Masturbation and Sexual health

Answer the following questions.

1. I enjoy masturbating.

2. Masturbation is a good way to affirm my sexuality.

3. Masturbation is a good way to help me feel better about myself.

4. R. I believe masturbation is sinful.

5. Masturbation is a healthy way to have sex when I’m horny.

6. Masturbation is a good way to get to know what a sexual partner likes.

7. Masturbation with my sexual partner(s) is a healthy expression of being close to one another.

8. Masturbation is very safe sex.

9. Masturbation is a healthy way to learn about my sexual desires.

10. Masturbation is a positive source of comfort and pleasure.

11. Masturbation is a form of healthy sexual expression.

12. Masturbation can be helpful in overcoming sexual dysfunction.

13. I masturbate to explore my body.

14. R. I masturbate too much.

15. R. I feel guilty when I masturbate.

16. Masturbation is a good way to reduce stress.

17. Masturbation is a good form of birth control.

Score 1 point for each yes response for questions 1-3, 5-13, 16-17

Score 1 point for each no response for questions 4, 14, 15

The higher your score, the more comfortable you are with masturbation

The American Culture has a significant amount of negative beliefs against masturbation. An introductory article that has the basics about the history of masturbation can be found at Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masturbation). It is not my goal to review this history given it’s availability else. They focus of this post is to examine the role of masturbation in your sexual life. It is also important to help you examine your thoughts and historical messages you have about masturbation and examine how these thoughts help or hinder your sexual health.

The questions above are a good place to start in assessing your views toward masturbation. Review each question again. When you read the question, pay attention to your reaction for each question. For example, when I think about enjoying masturbation, how do I feel (e.g, shame, embarrassed, happy)? What thoughts do I have regarding masturbation (e.g., sin, nothing, angry?)?

Next, review your sex history. The first section of the sex history asked questions about masturbation. As you examine the responses, pay attention to what your historical and current thoughts and feelings have been regarding the experiences of masturbation. How have these thoughts and feelings contributed to acting out? For some people, masturbation is a form of harm reduction reducing the risk of acting out.

Finally, think about the role of masturbation in your definition of sexual health. How might you integrate masturbation as a form of healthy sexual expression? What thoughts and feelings about masturbation must you address to reduce the risk of future acting out? Under what circumstances might masturbatory behaviors might be unhealthy for you? Under what circumstances might masturbatory behaviors might be healthy for you?