Psychosexual development and sexual dysfunctions

Abstract

Within human sexuality three basic pillars are entwined: biological factors; individual personality or psychosexuality, which encompasses the sexual identity of the subject concerned, as well as the interaction and conveyance of the different types of affection for those closest to them (together with the relationalaspects derived) and the life circumstances at each moment; and the sociocultural environment in which it is lived. The sexual development of an individual bears a resemblance to a relay race: genetic and chromosomal influences and hormonal, environmental, and psychosocial factors appear in a chronological sequence. Each of them, regardless of the opinion of different authors and schools, plays the main role at certain moments, although in the end all need the others to achieve the ultimate goal of being a grown, sexually mature, and healthy individual (according to an interactionist model), which in turn leads to the enhancement of the personal identity (including sexual identity and narcissism itself). Sexuality is therefore a more general phenomenon than plain physical sex. In this regard a curious paradox is worth noting: human sexual behavior is scarcely known, at least from a scientific perspective and through epidemiological and gender-relevant studies. Finally, sexual dysfunctions represent a group of heterogeneous disorders and include an array of processes that affect the general population, generating a high impact at the quality of life and interpersonal relationship levels, and they are analyzed here from the perspective of the new DSM-5.