A Brief History of Masturbation

How have ideas about masturbation changed through time?

Early Jewish and Christian religious thinkers condemned masturbation as not only sinful but a threat to humanity itself. Influenced by these beliefs, 18th-century doctors saw masturbation as the cause of conditions ranging from insanity to neurosis. While Sigmund Freud originally agreed with this viewpoint, he came to see that sexual repression was harmful, and that masturbation might benefit mental health rather than harm it.

Research in the twentieth century revealed that masturbation was a common practice, despite the stigma against it. The Kinsey Reports in 1948 and 1953 revealed that most men masturbated -- and shocked readers with the news that most women did too. By the 1970s and 1980s, scientists regarded solo sex as a normal practice "among humans of all ages and genders as well as other mammals." But attitudes against masturbation remained. Even today, people are uncomfortable talking about it.

Eventually, Freud came to the conclusion that a relaxation on the taboos around masturbation might prevent, rather than cause, neurosis. As psychology and psychiatry became culturally powerful forces over the first half of the twentieth century, this idea moved into the mainstream.

SOURCE: JSTOR Daily • AUTHOR: Livia Gershon • LAST UPDATED: September 7, 2019