Psikiyatride Güncel Yaklaşımlar (Jan 2009)
Marriage and Sexuality from a Psychiatric Point of View
Abstract
Sexuality, taking on a shape in the interaction of psychological, social, and biological variables, may lose its functionality with the blockage of these components. Sexual dysfunction may be handled as if it is only a symptom being based on the decay of marital relationship in the content of therapy, and sexual dysfunction may be neglected by family and marriage therapists from time to time. Contrarily, sex therapists may show the tendency to handle the problem in aspect of only sexuality. In the relationships of all spouses, thought and emotional intimacy should not be neglected whatever sexual problem they may have. Factors determining happiness such as physical attractiveness, impressiveness, positive and negative attitudes, marriage age, children, socioeconomic conditions, common intentions, and hobbies, sexual life, have attracted the attention of investigators for long time. Most important element among these factors seems to be sexuality. In recent years, researchers have begun to consider interaction between sexuality and marriage much more. Marital life includes food, shelter, togetherness, satisfaction originated from positive marital relationships, sharing role to cause of sexual maturation, acceptance of social role, and responsibility, individual entrepreneurship, and supporting to creativity. Marriage, consisting of spouses completing each other in these fields, is the headstone of social development and maturation. It has been suggested that there is a role of sexual dysfunction in protecting the balance of marital relationships. According to this suggestion, these disorders may prevent any damage to self and conserve the border of ego. Moreover, we may suggest that sexual dysfunction breaks the marital relationship, removes the protective effect on marital balance if we consider the beneficial effects of sexuality in points of intimacy in thought and emotional fields. Sexuality can be only experienced with healthy personality features which do not include the fear of the loss of ego border and injury. It is not possible to isolate married couple’s general communication and their sexual life. Miscommunication or conflict between married couples may interfere with sexual functioning. Sexual problems also cause general conflict or emotional alienation between couples. The findings from literature clearly present the interaction between male/ female sexual dysfunction and their marital life. Thus, in the treatment of sexual dysfunction among married couples, the marital relationship of couples should be evaluated and the participation of both spouses into therapeutic process need to be achieved.
