Expose the myth. Sex is not a basic need.

Misconceptions about the nature of sex can distort your perception of the world.

In one Facebook public, during a heated discussion, a comment struck that a sex is not a basic physiological need. The Master of Psychology, driven into the backyard of my soul, rebelled in earnest. A post-graduate student of the Department of Clinical Psychology, who had long been considered missing, joined the revolt. This was followed by anger, indignation and anger. After all, a person with a repressed sexual need can not be happy, and in general, sex is all over the head. But if you turn to the original sources, unshakable postulates in reality turn out to be myths and pseudoscientific statements. For example, the myth of sex as a basic need, was taken for granted and entrenched in the philistine brains. Take a chisel and proceed to the destruction.

(pixabay image)

What are the basic physiological needs of the body? American researcher Abraham Maslow introduced the concept of physiological needs, which he placed at the base of his “pyramid”. They included the need for air, water, food, shelter, sleep, and reproduction (sex). Many years later, it turned out that Maslow never painted any pyramids. He studied needs, built a hierarchy, but the pyramid for him was drawn by one of the followers in the seventies to visually structure the model. The idea was commercially viable, and Maslow's Pyramid was scattered among the masses. The essence of this theory is that it is impossible to “jump up” to a higher level of needs without satisfying the previous one. For example, there was a rumor about an imminent war, the country is imposing martial law, the need for security is escalating. And until the need for protection is “closed”, you will not be able to fully realize yourself in more exalted needs — in family, in work, in creative achievements. The expression “the artist must be hungry” loses its relevance. Until the artist is satisfied, he will not be able to achieve the highest level of hierarchy - self-expression through creativity. Maslow's hierarchy often came up against criticism, which led followers to revise and "hew theory". In particular, the fact that if the low needs are not satisfied, this does not mean that further behavior will be due to this dissatisfaction. For example, if a person had a difficult childhood and did not have the desired family model in front of his eyes, this does not mean that he will become a scum of society and never deserve respect or recognition. In other words, a hungry artist is still able to create masterpieces. And the declaration of martial law can not only not worsen, but also strengthen your productivity.

Why is sexual need considered basic if a person can live and create without it?

Let's return to basic physiological needs. If you breathe, sleep, drink and eat, people begin immediately after birth, then the sexual need begins in them at a later period. Accordingly, it cannot be called a congenital need, without which life becomes impossible. If the basic physiological need to call the desire of a person for reproduction - the creation of his own kind, then can a person receive security, friendship and recognition, being childless? And being in celibacy? The answer is obvious: yes, it can. Famous virgins are often called Emmanuel Kant and Isaac Newton. There was more recognition and respect for scientific achievements and creative content in their lives than in the lives of their contemporaries.

History remembers many examples where sex was viewed not as a need, but as a means to satisfy other needs.

• Sex for protection and safety
• Sex for financial well-being
• Sex for status (husband or wife)
• Sex for moving up the career ladder
• Sex with the purpose of gaining recognition (through relationships with a famous person)
• Sex as a means of self-realization (creation of clubs, training and educational centers)

What is a basic need? Basic - these are the needs that are necessary for the life of the individual. Why is sexual need considered basic if a person can live and create without it?

How can we consider sex in a new way if we remove it from the list of basic needs?

• Sex can be viewed not as a need, but as an objective component of childbirth. But childbirth is by no means obligatory for every man - a man or a woman. As well as sex in the XXI century - not a mandatory procedure for conception, and various IVF centers confirm this.
• Sex as a dynamic substance, pushing for any action or achievement. Here we can take sex for pleasure or sex for the satisfaction of other needs. Here sex is considered as a method, or a tool for communication, intimacy or mercantile benefits.

If you open the definition of physiological needs in the Soviet encyclopedia, you will see that there is also no sexual need. It even describes a dream as a controversial need, and sexual is generally excluded from the list of physiological.

Sex as a basic physiological need is an example of fake pseudoscientific terminology. Thanks to this definition, many women and men distort themselves and the world around them. Such distortions can lead to the generation of new myths and deep convictions, the consequences of which a person can disentangle his entire life.