Sexual Practices

The definition of perversion cannot include procreation as a criterion. Although, the traditional value system rigidly classes sexual acts on the basis of their relation to reproduction, the complexities of modern society make it difficult to apply the former orthodoxy wholeheartedly in identifying instances of perversion. The separation of sex from reproduction is in part a measure of the breakdown of the old system of values. Nevertheless, it is still possible to describe sexual acts as more or less perverse. Masturbation, sodomy and zoophylia, none of which involve procreation, appear to differ with respect to quality and quantity of perversion. A revised concept of perversion incorporates dimensions other than procreation.

Biblical values make a clear distinction between "natural" and "unnatural" sex acts. The real possibility of procreation is a necessary, but possibly not sufficient, condition of socalled natural sex acts. All other sexual practices, those that are permanently or temporarily nonprocreative, are categorized as unnatural, that is as perversions.

On basis of the naturalunnatural division, the Roman Catholic Church considers contraception to be a perversion. Standard, missionaryposition, heterosexual intercourse completed with birth control is perverse because it is nonprocreative. The distinction is also not graded, so that heterosexual intercourse during menstruation and necrophilia both count unambiguously as unnatural acts.

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not encompass the possibilities of sexual relationship through an intensive definition of perversion. It is not enough to identify procreation as a criterion. Perversion has actually been defined extensively, by identification of sexual practices considered repugnant by a center of authority (such as the Church). The ideas and ideals of authority have altered greatly, however. As much as many people might wish it were so, the old rules have weakened to the point where they no longer apply in any reliable way. The range of sexual practices that receive the imprimatur of society has simply increased. In the space of generation, for example, homosexuality has gone from being illegal and utterly illicit to a state of grudging acceptance by a large segment of society (including, in large measure, the legal system). Like it or not, the traditional terms of sexual moralityspecifically the demands of marriage and procreationcannot stand up against such an onslaught. Consequently, a new set of moral sensibilities, including a new definition of perversion, has emerged, and will continue to emerge. Moreover, no discussion of the prevailing ideas about perversion can proceed in isolation from the social context of the moral

Category: Psychology - S