Husbands who have sex with men: research findings on sexual identity, internalized homonegativity, attachment style and internalized shame and their implications for therapy

Jac Brown*

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

    Abstract

    The sexual drive appears to be universal, but varies enormously between people on many dimensions. Erotic plasticity has been one of these dimensions that has been explored and refers to "…the degree to which a person’s sex drive can be shaped and altered by cultural and social factors, from formal socialization to situational pressures." (Baumeister, 2000, p348). Baumeister (2000) contended that women’s sex drives encompass greater flexibility than do men’s sex drives. Following a consideration of the evidence, he concluded that men’s sexual desires remained much more stable than women’s by suggesting that women’s sexual responses were shaped by cultural and situational factors much more than men’s sexual responses. While many men tend to have a greater number of sexual partners than most women (Miller & Fishkin, 1997), they still tend to engage in the same behaviours with different partners. Men also report having higher levels of sexual desire than women (Vohs, Catanese, & Baumeister, 2004). Thus, when discussing sex, “variety” does not equate to “more” when considering plasticity. Yet, there is a subgroup of men who tend to have greater plasticity. It is the subgroup of married men who have sex from time to time with other men as well as with women. This raises the issue of whether bisexuality is a permanent state, suggesting greater plasticity, or a transitory state.

    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationSexuality education and attitudes
    EditorsJ Stanovic, M Lalic
    Place of PublicationHauppauge, New York
    PublisherNova Science Publishers
    Pages159-175
    Number of pages17
    ISBN (Electronic)9781611223354
    ISBN (Print)9781607416623
    Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2010

    Publication series

    NameEducation in a Competitive and Globalizing World
    PublisherNOVA SCIENCE PUBLISHERS, INC

    Keywords

    • BISEXUAL MEN
    • HOMOPHOBIA
    • BEHAVIOR
    • STRESS
    • RISK
    • AIDS
    • GAY

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