Masturbation

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A woman masturbates stimulating her vulva

A man masturbates stimulating his penis

Masturbation is the sexual stimulation of one's own genitals for sexual arousal or other sexual pleasure, usually to the point of orgasm. Stimulation can be done with the hands, with fingers, with everyday objects, with sex toys such as vibrators, or a combination of all of these. Mutual masturbation is masturbation with a sexual partner, and may include manual stimulation of the partner's genitals (fingering or handjob), or be used as a form of non-penetrative sex.

Masturbation is common in both sexes and at any age. Various medical and psychological benefits have been attributed to a healthy attitude towards sexual activity in general and masturbation in particular. There is no known causal relationship between masturbation and any form of mental or physical disorder. In the Western world, masturbation in private or with a partner is generally considered a normal and healthy part of sexual enjoyment.

Masturbation has been depicted in art since prehistoric times, and is mentioned and discussed in very ancient writings. In the 18th and 19th centuries" , some European theologians and physicians called it "atrocious", "deplorable" and "dreadful", but during the 20th century these taboos generally lessened. Debate and representation of masturbation in art, popular music, television, film, and literature has increased. Today, religions vary in their views on masturbation; some see it as a spiritually harmful practice, others see it as not harmful, and still others take a situational point of view. The legal status of masturbation has also varied throughout history, and public masturbation is illegal in most countries. Animal masturbation has been observed in many species, both in the wild and in captivity.

Etymology

The word masturbation was introduced in the 18th century, based on the Latin verb masturbari, along with the slightly earlier onanism. The Latin verb masturbari is of uncertain origin. Suggested derivations include an unattested word for penis, *mazdo, cognate with Greek μέζεα mézea 'genitals', or alternatively a corruption of an unattested word *manu stuprare ("to desecrate with the hand"), by association with turbare 'to disturb' 39;.

Terminology

Although masturbation is the formal word for this practice, there are many other expressions in common use. Terms like playing with oneself, pleasuring oneself, and slang like wanking off, masturbating, and fucking are common. Self-abuse and self-drive were common in early modern times and are still found in modern dictionaries. There is a wide variety of other euphemisms and dysphemisms that describe masturbation. For a list of terms, see the Wiktionary entry for masturbate.

Techniques

General

Two vibrators in one sex shop

Masturbation consists of touching, pressing, rubbing or massaging a person's genital area, either with your fingers or against an object such as a pillow; inserting fingers or an object into the vagina or anus (see anal masturbation); and stimulate the penis or vulva with an electric vibrator, which can also be inserted into the vagina or anus. It can also consist of touching, rubbing or pinching the nipples or other erogenous zones during masturbation. Both sexes apply lubricants to reduce friction.

Reading or viewing pornography, sexual fantasies, or other erotic stimuli can lead to a desire for sexual release, such as through masturbation.

Some people obtain sexual pleasure by inserting objects, such as urethral catheters, into the urethra (the tube through which urine and, in men, semen flow), a practice known as urethral play or "probing& #34; Other objects such as pens and thermometers are sometimes used, although this practice can cause injury or infection. Some people masturbate using machines that simulate intercourse.

Men and women can masturbate until they are close to orgasm, stop for a while to reduce arousal, and masturbate again. They can repeat this cycle several times. This accumulation of 'stops', known as 'edging', can lead to even stronger orgasms. Rarely, people stop stimulation just before orgasm to preserve the high energy that normally goes down after orgasm.

Male

The most common positions are: lying on your back or stomach, sitting, squatting, kneeling or standing.

The most common masturbation technique for men is to hold the penis in a loose fist, then move your hand up and down the shaft. This type of stimulation is usually all that is needed to achieve orgasm and ejaculation. The speed of the movement of the hand can vary throughout the masturbation session.

Male masturbation techniques can differ between men who have been circumcised and those who have not. Some techniques that may work for one individual may be difficult or uncomfortable for another. In the case of men who have not been circumcised, the stimulation of the penis usually comes from the "pumping" of the foreskin, by means of which the latter is supported and slides up and down over the glans penis, which, depending on the length of the foreskin, is fully or partially covered and then uncovered with a quick movement. The outer foreskin glides smoothly over the inner foreskin. The glans itself may widen and lengthen as stimulation continues, turning slightly darker in color, while the gliding action of the foreskin reduces friction. This technique can also be used by some circumcised men who have skin left over from their circumcision.

In the case of circumcised men, in which the glans penis is almost or totally exposed, this technique creates a more direct contact between the hand and the glans penis. To avoid the friction, irritation, and pain of this resulting rubbing, some may prefer to use a personal lubricant, masturbation cream, or saliva.

Male Masturbation during Ejaculation

The skin of the penis can also be slid back and forth with just the index finger and thumb around the penis. A variation on this is to place the fingers and thumb on the penis as if playing a flute, then move them back and forth. Lying on your stomach on a comfortable surface, such as a mattress or pillow, you can rub your penis against it. This technique may include the use of a simulacrum, or artificial vagina.

Prostate massage is another technique used for sexual stimulation, often in order to achieve orgasm. The prostate is sometimes called the 'male G-spot'; or P point. Some men can reach orgasm by stimulating the prostate gland, stimulating it with a well-lubricated finger or dildo inserted through the anus into the rectum, and men who report the sensation of prostate stimulation they often give similar descriptions as women about G-spot stimulation. Stimulation of the prostate can produce more intense orgasms than stimulation of the penis. Stimulation of the prostate from the outside, through pressure on the the perineum, can also be pleasurable.

Anal masturbation without prostate stimulation, with fingers or otherwise, is also another technique that some men enjoy. Since the muscles of the anus contract during orgasm, the presence of an object that holds the sphincter open can reinforce the sensation of the contractions and intensify the orgasm. The practice can be pleasurable due to the large number of nerve endings in the area. anal, and by the additional stimulation obtained by stretching the anal sphincter muscles as the finger is inserted. It is advisable to use a good quality personal lubricant to increase the sensation of pleasure and facilitate insertion. Some people prefer to simply stimulate the outer ring of the anus, while others continue to insert one or more fingers.

There are many other variations on male masturbation techniques. Men can also rub or massage the glans, glans rim, and frenzy delta. Some men place both hands directly on the penis during masturbation, while others may use their free hand to caress the testicles, nipples, or other parts of the body. The nipples are erogenous zones, and vigorous stimulation of the nipples during masturbation often causes the penis to become erect more quickly than it otherwise would. Some can keep their hand still while pumping into it with pelvic thrusts to simulate the movements of coitus. Some may lie prone and rub their genitals against the sheet or other surface, a technique called prone masturbation. In the bath or shower, a man may direct the water through a showerhead hand shower to your frenulum, testicles, or perineum. Others may also use vibrators and other sexual devices more commonly associated with female masturbation.

A somewhat controversial ejaculation control technique involves putting pressure on the perineum, about halfway between the scrotum and anus, just before ejaculating. However, this can redirect semen into the bladder (known as retrograde ejaculation).

Female

Mutual or group masturbation

Frequency, age and sex

The frequency of masturbation is determined by many factors, including resistance to sexual tension, hormone levels that influence sexual arousal, sexual habits, peer influences, health, and attitude toward masturbation. formed by culture; E. Heiby and J. Becker examined the latter. Medical causes have also been associated with masturbation.

Different studies have found that masturbation is frequent in human beings. Studies conducted by Alfred C. Kinsey in the 1950s on the American population have shown that 92% of men and 62% of women have masturbated in their lifetime. Similar results have been found in a 2007 British National Probability Survey. It was found that, among individuals aged 16 to 44, 95% of men and 71% of women had masturbated at some point in their lives. 73% of the men and 37% of the women declared having masturbated in the four weeks prior to the interview, while 53% of the men and 18% of the women declared having masturbated in the previous seven days.

The Merck Manual says that 97% of men and 80% of women have masturbated and that, in general, men masturbate more than women.

Masturbation is considered normal when performed by children, even in early childhood. In 2009, the Sheffield NHS Health Trust published a booklet entitled "Pleasure" (Pleasure) in which the benefits of masturbation for health were discussed. This was done in response to the data and experience of the other EU member states in reducing teenage pregnancies and STIs (sexually transmitted diseases), and in promoting healthy habits.

In the book Human Sexuality: Diversity in Contemporary America, by Strong, Devault, and Sayad, the authors note: "A baby can laugh in his crib while playing with his erect penis" 3. 4;. & # 34; Babies sometimes move her body rhythmically, almost violently, pretending to experience an orgasm & # 34;. Italian gynecologists Giorgio Giorgi and Marco Siccardi observed via ultrasound a female fetus possibly masturbating and having what appeared to be an orgasm.

Popular belief states that individuals of both sexes who do not have sexual relations tend to masturbate more frequently than those who do; however, most of the time this is not true, as solo or partnered masturbation is often a feature of the relationship. Contrary to this belief, several studies actually reveal a positive correlation between the frequency of masturbation and the frequency of sexual intercourse. One study has reported a significantly higher rate of masturbation in homosexual men and women who were in a relationship.

Coon and Mitterer stated: "About 70% of married women and men masturbate at least occasionally."

Evolutionary utility

Female masturbation alters the conditions of the vagina, cervix, and uterus in ways that can alter the chances of conception from intercourse, depending on when masturbation occurs. A woman's orgasm between one minute before and 45 minutes after insemination favors the chances that the sperm will reach the egg. If, for example, she has had sexual intercourse with more than one male, that orgasm may increase one of them's chances of pregnancy. Female masturbation may also provide protection against cervical infections by increasing the acidity of cervical mucus and displacing debris out of the cervix.

For men, masturbation removes old, low-motility sperm from the male genital tract. The next ejaculation then contains more fresh sperm, which has a better chance of achieving conception during intercourse. If more than one male has sexual intercourse with a female, the more mobile sperm will compete more effectively.

Health effects

Benefits

Masturbation was declared normal by consensus in 1972 by the American Medical Association. It does not deplete the body of energy or cause premature ejaculation. The medical consensus is that masturbation is a medically healthy and psychologically normal habit. According to the Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy, "it is considered abnormal only when it inhibits partner-oriented behavior, is done in public, or is compulsive enough to cause distress".

Solo masturbation is a sexual activity that is nearly free of risk of sexually transmitted infections. With two or more participants, the risk of sexually transmitted infection, while not eliminated, is still less than with most sexually transmitted infections. forms of penetrative sex. Support for this view, and for the inclusion of masturbation in the American sex education curriculum, led to the removal of United States Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders during the Clinton administration.

Masturbation among adolescents helps them develop a sense of mastery over sexual impulses, and has a role in the physical and emotional development of prepubescents and adolescents.

Sex therapists sometimes advise patients to take time to masturbate to orgasm; for example, to help improve sexual health and relationships, to help determine what is erotically pleasurable to them, and because mutual masturbation can lead to more satisfying sexual relations and greater intimacy. The Encyclopedia Britannica endorses the use of masturbation within sexual therapy. British also describes as "myths" ideas that masturbation would be unhealthy or immature behavior.

Mutual masturbation allows partners to reveal the "map of [their] pleasure centers," learning how they enjoy being touched. When intercourse is inconvenient or impractical, mutual masturbation offers couples the opportunity to achieve sexual release as often as desired.

In many mental health circles it is argued that masturbation can alleviate depression and lead to a greater sense of self-worth. When one partner in a relationship desires more sex than the other, masturbation can provide a cooling effect. balance and promote a more harmonious relationship.

In 2003, an Australian research team led by Graham Giles of the Cancer Council of Australia found that men who masturbated frequently were less likely to develop prostate cancer, although they could not prove direct causality. A 2008 study concluded that frequent ejaculation between the ages of 20 and 40 is correlated with increased risk of developing prostate cancer, while frequent ejaculation in the sixth decade of life is correlated with decreased risk.

A study published in 1997 found an inverse association between death from coronary heart disease and orgasm frequency, even accounting for the risk that myocardial ischemia and myocardial infarction could be triggered by sexual activity.

The association between the frequency of orgasms and mortality for all causes was also examined using the midpoint of each response category recorded as the number of orgasms per year. The reason for mummies adjusted by age for an increase of 100 orgasms a year was 0.64 (0.44 to 0.95).

That is, a mortality difference appeared between any two subjects when one of them ejaculated about twice a week more than the other. Assuming a broad mean of between three and five ejaculations per week for healthy men, this would mean between five and seven ejaculations per week. This is consistent with a 2003 paper that found that the strength of these correlations increased with increasing ejaculation frequency.

A 2008 study at the Medical University of Tabriz found that ejaculation shrinks swollen nasal blood vessels, freeing up the airways for normal breathing. The mechanism is through the stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system and is long lasting. The study author suggests: "It can be done [from] to time to relieve engorgement and the number of intercourse or masturbations can be adjusted by the patient depending on the severity of the symptoms."

The sexual climax leaves the individual in a state of relaxation and contentment, often followed by drowsiness and sleepiness.

Some professionals consider masturbation to be equivalent to cardiovascular exercise. Although research remains sparse, people with cardiovascular disorders, especially those recovering from a heart attack, should resume physical activity gradually and as often as possible. and the rigor that their physical condition allows them. This limitation can serve as a stimulus to continue with physiotherapy sessions to help improve resistance. In general, sex slightly increases energy consumption.

Risks

Those who insert objects to aid masturbation are at risk of getting them stuck (such as rectal foreign bodies). Both men and women can be victims of this problem. A woman was admitted to a German hospital with two pencils in her bladder, having perforated her urethra after inserting them during masturbation.

A man whose penis is bluntly traumatized during intercourse or masturbation may, on rare occasions, suffer a penile fracture or develop Peyronie's disease. Phimosis is "a contracted foreskin (que) can cause problems by hurting when trying to pull the foreskin back". In these cases, any energetic manipulation of the penis can be problematic.

A small percentage of men have post-orgasmic illness syndrome (POBS), which can cause severe, intense muscle pain throughout the body and other symptoms immediately after ejaculation, either due to masturbation or partnered sex. Symptoms last up to a week. Some clinicians speculate that the frequency of POIS "in the population may be higher than has been reported in the academic literature," and that many cases go undiagnosed..

Compulsive masturbation and other compulsive behaviors may be signs of an emotional problem, which may need to be treated by a mental health specialist. As with any 'nervous habit,' it is most helpful to consider the causes of compulsive behavior, rather than attempting to suppress masturbation.

Along with many other factors—such as medical evidence, age-inappropriate sexual knowledge, sexualized play, and precocious or seductive behavior—excessive masturbation can be an indicator of sexual abuse.

Cultural history

Main article: History of masturbation

Ancient World

Detail of a crater, dated to 560-550 B.C., which shows a masturbing satire, a usual scene in many ceramic paintings of ancient Greece

Sexual stimulation of one's own genitals has been interpreted differently by different religions, the subject of legislation, social controversy, activism, as well as intellectual study in sexology. Social opinions on the masturbation taboo have varied greatly in different cultures and throughout history.

There are depictions of male and female masturbation in prehistoric cave paintings around the world. From the earliest records, the ancient Sumerians had very relaxed attitudes toward sex. Sumerians widely believed that masturbation increased sexual potency, for both men and women, and they practiced it frequently, both alone and with their partners. couples. Men used to use puru-oil, a special oil probably mixed with pulverized iron ore intended to improve friction. Masturbation was also an act of creation and, in Sumerian mythology, the god Enki was believed to have created the Tigris and Euphrates rivers by masturbating and ejaculating into their empty channels. The ancient Egyptians also regarded the masturbation of a deity as an act of creation; the god Atum was believed to have created the universe by masturbating until he ejaculated.

The ancient Greeks also viewed masturbation as a normal and healthy substitute for other forms of sexual pleasure. Most of the information on masturbation in ancient Greece comes from surviving Greek pottery and comedy works. Masturbation is frequently mentioned in the surviving comedies of Aristophanes, which are the most important sources of information on ancient Greek views on the subject. On ancient Greek pottery, satyrs are often depicted masturbating. According to the Lives, opinions and sentences of the most illustrious philosophers of the biographer of the century III d. C. Diogenes Laertius, Diogenes of Sinope, the Cynic philosopher of the IV century a. C., often masturbated in public, which was considered scandalous. When people confronted him about this, he would say, "If it were only that easy to banish hunger by rubbing my belly".

Among non-Western perspectives on the matter, some teachers and practitioners of TCM, Taoist meditation, and martial arts claim that masturbation can cause a decrease in energy levels in men. Within the African Congo Basin, the Aka, Ngandu, Lesi, Brbs and Ituri ethnic groups lack a word to designate masturbation in their languages and are confused by the concept of masturbation.

Development of the Contemporary Western Worldview

18th century

Onanism is a hybrid term that combines the proper noun, Onan, with the suffix, -ismo. Notions of self-contamination, impurity and filth were increasingly associated with other sexual vices and bodily crimes (such as fornication, sodomy, adultery, incest, and obscene language); Reacting to the libertine culture of the 17th century, middle-class moralists increasingly campaigned for reform of customs and a stricter regulation of the body. Paradoxically, a crime that was secret and private became a popular and fashionable topic. Additionally, writers tended to focus more on perceived links to mental and physical illnesses that were seen to be associated with feelings of moral outrage. Attention increasingly focused on the prevention and cure of this disease, which dangerously undermined men's virility.

First page of the book L'onanisme: dissertation sur les maladies produites par la masturbation (1773)

The first use of the word "onanism" to refer consistently and specifically to masturbation is a pamphlet first distributed in London in 1716, entitled "Onania, or the Heinous Sin of self-Pollution, And All Its Frightful Consequences, In Both Sexes, Considered: With spiritual and physical advice for those who have already harmed themselves by this abominable practice". However, the Online Etymology Dictionary states that the first known use of onanism occurred in 1727. In 1743-45, British physician Robert James published A Medicinal Dictionary, in the one who described masturbation as "producing the most deplorable and generally incurable disorders" and stated that 'perhaps there is no sin that produces so many horrible consequences.'. In 1760, he published L'Onanisme, his own exhaustive medical treatise on the alleged ill effects of masturbation. Although Tissot's ideas are now considered conjectural at best, his treatise was presented as a scientific and scholarly work at a time when experimental physiology was virtually non-existent.

Immanuel Kant considered masturbation a violation of the moral law. In The Metaphysics of Morality (1797), he expounded the a posteriori argument that "such an unnatural use of one's sexual attribute"; it hits "everyone at the thought" as "a violation of one's duty towards oneself," and suggested that it was considered immoral to even give him his own name (unlike the case of the equally unnatural act of suicide). However, he acknowledged that "it is not so easy to produce a rational demonstration of the inadmissibility of that unnatural use", but finally concluded that its immorality resided in the fact that "a man renounces his personality...when using himself simply as a means for the gratification of an animal urge".

19th century

In 1838, Jean Esquirol had declared in his work Des Maladies Mentales that masturbation was "recognized in all countries as a cause of madness." John Harvey Kellogg and Sylvester Graham were among those who proposed that circumcision and a bland, meatless diet would curb masturbation. The medical literature of the time also described more invasive procedures, such as electric shock treatment, infibulation, restraint devices such as chastity belts and straitjackets, cauterization or, as a last resort, total surgical removal of the genitalia.

Medical attitudes toward masturbation began to change in the late 19th century when H. Havelock Ellis, in his work seminal Studies in the Psychology of Sex (1897), questioned Tissot's premises.

20th century

Authorport by Egon Schiele in 1911, representing a masturbation

In 1905, Sigmund Freud addressed masturbation in his Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality and associated it with addictive substances. He described the masturbation of children in the lactation period, at four years of age, and at puberty. At the same time, the putative medical condition of hysteria—from the Greek hystera or womb—was being treated by what would now be described as medically administered or prescribed masturbation for women. In 1910, the moral or health effects of masturbation were discussed at meetings of the psychoanalytic circle in Vienna, but his publication on the subject was suppressed. Concerning Specific Forms of Masturbation is a 1922 essay by another Austrian, the psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich. In this seven and a half page essay, Reich accepts the prevailing notions about the role of unconscious fantasy and the subsequent feelings of guilt that, according to him, originate from the act itself.

Gerda Wegener's 1925 artwork "Les delassements d'Eros" ("The Eros Receptions"), which represents the sexual activity of two women

In 1930, F. W. W. Griffin, editor of The Scouter, had written in a book for the Rover Scouts that the temptation to masturbate was "a fairly natural stage of development" and, citing Ellis's work, he argued that "the effort to achieve complete abstinence was a very serious mistake." The work of sexologist Alfred C. Kinsey during the 1940s and 1950s, most notably the Kinsey Report, insisted that masturbation was an instinctive behavior for both men and women. In the United States, masturbation has not been a diagnosable condition since DSM II (1968).

Thomas Szasz affirmed in 1973 the change in the scientific consensus: "Masturbation: the main sexual activity of humanity. In the 19th century, it was a disease; in the XX, it is a cure". In 2019, the Encyclopedia Britannica endorses its conclusion (that is, masturbation as a cure within sex therapy).

Dörner et al. wrote in their already classic book (1978): "Self-satisfaction is, therefore, an invaluable asset for the success of sexual pleasure, but also for other couple and sexual relationships: well, only if I can offer something to myself I can also offer it to another person... Not self-satisfaction, but feelings closely related to it need, among other things, help through counseling or therapy".

In the 1980s, Michel Foucault argued that the masturbation taboo was a "violation by parents of their children's sexual activity. However, in 1994, when United States Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders made an aside that masturbation should be mentioned in school curricula as safe and healthy, she was forced to resign, and her detractors claimed that he was promoting the teaching of masturbation.

21st century

Both the practices and cultural views of masturbation have continued to evolve in the 21st century, in part because the world of contemporary life is increasingly technical. For example, digital photos or live video can be used to share masturbatory experiences, either in a broadcast format (possibly for money, as with 'camgirls' and & #34;camboys"), or between members of a long-distance relationship. Teledildonics is an expanding field. Masturbation has been portrayed as a not uncomplicated part of "Love in the 21st Century" in the BBC drama of the same name.

In modern culture

Stigma

Despite the fact that many medical professionals and scientists have found strong evidence that masturbation is healthy and commonly practiced by both men and women, the stigma around the subject still persists today. In November 2013, Matthew Burdette committed suicide after being filmed masturbating.

In an article published by the nonprofit Planned Parenthood Federation of America, it was reported that:

As evidence that these old stigmas against masturbation are still alive and are sensed by women and men, the researchers discovered in 1994 that half of the women and adult men who masturbate feel guilty about it (Laumann, and others, 1994. p.85). Another study carried out in 2000 found that young adolescents are still afraid to admit that they masturbate (Halpern, and others, 2000, 327).

Sperm Donation

Male masturbation may be used as a method of obtaining semen for third-party reproductive procedures, such as artificial insemination and in vitro fertilization, which may involve the use of partner or donor sperm.

In a sperm bank or fertility clinic, a special room or cabin can be set up to produce semen through male masturbation and use it in fertility treatments such as artificial insemination. Most of the semen used for sperm donation, and all semen donated through a sperm bank by sperm donors, is produced in this way. The sperm bank facility used for this purpose is known as a masturbatory (US) or male production room (UK). A bed or sofa is usually provided for the man, and pornographic films or other material may be made available.

Promotion of this practice

In the UK, in 2009, the Sheffield NHS published a leaflet with the slogan 'an orgasm a day keeps the doctor away'. It also says: "Health promotion experts advocate five servings of fruit and vegetables a day and 30 minutes of physical activity three times a week. And what about sex or masturbation twice a week?". This booklet has been distributed to parents, teachers and youth workers and is intended to update sex education by informing older students about the benefits of pleasurable sex. Its authors claim that, for too long, experts have focused on the need for "safe sex" and committed relationships, ignoring the main reason many people have sex. The brochure is titled Pleasure. Instead of promoting teen sex, it could encourage young people to delay losing their virginity until they're sure they'll enjoy the experience, one of its authors said.

The Spanish region of Extremadura launched a program in 2009 to encourage "sexual self-exploration and the discovery of self-pleasure" in people from 14 to 17 years. The €14,000 campaign includes brochures, pamphlets, a "fanzine" and workshops for young people in which they are instructed in masturbation techniques along with advice on contraception and self-esteem. The initiative, whose slogan is "The pleasure is in your hands," has angered local right-wing politicians and called into question traditional Catholic views. Officials from the neighboring region of Andalucía have expressed interest in copying the program.

The textbook Palliative care nursing: quality care to the end of life states: "The terminally ill are likely to be no different from the general population in terms of their masturbation habits. Palliative care professionals should routinely ask their patients if there is anything interfering with their ability to masturbate and then work with the patient to correct the problem if it is identified.

The sex-positive movement advocates an environment conducive to masturbation.

Law

The persecution of masturbation has varied at different times, from complete illegality to practically unlimited acceptance. In a 17th century code of laws for the Puritan colony of New Haven, Connecticut, "blasphemers, homosexuals and masturbators" they could be sentenced to death.

Often, masturbation in full view of others is prosecuted under a general law such as public indecency, although some laws make specific mention of masturbation. In the United Kingdom, masturbating in public is illegal under section 28 of the Municipal Police Clauses Act 1847. The penalty can be up to 14 days' imprisonment, depending on a number of circumstantial factors. In the United States, Laws vary from state to state. In 2010, the Alabama Supreme Court upheld a state law criminalizing the distribution of sex toys. In the city of Charlotte, North Carolina, public masturbation is a class 3 misdemeanor. In 2013, a man who was found masturbating openly on a beach in Sweden was acquitted of charges of sexual assault, the court finding that his activities had not been directed at any specific person.

In many jurisdictions, masturbation from one person to another is considered digital penetration, which may be illegal in some cases, such as when the other person is a minor.

It is debated whether masturbation should be promoted in penal institutions. Restrictions on pornography, which accompanies masturbation, are common in US prisons. Officials with the Connecticut Department of Corrections say these restrictions are intended to prevent a hostile work environment for corrections officers. Other researchers argue that allowing masturbation could help inmates limit their sexual urges to their imaginations rather than engaging in prison rape or other non-masturbatory sexual activities that could pose sexually transmitted diseases or other health risks.

Religious Opinions

Rites of Passage

The Sambia tribe of New Guinea have rituals and rites of passage around manhood that last several years and involve ejaculation through fellatio, often several times a day. Semen is valued and masturbation is considered a waste of semen and is therefore frowned upon, although frequent ejaculation is encouraged. The ability and need to ejaculate is developed or nurtured over years from a young age, but through fellatio so that it can be consumed rather than wasted. Semen is ingested to build strength and is considered along the same lines as breast milk.

Other cultures have rites of passage to manhood that culminate in a male's first ejaculation, usually at the hands of a tribal elder. In some tribes, such as the Agta (Philippines), genital stimulation is encouraged from an early age. Upon reaching puberty, the youth is paired with a "wise old man"; or "witch doctor" that she uses masturbation to increase his ejaculation capacity in preparation for a ceremony. The ceremony culminates in a public ejaculation before a celebration. The ejaculate is stored in a wad of animal skins and is later used to help conceive children. In this and other tribes, the measure of virility is associated more with the amount of ejaculation and its need than with the size of the penis.

Pop Culture

Music

In popular music, there are several songs that deal with masturbation. Early examples include Chuck Berry's "My Ding-a-Ling" and The Who's "Mary Ann with the Shaky Hand" and "Pictures of Lily".

Other more recent popular songs include "Rosie" by Jackson Browne, "A Honeymoon in Hand" by Virus, "I Touch Myself" by the Divinyls, "Very Busy People" by The Limousines, "Dancing with Myself" » by Billy Idol, «Everyday I Die» by Gary Numan, «You're Makin' Me High" by Toni Braxton, "Holding My Own" by The Darkness, "Nickelodeon Girls" by Pink Guy, "Vibe On" by Dannii Minogue, "Orgasm Addict" by Buzzcocks, "Captain Jack" and "The Stranger" by Billy Joel, "Blister in the Sun" by Violent Femmes, "Longview" by Green Day, "M+Ms" by Blink-182, "Wow, I Can Get Sexual Too" by Say Anything, "Touch of My Hand" by Britney Spears, Pink's "Fingers" and "U + Ur Hand", Lady Gaga's "So Happy I Could Die", The Tiger Lillies' "Masturbating Jimmy", Gob's "When Life Gets Boring", FKA's "Daybed" Twigs, Semisonic's "Get a Grip" and Prince's "Darling Nikki." Cyndi Lauper's 1983 recording "She Bop" was one of the first fifteen songs required to be labeled Parental Advisory for its sexual content. In a 1993 interview on The Howard Stern Show, Lauper claimed that he had recorded the vocal track in the nude. The rock group Mindless Self Indulgence's song "Masturbates" also addresses the concept of autoerotic activity in a punk framework.

Literature

The 1858 school novel, Eric, or, Little by Little, was a treatise against masturbation, but it made no mention of the subject, except very obliquely, as "Kibroth- Hattaavah", a place mentioned in the Old Testament where those who coveted meat were buried.

In October 1972, a major censorship case occurred in Australia, leading to the banning of Philip Roth's novel Portnoy's Complaint in that country due to its references to masturbation. The censorship provoked protest from the public at the time.

Other representations and references to masturbation have occurred throughout literature, and the practice itself has even contributed to the literary output of certain writers, such as Wolfe, Balzac, Flaubert, and John Cheever. Perhaps the fictional representation most famous masturbation takes place in the episode "Nausicaa" from Ulysses by James Joyce. In it, the novel's protagonist, Bloom, covertly climaxes during a public fireworks display, after being aroused by a young girl's shy exhibitionism.

Television

Political Masturbation in the media and televisionby Danny Sillada (2009)

In the Seinfeld episode "The Contest", the series' protagonists participate in a contest to see who can go the longest without masturbating. Because the Seinfeld network, NBC, did not consider masturbation a suitable topic for prime time, the word is never used. Instead, the subject is described using a series of euphemisms. "Owner of my domains" it became part of the American lexicon as of this episode.

Another NBC show, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, had a character known as the Masturbating Bear, a bear costume with a diaper covering its genitals. The Masturbating Bear touched his diaper to simulate masturbation. Before leaving Late Night to become host of The Tonight Show, Conan O'Brien originally retired the character due to concerns about his suitability in an earlier time slot. However, the Masturbating Bear debuted on the Tonight Show during the final days of Conan O'Brien's tenure as host of the show. By then it was clear that Conan O'Brien was going to be removed from the show and he spent his last few shows pushing the limits of skits that would normally not be appropriate for the Tonight Show, one of which was Bear. Masturbator. After much debate about whether or not it could be used on the new Conan O'Brien show on TBS, Conan, the Masturbating Bear made his appearance in the first episode.

In March 2007, the UK's Channel 4 was going to air a season of TV shows about masturbation, called Wank Week (Wank is English slang for masturbating >). The series was publicly attacked by high-profile television personalities and was withdrawn amid allegations of eroding editorial standards and controversy over the network's public service credentials.

Movies

"Every Sperm Is Sacred" played at the Monty Python meeting, Monty Python Live (Mostly)in July 2014

In Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983), the song "Every Sperm Is Sacred" is a satire of Catholic teachings on reproduction that prohibit masturbation (and contraception) by artificial means. In comedian Richard Herring's Talking Cock, the sketch is used to ridicule those who condemn masturbation (and sex) for any purpose other than procreation.

In American Pie (1999), Nadia (Shannon Elizabeth) discovers Jim's (Jason Biggs) collection of pornography and while sitting half-naked on his bed masturbates to it. In American Pie: The Reunion (2012), Noah (Eugene Levy) tries to explain Jim's possible joys and difficulties by explaining masturbation to his future son.

Pornography

Depictions of male and female masturbation are common in pornography, including gay pornography. Am Abend (1910), one of the earliest pornographic films to have been collected at the Kinsey Institute for Research on Sex, Gender, and Reproduction, opens with a scene of female masturbation. Solo performances in gay pornography have been described in 1985 as "active (tense, upright) and/or passive (supine, exposed, languid, available)", while female solo performances are says they are "exclusively bottom (supine, spread, sitting, squatting, offered holes, etc.)". AVN Award-winning solo pornography includes the series All Alone and All Natural: Glamor Solos.

Other animals

Exemplar of Chlorocebus pygerythrus masturbating

Masturbatory behavior has been documented in a wide variety of species. Individuals of some species have been known to create tools for masturbation purposes.

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