Current State of Sexuality Theory and Therapy

Abstract

Explorations into areas of human sexuality that we would now recognize as having some scholarly merit began approximately 70 to 80 years ago. Since that time, the field has experienced several important paradigm shifts (Kuhn, 1970), which constitute the main focus of this paper. In order to understand the present state of sexuality theory and therapy, it is helpful to explore the socio-historical roots of these theoretical stances. The present paper presents the socio-historical background of sexuality theory and therapy, tracing the movement from the religious foundations, to the medical explanations, to the melding of psychological into the social theories of sexual behavior. Next it explores the basic assumptions underlying various sex therapy approaches from a focus on the “dysfunction in sexuality” and anecdotal cases of “perversion,” to the exploration of “normality in sexualities.” The final sections of the paper ends with a discussion of the current state of sexuality theory and therapy in light of the role of post-modernism and its influence on this field of inquiry.

Key Words:

• Sex therapy
• sexuality theory
• history of sex therapy