Changing Attitudes

The early American colonist devoted most of his time to the tasks of obtaining food, clothing, and shelter. Pleasures were necessarily minimal and in many cases were even considered sinful by the early Americans. Advances in technology soon simplified many routine physical tasks and improved production of essential goods to such an extent that adequate food, clothing, and shelter became commonplace. Today’s production techniques have become so sophisticated that only a fraction of the total population is required to produce needed goods; America has become a nation of consumers. It is estimated that in the very near future only 20 percent of the population will be required to produce all the goods needed. Unconstrained by the tasks that previously attended production, most of the population will be at liberty to spend much of their time in other types of activity.

When man’s energies and thoughts are no longer devoted to essential tasks, his attentions often turn toward pleasure-seeking. Despite its seeming simplicity, the pursuit of pleasure has turned out to be one of the most difficulty tasks man has over tackled. One thing that makes it so difficult is a lack of criteria to judge success. Initially man is almost certain to judge his pleasures by the same standards he used previously to judge production. Thus he asks: Am I doing as well as I should? Would I accumulate more pleasure if I tried another activity? Would my satisfaction increase if I used another method? Since no satisfactory answers to these questions have been found, pleasure-seeking has been something of a disappointment to many people in recent times.

The history of American sexual behavior closely parallels our transition from a society of producers to society of consumers. The early American was reluctant to admit that sex served any function other than procreation. He no doubt knew that sexual intercourse could be fun, but he seldom “let on.” And even to this day many people feel guilty at the thought of sex for pleasure’s sake.

From a biological standpoint, sexual intercourse actually serves two functions: procreation and the production of pleasurable sensations. It is important to remember that these reproductive and pleasure-producing functions are not physiologically dependent on each other, but may be fulfilled separately. For example, a man with a transected spinal cord could impregnate his wife but would experience no pleasure from the act; or a woman could experience an orgasm from stimulation of erogenous areas other than those directly associated with the reproductive system. The development of highly effective contraceptive techniques has made it further possible for 20^th-century man to separate almost completely the procreative and “re-creative” aspects of sex.

Society is rapidly dissociating sex and procreation, placing more emphasis on pleasure. Nelson Foots put it this way: “The view that sex is fun can hardly be called the invention of immoralists: it is every man’s discovery.” People who are honest with themselves readily admit that giving or receiving pleasure is most often the major motivation for the sex act. The higher we go in the animal kingdom, the greater the concern for the simultaneous giving and receiving of pleasure.

In keeping with this approach to sex education, a rather progressive high school teacher began her first sex education class by “telling it like it is.” She said “Sex is for fun and reproduction—and in that order.” The next day she was looking for a new job. Nevertheless, the facts remain: 21^st century American society is focusing on consumption more than on production. Much of the emphasis on consumption is motivated by pleasure-seeking, and sex ranks very high on man’s list of pleasures. It is not surprising, therefore, that more and more people are seeking help from books, counselors, physicians, and others to enhance qualitatively their sexual experiences.

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Category: Physical Health