Abstract
Throughout human history and across cultures, sexual desire has been of interest to the general public and, now more recently, to the medical/psychological community. Part 1 of this two part series examines the historical aspects of the concept of sexual desire throughout its many transformations, beginning with the writings and mythologies of the ancient Greeks and extending through the ages to the present through the writings of philosophers, playwrights, novelists, and historians. We explore the concept of desire as both a tolerated and celebrated construct over the ages, discussing Western sociocultural perspectives regarding its nature and condition. In our view, such an historical perspective both provides a foundation for the scientific investigation of sexual desire and sheds light on issues currently being discussed with respect to sexual desire, as delineated in Part 2.
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Notes
Leander swam across the straits each night to Hero, guided by a lamp that she lit on top of her house. Hero jumps to her death when her lover, Leander, could not find his way one night as he swam across the straits because the stormy night had extinguished the lamp.
Although Islamic perspectives on sexuality have not been discussed here, there appears to be less negativity/guilt surrounding sex (at least in men) and a general recognition of human nature’s imperative to procreate through strong sexual urges [14]. At the same time, elements of the Islamic view toward women (or at least its cultural interpretation in some parts of the world) do not generally align well with contemporary Western thinking.
References
Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance
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DLR declares that he has no conflicts of interest.
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Part II of this article can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11930-016-0079-9.
This article is part of the Topical Collection on Integrating the Psychosocial
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Rowland, D.L. The Enigma of Sexual Desire, Part 1: A Brief Review of Classical, Historical, Philosophical, and Literary Perspectives. Curr Sex Health Rep 8, 158–162 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11930-016-0078-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11930-016-0078-x