Love and Orgasm

320 Pages·1965·3.397 MB·English

by  alexander lowen

THE SEXUAL ROLES
OF MEN AND WOMEN
Why does a woman become a "butch"
or "dyke" type of lesbian? What drives
a homosexual to risk arrest? What fix-
ates a woman in the sexual role of
prostitute, sister-spouse, mother-wife
.. . the man as playboy, great lover,
big brother? What are the causes of
orgiastic impotence?
Love and Orgasm differentiates be-
tween sexuality and sensuality, be-
tween partial and full orgasm. The
first full-scale work on Reich's orgasm
theory, it analyzes the inseparable
connection between one's sexual func-
tion and one's personality. Dr. Lowen
presents many fascinating case his-
tories, as he describes the act of
intercourse and shows why only the
mature individual can experience the
true orgasm of heterosexual love.
SIGNET Titles of Special Interest
q THE SEX RESEARCHERS by Edward M. Brecher.
The first historical account of Western man's ef-
forts to understand his own sexuality within a
scientific framework—from the secret sexual lives
of the Victorians to the much publicized wife-
swappings of the sixties. "Fascinating ... belongs
in most public and all college libraries."—Library
Journal
q AN ANALYSIS OF HUMAN SEXUAL INADEQUACY
by Robert Chartham. Describes in case-history de-
tail, step-by-step, the techniques used by the Re-
productive Biology Foundation to help the men
and women who have come to them. Included is
an article by Margaret Mead discussing the new
sexual freedom and how it affects the young
q SEX FOR ADVANCED LOVERS by Robert Chart-
ham. A sophisticated and most explicit manual
for adults—a variety of techniques to enrich the
pleasure of sexual love and overcome inhibitions.
The author is an authority in the field of sex edu-
cation.
q 101 INTIMATE SEXUAL PROBLEMS ANSWERED
by LeMon Clark, M.D. Drawing on his years as
physician, professor, and editor, LeMon Clark,
M.D. provides straightforward answers to the
questions men and women ask most about sex.
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LOVE
AND
ORGASM
ALEXANDER LOWEN, M.D.
0
A SIGNET BOOK from
NEW AMERICAN LIBRARY
TIMES MIRROR
COPYRIGHT © ALEXANDER LOWEN, M.D., 1965.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or
utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying, recording or by any information storage
and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the
Publisher. For information address The Macmillan Company,
866 Third Avenue, New York, New York 10022. Collier-
Macmillan Canada, Ltd., Toronto, Ontario.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 65-20180
Line from the song, "Stone Cutters Cut It On Stone," copyright
© 1954, Williamson Music Inc., used by permission of T. B.
Harms Company.
This is an authorized reprint of a hardcover edition published by
The Macmillan Company.
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Acknowledgments
My thanks are due to a number of people who graciously gave
their time and effort to the preparation of this book. I especial-
ly wish to acknowledge my indebtedness to Mrs. Adele Lewis,
my editorial assistant, who read the manuscript with me and
contributed many suggestions to the writing of it; to Mr. Walter
Skalecki for preparing the drawings and diagrams; to Mr.
Stephen Zoll, formerly senior editor at The Macmillan Com-
pany, for his interest and support; and to my friends and col-
leagues with whom I discussed the ideas expressed in this book.

TO WILHELM REICH
whose discovery of the function of
the orgasm made this book possible

Contents
1. Sexual Sophistication versus Sexual Maturity 11
2. Sex and Love 27
3. Love and Sex 41
4. Death, Sex, and Individuality 55
5. Homosexuality 71
6. The Lesbian Personality 99
7. Latent Homosexuality 121
8. Heterosexuality 145
9. Male and Female Sexuality 161
10. Sensuality versus Sexuality 175
11. The Sexual Orgasm 193
12. Orgastic Impotence in the Male 209
13. Orgastic Impotence in the Female 231
14. The Double Standard 255
15. The Sexual Roles of the Female 265
16. The Sexual Roles of the Male 289
17. The Truth of the Body 309