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The Erotic Encounter

161 Frank St., Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K2P 0X4.

What is the nature of eroticism? What is the role of eroticism in sexual interaction? The answers to these questions are explored as are their implications for the understanding and treatment of sexual desire problems. To the extent that sexuality has typically been defined in the sex therapy literature in terms of a pattern of physiological and observable, behavioral events, the phenomenology of erotic experience has been overlooked. Eroticism involves the intent to contact and arouse another. The erotic experience is to be found with a partner who values enhancing sexual pleasure for each other for its own sake rather than as a means to a goal, for example, tension release, orgasm, intercourse. The erotic encounter involves the shared exploration of sexual wishes, dreams, and fantasies. It is argued that eroticism is a central component in the maintenance of sexual desire. The absence of eroticism is linked to the prevalence of chronic sexual dissatisfaction and inhibited sexual desire among those who are otherwise fully functional. The taboos surrounding sexual arousal and the seeking of sexual pleasure are examined. The value of eroticism for the individual and the couple is discussed in terms of deepening of self-knowledge, self-affirmation, mutual trust, and intimacy. Implications for clinicians are addressed. A shift in paradigms is recommended from the prevailing one, focusing on sexual function versus dysfunction, to another that emphasizes the potential for sharing erotic experience.

Journal of Humanistic Psychology, Vol. 36, No. 3, 105-123 (1996)
DOI: 10.1177/00221678960363008


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