Facing the Complexities of Women's Sexual Desire

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xiii

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2. Background and Explanations

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 3-3

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   2. Influences on Women's Sexual Experiences

      Pages 5-23

   3. Desire-Phase Problems and the Search for Explanations

      Pages 24-41

   4. Bio-Ethological and Social-Psychological Explanations

      Pages 42-61

3. The Women in Context

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 64-64

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   2. Searching for Sexual Identity

      Pages 65-82

   3. Symptom Manifestation Within Relationships

      Pages 83-100

   4. Women's Relationships to Power

      Pages 101-119

   5. Intra-Personal Considerations Relevant to Sex Therapy

      Pages 120-136

4. Toward Resolution

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 138-138

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   2. Developments in Sexology and Sex Therapy

      Pages 139-154

   3. Cognitive Behavioral Factors Relevant to Treatment

      Pages 155-167

   4. A Practical Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment Approach

      Pages 168-184

   5. Learning From the Past—Thoughts for the Future

      Pages 185-193

5. Back Matter

   Pages 194-228

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This book represents a broad-based approach to a narrow but complex issue. The issue causes distress for many and has been instrumental in family disruption and divorce. Women’s sexual desire—whether it is too little or too much—has become an issue of growing concern and vague promises for solution. In the meantime, the women are looking for answers, consulting professionals in the field of human sexuality, physicians or therapists, media advice and self-help books. The material discussed in this book is not part of any structured research. The women encountered in the pages of this book have not been selected on a random basis. Some have been clients, some are volunteers from the general population and another group is made up of undergraduate college students. The college s- dents came from a varied ethnic and cultural background while the clients mainly were of white and African American background. The volunteers were predo- nantly from a white middle-class population. There is no claim that the women are representative of all women in the general population.

• Encounter
• Exploration
• Therapie
• conflict
• identity
• intervention
• marriage
• sexuality
• therapy
• women
• sexual behaviour

From the reviews:

"Something of riveting interest in almost every chapter.... vignettes well done and often poignant.... analysis clear and immediately accessible.... a lovely offering."

Edward Shorter, Hannah Professor of the History of Medicine, Professor of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Canada

"I need to know more about the biology of sex, especially in women, and it was that part of Facing the Complexities of Women's Sexual Desire that I found most useful. … The essence of the book is many brief descriptions of important issues, along with some longer discussions as well. The brief descriptions make this a very readable book … . Overall, this is a terrific book that is sure to tell the reader new things about women’s sexuality." (Russell Eisenman, PsycCRITIQUES, Vol. 52 (39), 2007)

• Living Skills Institute, Inc., 46240-2366, USA

  Vera Sonja Maass

Vera Sonja Maass is a psychologist in private practice as well as a consulting psychologist to the Grey Clinic, Indianapolis, Indiana. She received her Ph.D. in Counseling at University of Missouri-Kansas City and is certified in marriage and family therapy and mental health counseling.

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