Premium Essay

Great Works of Alfred Kinsey

In: Philosophy and Psychology

Submitted By nikharp
Words 980
Pages 4
The Great Works of Alfred Kinsey
Alfred Kinsey was one of the first scientists to conduct scientific inquiries into human sexuality. During the thirties and forties, the time of his scientific explorations, human sexuality was not an accepted topic for discussion and was frowned upon. Over time, Kinsey’s work led to a wider acceptance of the topic as well as the acceptance of various sexual practices. To some, his work remains controversial and contentious. Those who oppose Kinsey’s work referred to him as a communist and even a pedophile, although there was never any evidence to support either claim. He was also criticized by other scientists for unreliability of personal accounts of sexual behavior. Despite all of the accusations against Kinsey, his work is still academically cited and respected and “beyond the scientific circles, he is seen by some as a liberator of sexuality, and by others as a founding father of America's moral decline (Soylent Communications).”
In the beginning stages of his career, Kinsey was a well-known biologist and a zoologist. He mainly researched and documented the mating practices of animals and he specialized in that of the gall wasp. Dozens of the species were actually catalogued by Kinsey himself. In 1938, his interest of animal mating practices shifted to the mating practices of humans. He was able to gain the permission to teach a non-credit course called “Marriage” to nearly one hundred students at Indiana University. This was completely drastic and unheard of for his era. The topic should have logically been dismissed during the Victorian repression, and all matters pertaining to the word “sex” should be discussed in a completely adult manner. But Kinsey was more interested in sexual freedom and gender equality. He accepted any sexual act between humans as a normal and healthy part of their human nature. Not only did Kinsey

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Sexualized Society

...Sexuality has became a form of personal identity over the course of history. Something that people were not allowed to talk about in the past has transformed with time and made American culture the most sexually open-minded nation. Sexual expression and repression are the influences and forces that directed the history of sexuality to what we have today. While sexual expression was a natural social desire of greater individual freedom, repression was a power of the Church or Government against sexual elements in the American society. We entered the 20th century with women being more independent and educated. Women also gained access to sports, which made a way of socializing and seeking for a more fun lifestyle. No one would even think back then that the beginning of the century, such as early 20s, was the first biggest sexual expression that has set the pace for its further development, and that pace was pretty fast. As the century started, American men came back home from the WWI. During the war, the Government was aware that soldiers had sex yet had no repression against it. Despite the warnings about venereal deceases, unprotected sex for soldiers resulted in millions of lost lives because there was no medical cure. Sex during the war mostly happen with prostitutes from Europe, and those men who survived the war, came back home with new knowledge about sex. This knowledge together with other changes in American history, launched the early 20s known as “roaring 20s”. ...

Words: 1786 - Pages: 8

Free Essay

Sexuality

...Margaret Sanger wrote a book about birth control to educate women Kinsey wrote sexual behavior in the human male about facts that were happening Freud talks about sexual psychology Huey Hefner releases Playboy for romantic sexual pleasure Anthony Comstock in 1800’s tried to ban all open sexual behaviors, no contraceptives info/supplies, public displays of affection and pornography The early 20th century Women had to go into the work force because men were going to war They wanted them to abstain from sex so they don’t get venereal disease Automobile was like an accessory to sex to have privacy Felons that needed punishment received vasectomy’s 1920’s Prohibition was happening New behaviors of women: Jazz clubs and danced, cigarettes and alcohol, rode bikes and drove cars 1930’s and 1940’s The great depression makes women return to being more conservative New laws for women’s right to legal access to contraceptive info/devices World War II Post war back to traditional roles Baby boom began because all men were coming back from the war Televisions became a “must have” Development of penicillin to cure STI’s There was a different outlook on the war for men to have something to be excited about after war 1950’s -1970’s Alfred Kinsey published book about male and female sexuality 1960: FDA approved distribution of Enovid (1st oral contraceptive) Men are volunteering vasectomies 1973: Roe vs. Wade – abortion is legal Homosexuality no longer labeled...

Words: 659 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Anthro of Sexuality

...and elaboration. Desire and practice vary along multiple dimensions which interact in complex ways. In consequence, we cannot adequately describe the full range of human sexuality with a single simple term. Sources for Human Sexuality Sexuality is one of the most closely regulated activities in every human society. It is therefore difficult to ascertain what is “natural” (biological) and what is cultural (learned). Anthropology has historically shared the general Western reticence regarding sex and has seldom made sexuality a central topic of research. Margaret Mead and a few others did some research on the topic and it is sometimes included in general ethnographic studies. Proper scholarly study of human sexuality really begins with Alfred Kinsey and continues through Masters and Johnson and the Social Science Survey Project. While there has been a dramatic increase in research on the topic in the past 30 years, it is still relatively little studied, despite the modern Western obsession with sex. Because of the strong cultural interventions regarding sex and the lack of systematic research, we must piece together data from a variety of sources to ascertain the basic nature of human sexuality. We primarily rely on several sources to infer this natural state: primate studies, ethnographic data, and contemporary...

Words: 3267 - Pages: 14

Free Essay

Premature Ejaculation

...that they will over come with dedicated effort, a loving partner, and a will to over come it. Premature Ejaculation (PE), also known as rapid ejaculation, premature climax, rapid climax, or early ejaculation, is when a man reaches orgasm and ejaculation at a rapid pace, and with very little sexual stimulation, either before, or quickly after penetration, and before he means to, and as many as 30% of men in the United states experience PE at some point in their life (Comer, 2010). The most common definition of PE is when a man reaches climax within two minutes of penetration, however this has been some what controversial due to a survey by Alfred Kinsey, in which he demonstrated that three quarters of men ejaculated within that time period, in a little over half of their sexual experiences (Kinsey, et al. 1948). PE is a complex condition that has baffled Scientist and Psychologists for some time now. The source of such contention is simply the fact that there is no absolute definition of this problem. The Diagnostic and...

Words: 2418 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Is Homosexuality a Choice?

...Do you have any recollection or memory of your own self before you were born? Do you remember shifting through a menu similar to that of McDonald’s and selecting the color of your hair? What about the color of your skin, or maybe your height? Of course you don’t. However, if you were given the opportunity to completely change the person you’ve worked hard to mold into what you currently call you, would you take it? Again, you most likely wouldn’t. Your physical body, your thoughts, imagination, personality--all make up the whole you. You didn’t choose to be you, you just are. Sadly, throughout the course of history, we, as a collective society, have scrutinized those who were considered “different” simply because we were scared. No matter what the textbooks or historians say, discrimination is the direct result of fear and ignorance. It is a superficial, false hate. How would one define this false hate? Well, if we were to go with the literal definition, according to Webster’s dictionary, hate is the feeling or animosity toward someone[1]. Another widely accepted description of hatred is that it’s very similar to love, often blinding, and making people prone to believe things that are definitely not true. Oftentimes, many of us fall victim to this, and feelings of animosity and prejudice begin to stir in our minds; sometimes these feelings are reflected in our actions. What’s more, the sad part is that same prejudice and feelings of hatred have no backbone—they can’t be supported...

Words: 2329 - Pages: 10

Free Essay

Chronicles of Narnia

...Lewis, who taught that subject and others at Oxford for many years, composed his great cycle of seven children's fantasy novels with the New Testament in mind and with some of the literary traditions it inspired close at hand. To the millions since the 1950's for whom the books have been a source of childhood enchantment, Lewis's religious intentions have either been obvious, invisible or beside the point. Which is part of the appeal of allegory, as he well knew. It is a symbolic mode, not a literal one - there are, after all, no talking beavers in the Bible - and it constructs distinct levels of meaning among which readers travel of their own free will. An allegorical world is both a reflection of the real one and a reality unto itself, as Lewis's heroes, the four Pevensie children, come to discover. The story of Aslan's sacrifice and resurrection may remind some readers (and now viewers) of what they learned in Sunday school, but others, Christian or not, will be perfectly happy to let what happens in Narnia stay in Narnia. The supposed controversy over the religious content of "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" may be overhyped, but a particular question of faith nonetheless hovers around the movie, which was produced by Walden Media and distributed by Disney. Anyone who grew up with the Narnia books is likely to be concerned less with Lewis's beliefs than with the filmmakers' fidelity to his work, which was idiosyncratic and imperfect...

Words: 1238 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Re-Dressing America's Frontier Past

...frontier. By studying this broad area overtime, it became evident that cross-dressing was a common occurrence in the frontier. It also illustrated that many cross-dressers traveled around the West, and were moving in and out of various regions as their cross-dressing practices were revealed. By taking a look at an individual’s movement in and around the frontier, it is easier to understand how different communities regarded cross-dressers and also how these individuals felt in these communities, and whether they were accepted or not. Through these lens the forgotten histories of cross-dressers in the frontier can once again be recovered and studied as we come to fully understand the place of cross-dressers in American frontier history. To a great extent, the history of cross-dressing practices challenged heteronormative culture and myths about the Western frontier. In his book, Boag reveals that, “cross-dressers were not simply ubiquitous, but were very much a part of daily life on the frontier and in the West” (1-2). In part one, of the book, “Females in Male Attire, and Males in Petticoats” Boag illustrates how common practicing female-to-male and that of male-to-female cross-dressing, was in every day society. He uses a plethora of examples using the cases of individuals such as Alan Hart, Harry Allen (or Nell Pickerell), Milton Matson, and Jack Garland, along with numerous others to illustrate how female-to-male cross-dressers navigated frontier life. They each lived non-traditional...

Words: 1422 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Qwertty

...Art/Science/Reform Charles Darwin -2 influential books 1) “On the Origin of Species” (1859) 2) “Decentive Man” (1877) -Focused on what he was interested in -Makes a voyage on a ship named HMS Beagle to the Galapagos Islands. He made Discoveries about Finches – he writes about this in “On the Origin of Species.” -People who were into these types of discoveries were known as Naturalists or Scientists. Science was seen as a hobby -Religious -Firm creationists -His discoveries made him change his religious viewpoint -Because of him, science starts to become respected -He only talks about these controversial ideas with his closest friends T. H. Huxley -one of Darwin’s closest friends -His nickname was “Darwins Bulldog” -Had a middle class background -He was trying to live as a scientist. He was angry because science wasn’t respected. -Says science is all facts while religion is something where you can say whatever you want. -He pushes Darwin to publish “On the Origin of Species” (he doesn’t publish it until 20 years later) -He was aggressive and said he would defend Darwin -This all leads to religious doubt Scientists are agnostics – don’t know if there is a God or not. There is no proof and evidence is not available to determine if there is or isn’t a God. German Higher Criticism -A bunch of philosophers of the 1870s basically trying to save the Bible from science fiction -Argue that you have to get rid of the...

Words: 5140 - Pages: 21

Premium Essay

Homosexuality

...Homosexuality From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This article is about homosexuality in humans. For homosexuality in other animals, see Homosexual behavior in animals. Sexual orientation Male and female symbols overlaid Sexual orientations Asexual Bisexual Heterosexual Homosexual Non-binary categories Androphilia and gynephilia Non-heterosexual Pansexuality Polysexuality Queer Research Biological Human female sexuality Human male sexuality Demographics Environment Hetero/homosexual continuum Kinsey scale Klein Grid Neuroscientific Queer studies Sexology Timeline of sexual orientation and medicine Non-human animals Animal sexual behaviour Non-reproductive sexual behavior in animals Homosexual behavior in animals (list) Category Category v t e Part of a series on Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people LGBT flag Sexual orientation Homosexuality Demographics Biology Environment History LGBT history Timeline Social movements Culture LGBT community Coming out Pride Slang Symbols Gay village Rights Laws around the world Marriage Union Adoption LGBT parenting Military service Legal aspects of transgenderism Intersex human rights Social attitudes Heteronormativity LGBT stereotypes Queer Religion and homosexuality Religion and transgender Prejudice / Violence AIDS stigma Anti-intersex Biphobia Genderism Heterosexism Homophobia Lesbophobia Binarism Sexualism Suicide among LGBT youth Transphobia Violence against LGBT people LGBT trafficking ...

Words: 12671 - Pages: 51

Premium Essay

Research Paper

...Quezon City Polytechnic University Batasan Satellite Campus Batasan Hills, Quezon City Research Paper in Symbolic Logic HOMOSEXUALITIES Submitted by Joann E. Buenavente Submitted to Prof. Fabian Avila I. Introduction Homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As an orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectionate, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same sex; "it also refers to an individual's sense of personal and social identity based on those attractions, behaviors expressing them, and membership in a community of others who share them." Homosexuality is one of the three main categories of sexual orientation, along with bisexuality and heterosexuality, within the heterosexual-homosexual continuum (with asexuality sometimes considered a fourth). Scientific and medical understanding is that sexual orientation is not a choice, but rather a complex interplay of biological and environmental factors,[1][3] especially with regard to early uterine environment. While there are those who still hold the view that homosexual activity is "unnatural" or "dysfunctional", research has shown that homosexuality is an example of natural variation in human sexuality and is not in and of itself a source of negative psychological effects. Prejudice and discrimination against homosexual and bisexual people...

Words: 11396 - Pages: 46

Free Essay

Pedophile

...* * Child Molestation and Homosexuality Ann Landers used to proclaim that the statement “Homosexuals are more inclined to molest children sexually than heterosexuals” is false.1 The American Psychological Association sponsored a work asserting: “Recognized researchers in the field on child abuse,… almost unanimously concur that homosexual people are actually less likely to approach children sexually.”2 Why is it, then, that we read about sex between boys and men in every newspaper? Does it merely reflect sensationalist journalism? We know that heterosexual molestation also occurs. But since there are so many more heterosexuals than homosexuals, which kind of child molestation — homosexual or heterosexual — is proportionately more common? The Scientific Evidence Three kinds of scientific evidence point to the proportion of homosexual molestation: 1) survey reports of molestation in the general population, 2) surveys of those caught and convicted of molestation, and 3) what homosexuals themselves have reported. These three lines of evidence suggest that the 1%-to-3% of adults who practice homosexuality3account for between a fifth and a third of all child molestation. Reports of Molestation by the General Population In 1983, a probability survey of the sexual experiences of 4,340 adults in five U.S. cities found that about 3% of men and 7% of women reported sexual involvement with a man before the age of 13 (i.e., 30% was homosexual).4 In 1983-84, a random survey...

Words: 23815 - Pages: 96

Free Essay

News Writing

...33 CHAPTER Newswriting basics Ready to write a simple news story? This chapter introduces you to the concepts and formulas all reporters have learned to rely upon. IN THIS CHAPTER: 34 Just the facts Be aware of what’s factual — and what’s opinion. 36 The five W’s The essentials: who, what, when, where, why. 38 The inverted pyramid How to write stories so the key facts come first. 40 Writing basic news leads Putting your opening paragraphs to work in the most informative, appealing way. 42 Beyond the basic news lead Not every story needs to start with a summary of basic facts; you have other options. 44 Leads that succeed A roundup of the most popular and dependable categories of leads. 46 After the lead . . . what next? A look at nut grafs, briefs, brites — and ways to outline and organize stories efficiently. 48 Story structure How to give an overall shape to your story, from beginning to middle to end. 50 Rewriting First you write. Then you rethink, revise, revamp and refine until you run out of time. 52 Editing Reporters have a love-hate relationship with editors. But here’s why you need them. 54 Newswriting style Every newsroom adapts its own rules when it comes to punctuation, capitalization, etc. 56 Making deadline When you’re a reporter, you live by the clock. How well will you handle the pressure? 58 66 newswriting tips A collection of rules, guidelines and helpful advice to make your stories more professional. ...

Words: 13302 - Pages: 54

Premium Essay

English Help

...Beyond Feelings A Guide to Critical Thinking NINTH EDITION Vincent Ryan Ruggiero Professor Emeritus of Humanities State University of New York, Delhi BEYOND FEELINGS: A GUIDE TO CRITICAL THINKING, NINTH EDITION Published by McGraw-Hill, a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020. Copyright © 2012 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Previous editions © 2009, 2007 and 2004. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written consent of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., including, but not limited to, in any network or other electronic storage or transmission, or broadcast for distance learning. Some ancillaries, including electronic and print components, may not be available to customers outside the United States. This book is printed on acid-free paper. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 DOC/DOC 1 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 ISBN: MHID: 978-0-07-803818-1 0-07-803818-9 Vice President & Editor-in-Chief: Michael Ryan Vice President EDP/Central Publishing Services: Kimberly Meriwether David Editorial Director: Beth Mejia Senior Managing Editor: Meghan Campbell Executive Marketing Manager: Pamela S. Cooper Senior Project Manager: Joyce Watters Buyer: Nicole Baumgartner Design Coordinator: Margarite Reynolds Media Project Manager: Sridevi Palani Compositor: Glyph International Typeface: 10/13 Palatino Printer: R...

Words: 102651 - Pages: 411

Premium Essay

Lgbt

...What Is LGBT? LGBT stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender and along with heterosexual they describe people's sexual orientation or gender identity. These terms are explained in more detail here. Lesbian A lesbian woman is one who is romantically, sexually and/or emotionally attracted to women. Many lesbians prefer to be called lesbian rather than gay. Gay A gay man is one who is romantically, sexually and/or emotionally attracted to men. The word gay can be used to refer generally to lesbian, gay and bisexual people but many women prefer to be called lesbian. Most gay people don't like to be referred to as homosexual because of the negative historical associations with the word and because the word gay better reflects their identity. Bisexual A bisexual person is someone who is romantically, sexually and/or emotionally attracted to people of both sexes. Transgender or Trans Is an umbrella term used to describe people whose gender identity (internal feeling of being male, female or transgender) and/or gender expression, differs from that usually associated with their birth sex. Not everyone whose appearance or behaviour is gender-atypical will identify as a transgender person. Many transgender people live part-time or full-time in another gender. Transgender people can identify as transsexual, transvestite or another gender identity. Gender Identity One's gender identity refers to whether one feels male, female or transgender (regardless of one's biological...

Words: 19540 - Pages: 79

Premium Essay

Introduction to Psychology

...TPS 101: INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY TPS 101 serves as the beginning course in psychology; as such, it is broad in scope. The course will introduce students to the history of psychology, and current paradigms and theories. We will cover neuroscience, sensation, perception, memory, and language, stress and health psychology, personality and social psychology, intelligence, and developmental psychology. Because of time limitations, none of these topics can be covered in great depth. The reference textbooks and the material presented in class will serve as the primary sources for the material to be covered. INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF PSYCHOLOGY Psychology is the scientific study of behaviour and mental processes. It is an academic and applied discipline involving the scientific study of mental processes and behaviour. Psychology also refers to the application of such knowledge to various spheres of human activity, including problems of individuals' daily lives and the treatment of mental illness. It is largely concerned with humans, although the behaviour and mental processes of animals can also be part of psychology research, either as a subject in its own right (e.g. animal cognition and ethnology), or somewhat more controversially, as a way of gaining an insight into human psychology by means of comparison (including comparative psychology). Origins of the psychology Near the end of 19th century things started drawing together. Questions raised by philosophers were being...

Words: 84844 - Pages: 340