The media today is filled with powerful men in trouble for their
sexual behaviors, and invariably, they are diagnosed as sexual
addicts. Since Adam first hid his nakedness from God and pointed the
finger at Eve, men have struggled to take responsibility for their
sexuality. Over the past three decades, these behaviors have come to
reflect not a moral failing, but instead, evidence of an ill-defined
disease, that of “sexual addiction.” The concept of sexual
addiction is a controversial one because it is based on questionable
research and subjective moral judgments. Labeling these behaviors as
sex addiction asserts a false, dangerous myth that undermines personal
responsibility. Not only does this epidemic of sex addiction excuses
mislabel male sexuality as dangerous and unhealthy, but it destroys
our ability to hold people accountable for their behaviors. By
labeling males as weak and powerless before the onslaught and churning
tide of lust, we take away those things that men should live up to:
personal responsibility; integrity; self-control; independence;
accountability; self-motivation; honor; respect for self and others.
In The Myth of Sex Addiction, Ley presents the history and
questionable science underlying this alleged disorder, exposing the
moral and cultural judgments that are embedded in the concept, as well
as the significant economic factors that drive the label of sex
addiction in clinical practice and the popular media. Ley outlines how
this label represents a social attack on many forms of
sexuality—male sexuality in particular—as well as presenting the
difficulty this label creates in holding people responsible for their
sexual behaviors. Going against current assumptions and trends, Ley
debunks the idea that sex addiction is real, or at least that it is as
widespread as it appears to be. Instead, he suggests that the high-sex
behaviors of some men is something that has been tacitly condoned for
countless years and is only now labeled as a disorder as men are being
held accountable to the same rules that have been applied to women. He
suggests we should expect men to take responsibility for sexual
choices, rather than supporting an approach that labels male sexual
desire as a "demonic force" that must be resisted, feared, treated,
and exorcised.
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Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9781442213067
Publisert
2012
Utgiver
Vendor
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Antall sider
256
Forfatter