An often misunderstood realm of human sexuality - Research Paper Example

Section/# Kink: An Often Misunderstood Realm of Human Sexuality When the terms kink and BDSM are used, they usually convey a host of implications. Many of these implications are invariably negative. Likewise, due to the fact that kink and BDSM represent such a broad range of activities that only the most negative connotations of the term are often considered when the topic is brought up. For purposes of this research, the term kink will describe unconventional sexual behaviors to include: bondage, sadism, masochism, discipline, dominance/submission, erotic role play, fetishism, voyeurism, and consensual non-monogamy. Although the terms may appear to deviate significantly from what a more traditional understanding of human sexual relationships may involve, a further analysis of kind and BDSM reveals that far higher numbers of society engage in related practices than pervasive cultural conditioning and understanding may lead one to believe (Newmahr 2010). As stated, due to the fact that these terms are not often used in the course of day to day activities and/or within mainstream culture, they retain a certain highly pejorative nature. This is especially true of the terms sado-masochism which evoke the feelings of a sensationalized example of pain and torture that is not the result of a mutually consensual behavior that is engaged upon by two or more people who have distinctly understood and agreed to the terms of a particular session prior to it taking place. Instead, society has a fictionalized view of what transpires within the realm of the BDSM community and the practices that are employed. However, such sensationalized views of human sexuality as they relate to the notion of kink are entirely and patently false. A recent study found that the most practitioners of kink that was employed among members of the kink community from more than 29 countries revolved around relatively mild forms of kink (Weis 2006). These included what could be termed “sensation play” to include biting, candle wax play, caressing, massaging, as well as employing the use of feathers/fur. Likewise, when one understands that kink and BDSM incorporates such a wide array of sexual interactions to include things as diverse as candle wax and the implementation of feathers and fur into foreplay, it becomes clearly understood that the societal understanding of kink and BDSM relating exclusively to chains, whips, and the exhortation and receipt of pain is fundamentally flawed. Naturally, such information helps the observer to understand that the kink community is greatly more expansive than merely inclusive of a small subset of what some might consider extreme aberrant sexual behavior. Furthermore, since BDSM is described as a type of kink, it is necessitated to explore this expression of human sexual behavior and attempt to understand it from both the perspective of those that engage in the practice responsibly and from a psychological standpoint. Although the purpose of this paper is not to engage in an exhaustive study of human psychological relationships to the act of sexual intercourse, the fact of the matter remains, and should be at the very least tacitly accepted by anyone attempting to study the subject, that human psychology affects sexual behavior in a profound and powerful way; perhaps more so than any other biological factor (Beckham 2010). In this manner, it is possible to understand that unique dynamics of power and role playing are what most define the practices of those that engage in BDSM play (Duhman 2011). Rather than being a physical need to express a sense of pain or experience pain or dominance of another, the psychological reasons for this type of action are far more appropriate towards explaining the behavior of its participants. Several researchers have attempted to categorize kink and those that engage in its various manifestations as recreational activities comparable to that of a hobby. Although this seems to be a bit of a stretch, when one attempts to understand the types of activities that members of the kink and BDSM community engage in, it can easily be understood as a function of a particular outlet that they are seeking to expand upon and/or explore. Multiple studies have looked at the prevalence of BDSM and kink within the standard sex lives of stable and long-term couples. What has been determined is that rather than BDSM and kink being a defining factor of sexual relations between the two, it is merely a manifestation of a realm of exploration that the couple is highly likely to engage in. Again, the sexual lives of its participants are not dominated by an adherence to a belief that only BDSM and only kink activities are able to define the sex-life; instead, it has been shown that these are merely manifestations of the ways in which these couples choose to explore their own psychological interest, needs, and sexual desires. Though this analysis has briefly attempted to define kink and BDSM within the contexts of which it actually exists in mainstream culture, it is of equal importance to note how BDSM and kink is interpreted by mainstream culture. Although society has seen widespread acceptance of hitherto non-accepted forms of human sexual expression, there has been few movements in terms of general cultural attitudes pertaining to BDSM and kink. Advocates for the practice point to the fact that mainstream culture is dominated by a media that has a very one dimensional view of sexual relations and/or expression. This has been manifest by the fact that it has taken the gay rights movement a period of around 30 years just to achieve some small level of acceptance in their communities (Connan 2010). Furthermore, studies into how the American public views the BDSM community have revealed that a statistical majority of respondents view kink/BDSM as a form of sexual deviancy that is a result of a form of pathology. With such narrow minded and culturally defined views of the kink and BDSM community, it is of little wonder that the practice has not achieved a greater level of acceptance within our society. However, as discussed, the single largest impediment to this non-acceptance is not due to the fact that kink is rejected for what it in fact is; rather, it is rejected by society as a result of the stigma and negative associations that many individuals wrongly equate with it. Naturally, one of the largest impediments towards kink and BDSM being more widely accepted as a form of sexual expression within society is the fact that many individuals still hold highly negative feelings with regards to this practice as a function of their incorrect belief that those that engage in kink are extolling sensations and emotions that are indicative to those of rape. Human sexual psychology has spent a great deal of time discussing the odd juxtaposition of human role play that borders on power dynamics/rape situations and how it applies to the personal interpretation of actual crime and criminality among the participants (Weis 2006). Although one might be led to believe that a particular form of sexual dominance that strongly mimics a criminal behavior punishable under law (when the practice is performed between non-consenting adults) is indicative of how the participating individuals might behave outside of the bedroom, this is patently false. Numerous studies have confirmed that this correlation does not exist. However, society continues to dub the practices associated with kink and BDSM with the pejorative label of deviancy. This type of thinking is extraordinarily shallow as it reverts back to the same flawed reasoning that has barred homosexuals from positions working with children under the faulty logic that these individuals are somehow more likely prone to criminal mischief and/or pedophilia as a result of their sexual orientation. Since this has been proven categorically incorrect, the same can be said with respect to those individuals that engage in kink and BDSM. Although it is a defining part of their sexual expression, it has been statistically and clinically proven that it does not have a direct effect on the overall propensity of the individual to engage in unlawful practices that are a reflection of their sex lives. The research clearly maintains the within the vast majority of those who engage in kink an BDSM practices, clear boundaries define the role of sexual expression/play and those norms and mores that exist outside of the particular scene in question. In this way, the belief that individuals that practice kink and BDSM are somehow unable to restrain their feelings merely serves to dehumanize the practice and give further credence to those that seek to portray it in a negative light. In short, kink and BDSM account for a wide array of practices that define a movement much larger than most would be willing to assume. Accordingly, due to the size of the group that adheres to many of the definitions of kink and BDSM, understanding the movement is of vital necessity in defining what is and what is not sexually deviant within our own society. Although one could categorize such actions as a form of sexual “deviancy”, the term in this case would only best be understood as one which refers to the fact that it is not practiced across the board and among all individuals within a given community/culture. References Beckman, F., & Blake, C. (2010). Visions of Cruelty. Angelaki: Journal Of The Theoretical Humanities, 15(1), 149-167. doi:10.1080/0969725X.2010.496179 Connan, S. (2010). A kink in the process. Therapy Today, 21(6), 10-15. Dueholm, B. J. (2011). Rules of Misbehavior. (cover story). Washington Monthly, 43(3/4), 29-36. Newmahr, S. (2010). Rethinking Kink: Sadomasochism as Serious Leisure. Qualitative Sociology, 33(3), 313-331. doi:10.1007/s11133-010-9158 Weiss, M. D. (2006). Mainstreaming Kink: The Politics of BDSM Representation in U.S. Popular Media. Journal Of Homosexuality, 50(2/3), 103-132. Read More