Historical Perspectives On Masturbation: The 20th Century
Acceptance of masturbation and sexuality in the twentieth century can be traced back to the work of three important pioneers in their respective fields: Sigmund Freud, Alfred Kinsey and Betty Dodson. Sigmund Freud normalized masturbation and sexuality, Alfred Kinsey proved that everyone was masturbating, and Betty Dodson showed us how to masturbate and enjoy our sexuality.
Freud normalized the sexual experience and therefore masturbation, through his five stage psychosexual development model based upon the memories of his adult patients. Although his theory has been critiqued as the research was based upon memory rather than actual observation of children progressing through the five developmental stages, Freud's five part theory normalized masturbation and sexuality by stating that every human experiences oral, anal, homosexual, narcissistic and genital fixations and that it is a normal procedure for proper sexual development and maturity. Unfortunately Freud also decreed masturbation as an immature activity and inhibited development in contrast with penis-vagina sexuality. If Freud normalized sexuality and masturbation, it was Alfred Kinsey who proved that people were masturbating and that masturbation was a pleasurable experience for both men and women.
Alfred Kinsey, a biologist cum sex researcher who eventually founded the Kinsey Institute of Sex and the field of Sexology, interviewed thousands of men and women to document the precise sexual activities in which they were engaging. His two books, Sexual Behavior in the Human Male (1948) and Sexual Behavior in the Human Female (1953) debunked many of the commonly held views of sexuality and masturbation. Kinsey treated all aspects of sexuality, including masturbation, equally and he "noted that masturbation was the activity most likely to result in orgasm for women, and spoke out against the Freudian notion of masturbation as an immature activity" (Good Vibrations).
Where her predecessors blazed the trail for accepting masturbation, Betty Dodson showed us how to masturbate and how to achieve orgasm. Not only did Betty Dodson demystify the orgasm and the vibrator for women and for men, she also is a steady advocate of frequent masturbation and sex. Both of her books, Sex for One and Orgasms for Two, include detailed pictures and anatomical explanations for how to achieve orgasm through masturbation whether alone or with a partner. Dodson continually challenges women [and men] to love their genitals and to enjoy not only physical but also spiritual self-love through masturbation and becoming familiar with one's own body. Her workshops have gained national following as have her individual sex therapy sessions where she instructs couples on how to best pleasure one another through masturbation and intercourse to achieve orgasms. Betty Dodson also hosts her own website where she answers questions regarding masturbation and sexuality and continues to debunk the myths and misconceptions surrounding masturbation and sexuality.
Despite not having influenced public opinion regarding masturbation and sexuality in the same manner as Freud, Kinsey and Dodson, sex toy and vibrator manufacturers and distributors have lent a hand in promoting masturbation. Early ads in the Sears & Roebuck catalogs advertise "massagers" proffering "health, vigor, and beauty" for women. These creative advertising campaigns, posting the vibrator as a cure-all for illness, greatly increased vibrator popularity although the campaigns became more subtle as time progressed. Today, thanks to continued development of sex toy technology as well as an active market, sex toy manufacturers bring both women and men thousands of options to help make masturbation a pleasurable and rewarding experience.