The Sexual Reactions of The Male
 

Much has been written about the sexual emotions and habits of the female, but very little, by comparison, about the male. This is not surprising since, from the standpoint of psychology and physical structure, woman is by far the more interesting and complicated of the sexes. Man, on the other hand, is a relatively simple sexual machine, running on a single track and headed in only one direction. All men could easily have been stamped out and assembled on the same production line so far as their sexual emotions propel them, so far as their capabilities exist for satisfying themselves, and so far as their capacities for giving satisfaction extend.

Man sees a woman and immediately desires her. Within one minute he can automatically sustain an erection, within two minutes can experience orgasm, and within three minutes can be sound asleep. That is the skeleton of his sexual individuality. Men vary, of course, but their variations are slight and only such as are to be expected. Consequently, there is little to be said about the sexual behavior of the normal man.

One does not think of erogenous zones in connection with a man, because for all practical purposes he has only two: the mouth and the penis. As with a woman, it is true that any area of the male body in contact with that of a female part will induce desire if the couple is denied privacy. In bed, however, bodily contact localizes itself.

Generally speaking, a man is stimulated by a woman's mouth anywhere, but by her hand only at the genitals. Specifically, the neck, mouth, breast nipples, waist, groin, genitals, and inside thigh are responsive only to oral contact. The ear and shoulder are not to be considered. Practically speaking, unless a woman goes out of her way to stimulate her husband, which few unfortunately do, the only erogenous zones brought into play are the mouth arid genitals. Man is the exploratory creature, and the preponderance of his pre-intercourse excitement comes from handling the female.

The entire male sex is, as a rule, easily and readily aroused. Although preferring to spend a few minutes in exploring the female body, any man can successfully engage in intercourse after a minute of intimate contact with his partner. Orgasm can be attained easily within two minutes, and is usually not sustained longer than three-quarters of a minute. A man experiences no more than one true orgasm during a relationship; should he sustain more, it is only because the first was incomplete. Such an occurrence will take place not more than once in a hundred acts of intercourse. In fact, it is doubtful that the average man will experience three double orgasms in an entire lifetime.

Abatement is almost immediate; within a minute or less, he is thoroughly cooled. Although he may occasionally feel exhausted following orgasm and lie completely limp and relaxed, this is not a state of emotion. It is a state of recuperation. Once the fever of the male has subsided, further sexual intimacy for the period is disagreeable. He loses with absolute completeness all sexual desire for the woman at his side. Even his kisses are an effort and a forced, insincere expression of sexual feeling. Anything further he may do is the result purely of a sense of duty and not emotion. Frequently he wonders why he was cursed with desire, since it is such a relief to feel calm and composed. Now, he wishes only to be left alone.

In connection with a repeated intercourse, the average man is capable of restimulation within a period of from fifteen minutes to an hour. Sometimes the second orgasm is more intense; sometimes it is not. However, the second can be delayed for a lengthy period with practically no effort, since the initial emotional stage obviously is not so high. Although there are occasions on which every man has indulged the desire for a repeated relationship, such occasions are rare and are deleterious to male health. It is more frequent for a woman to desire a repetition. When this occurs, it is because she was not completely satisfied in the first place, although it does happen occasionally that repeated intimacy may be wanted for its own sake.

As is to be expected, passion is a varying element among males, as it is among females, but it is limited to eagerness and to behavior during the orgasm. The majority of men are reasonably gentle; the rhythm they maintain is moderate. There is a large group, however, who behave as though they would tear a woman apart, and some in fact do occasionally cause vaginal bleeding. The rhythm, then, varies from a slow, deep penetration to a furious battering, but the majority engage in a brisk, energetic movement of moderate depth.

The build-up is a tickling sensation that starts in the head of the penis, seems to run completely up the organ as it gathers a pleasurable intensity, and then bursts with a series of convulsive and uncontrollable spurting expansions and contractions as the male sperm is ejaculated. The male exhibits a tendency to accelerate the tempo of his rhythm as a climax approaches in an endeavor to bring it on with a rush. As soon as the spurting has ceased, the male has the desire to relax, and it is this reaction, if he succumbs to it, which leaves his partner unsatisfied.

One fact should be emphasized. Once climax has been attained, if it is of the individual orgasm type, such as it is with the male, passion abates rapidly for both men and women. There is one difference, however. Whereas the male now prefers to forget the relationship as quickly as possible, a woman is not averse to and, indeed, prefers, a measure of petting as if to be assured that her husband's affection for her is just as deep as it appeared to be some minutes previously. The thoughtful male, then, will drop off to sleep with his arms about his wife and will continue to hold her close until such time as she is inclined to fall asleep. That is the proper finale. Every woman resents deeply the brusque tendency of the male to say "Good Night" wearily and turn over on his side. All the physical attraction created during the preceding interval is immediately cancelled by such indifference. A woman may never complain about this. She may complain about the roughness of his beard, and even this she will do timidly and apologetically, but rarely about his sexual oversights. Certain behaviors the male himself must remember, because a woman will hesitate to mention them.

Perhaps the greatest variation among men is their behavior during the orgasm. Like women, some burst into sobbing, others shake their head violently and utter cries which may be heard in adjoining rooms, others whimper softly. These are the highly passionate type and represent the minority. The remainder react generally the same. Some may pant more violently than others, but usually, the orgasm results in a deep breathing as if the male had totally exhausted himself, which for the moment he has.

If a male is breathing heavily during the build-up, it is sometimes difficult for a woman to determine when he has reached the climax. Of course, she never has any trouble detecting the orgasm of the highly passionate, but with one who is more reserved in his behavior, particularly if contraceptive devices are being used or if the vagina is not sensitive, it is almost impossible to determine the orgastic point.

Man's sexual ignorance is largely the cause of the incompatibility so prominent today. However, his chief error is one of omission rather than commission, and since faults of the former are usually the lesser of the two evils, they are the more easily corrected. Compared sexually with woman, nature has smiled upon him. He is quickly aroused and certain to be satisfied, but woman has been constructed as a complete opposite. Indeed, two natures could hardly be less compatible than the sexual natures of man and woman. Therefore, it is not remarkable that sexual incompatibility exists as a constant threat, since nature seems purposefully to have done all she can to encourage it. How important to matrimonial permanence, then, is the need for proper sexual adjustment !