</ref> (1877-1963) * [[Otto Gross]] (1877-1920) * [[Ernst Gräfenberg]] (1881-1957) * [[Harry Benjamin]] (1885-1986) * [[Theodor Reik]] (1888-1969) * [[Alfred Kinsey]] (1894-1956) * [[Wilhelm Reich]] (1897-1957) * [[Wardell Pomeroy]] (1913-2001) * [[Albert Ellis]] (1913-2007) * [[Kurt Freund]] (1914-1996) * [[Ernest Borneman]] (1915-1995) * [[William Masters]] (1915-2001) * [[Paul H. Gebhard]] (born 1917) * [[John Money]] (1921-2006) * [[Ira Reiss]] (born 1925) * [[Virginia Johnson]] (born 1925) * [[Preben Hertoft]] (born 1928) * [[Oswalt Kolle]] (born 1928) * [[Vern Bullough]]<ref>[http://www.vernbullough.com/bullough/index.html "Dr. Vern L Bullough Distinguished Professor Natural and Social Sciences"] Retrieved on November 23, 2007.</ref> (1928-2006) * William Simon<ref>[http://sexualities.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/2/1/113 SAGE Journals Online - Sexualities.] Retrieved on ??</ref> (1930-2000) * [[John Gagnon]]<ref>[http://sexualities.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/2/1/113 SAGE Journals Online - Sexualities.] Retrieved on ??</ref> (born 1931) * [[Edward Eichel]]<ref>[http://www.marriagescience.com/ Marriage Science.com] Retrieved on November 23, 2007.</ref> (born 1932) * [[Fritz Klein]] (1932–2006) * [[Milton Diamond]] (born 1934) * [[Erwin J. Haeberle]] (born 1936) * [[Gunter Schmidt]] (born 1938) * [[Rolf Gindorf]] (born 1939) * [[Volkmar Sigusch]] (born 1940) * [[Martin Dannecker]] (born 1942) * [[Simon LeVay]] (born 1943) * [[Shere Hite]] (born 1943) * [[Anne Fausto-Sterling]] (born 1944) * [[Ray Blanchard]] (born 1945) * [[Gilbert Herdt]] (born 1949) * [[Kenneth Zucker]] ==References== {{Reflist}} ==See also== * [[List of sexology topics]] * [[Gender and sexuality studies]] * [[Philosophy of sex]] * [[Sex education]] * [[Viridian Method]] * [[Lesbian utopia]] == External links (alphabetically)== {{linkfarm|date=December 2007}} * [http://www.sexologist.org American Academy Of Clinical Sexologists] * [http://www.aasect.org American Association Of Sex Educators, Counselors, & Therapists] * [http://www.barryyeoman.com/articles/nih.html Barry Yeoman, Forbidden Science, ''Discover'' magazine] * [http://www.blackfunk.org Black Funk: The Center for Culture, Sexuality, and Spirituality] * [http://www.ejhs.org Electronic Journal of Human Sexuality] * [http://www.vvseksuologie.be/ Flemish Society of Sexology] Belgium * [http://www.sexologie.org German Society for Social-Scientific Sexuality Research (DGSS)] * [http://www.iashs.edu Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality, in San Francisco] * [http://www.kuleuven.be/ifsw/ Institute of Family and Sexuality Studies (KULeuven)] Belgium * [http://www.kinseyinstitute.org Kinsey Institute] * [http://www.bisexual.org/en/klein/index.php Klein Sexual Orientation Grid] * [http://www2.hu-berlin.de/sexology/index.htm Magnus Hirschfeld Archive of Sexology] at the [[Humboldt University of Berlin]] with free access to: ** [http://www2.hu-berlin.de/sexology/Entrance_Page/Critical_Dictionary/critical_dictionary.htm Critical Dictionary of Sexology] ** [http://www2.hu-berlin.de/sexology/Entrance_Page/E_Learning_Courses/e_learning_courses.htm Five online courses in Sexual Health] ** [http://www2.hu-berlin.de/sexology/Entrance_Page/History_of_Sexology/history_of_sexology.htm History of Sexology] ** [http://www2.hu-berlin.de/sexology/GESUND/ARCHIV/SEN/BEGIN.HTM Human Sexuality: An Encyclopedia] ** [http://www2.hu-berlin.de/sexology/GESUND/ARCHIV/SECOND.HTM Sexology World-wide], listing of world-wide sexology institutions * [http://www.sexologyprofessor.com/sexologists.php Sexology Professor: Sexological Terms and Sexologists] * [http://www.sexology.co.za Sexology SA] ** [http://www.sexology.co.za Academy for Sexology SA] * [http://edu.humsex.org/ Sexology Studies World Wide (edu.humsex.org)] * [http://www.biresource.org/pamphlets/scales.html Sexual and Affectional Orientation and Identity Scales by [[Bobbi Keppel]] & [[Alan Hamilton]] for the [[Bisexual Resource Center]]] * [http://www.sexuality.org/ Society for Human Sexuality] ** [http://www.sexuality.org/l/sex/sexohist.html History of Sexology] * [http://www.world-sex-records.com/sex-374.htm World Sex Records] (Section on Sexology) {{sex}} [[Category:History of human sexuality]] [[Category:Sexology]] [[ar:طب جنسي]] [[ca:Sexologia]] [[cs:Sexuologie]] [[cy:Rhywoleg]] [[da:Sexologi]] [[de:Sexualwissenschaft]] [[es:Sexología]] [[eo:Seksologio]] [[fr:Sexologie]] [[hr:Seksologija]] [[it:Sessuologia]] [[he:סקסולוגיה]] [[lt:Seksologija]] [[nl:Seksuologie]] [[ja:性科学]] [[no:Sexologi]] [[oc:Sexologia]] [[pl:Seksuologia]] [[pt:Sexologia]] [[ru:Сексология]] [[sk:Sexuológia]] [[sl:Seksologija]] [[sh:Seksologija]] [[fi:Seksologia]] [[sv:Sexologi]] [[th:เพศศาสตร์]] [[vi:Tình dục học]] [[tr:Seksoloji]] [[zh:性學]]