Alfred Kinsey
Alfred Kinsey, styled as the father of Sexology, was the lead author of the Kinsey Reports. His work in the area was used to argue for liberalization of attitudes towards gay and bisexual people, and continues to be profoundly influential. Some of his research concerned adult-child sexual contacts:
The contacts often involved considerable affection, and some of the older females in the sample felt that their pre-adolescent experiences had contributed favourably to their later socio-sexual development. On the other hand, some 80 per cent of the children had been emotionally upset or frightened by their contacts with adults. A small portion had been seriously disturbed; but in most instances the reported fright was nearer the level that children will show when they see insects, spiders, or other objects against which they have been adversely conditioned. If a child were not culturally conditioned, it is doubtful if it would be disturbed by sexual approaches of the sort which had usually been involved in these histories. It is difficult to understand why a child, except for its cultural conditioning, should be disturbed at having its genitalia touched, or disturbed at seeing the genitalia of other persons, or disturbed at even more specific sexual contacts.[...]
Some of the more experienced students of juvenile problems have come to believe that the emotional reaction of the parents, police officers, and other adults who discover that the child has had such a contact, may disturb the child more seriously than the sexual contacts themselves. The current hysteria over sex offenders may very well have serious effects on the ability of many of these children to work out sexual adjustments some years later in their marriages.
Sexual Behavior in the Human Female, p.121.[1]
Despite attacks from conservatives such as Judith Reisman, and repeated slander from "radical" feminists, Kinsey's legacy appears to be intact. In 2022, to mark the 75th anniversary of the Kinsey Institute, Indiana University unveiled a bronze statue of Kinsey on their Bloomington campus.[2] In 2023, the Kinsey Institute was "defunded" by the Indiana House, despite receiving no direct funds from government.[3]
Examples of Kinsey's books with publisher's descriptions:
- Sexual Behavior in the Human Male
When published in 1948 this volume encountered a storm of condemnation and acclaim. It is, however, a milestone on the path toward a scientific approach to the understanding of human sexual behavior. Dr. Alfred C. Kinsey and his fellow researchers sought to accumulate an objective body of facts regarding sex. They employed first hand interviews to gather this data. This volume is based upon histories of approximately 5,300 males which were collected during a fifteen year period. This text describes the methodology, sampling, coding, interviewing, statistical analyses, and then examines factors and sources of sexual outlet.
- Sexual Behavior in the Human Female
Originally published in 1953, the material presented in Sexual Behavior in the Human Female was derived from personal interviews with nearly 6,000 women; from studies in sexual anatomy, physiology, psychology, and endocrinology. The study revealed the incidence and frequency with which women participate in various types of sexual activity and how such factors as age, decade of birth, and religious adherence are reflected in patterns of sexual behavior. The authors make comparisons of female and male sexual activities and investigate the factors which account for the similarities and differences between female and male patterns of behavior and provide some measure of the social significance of the various types of sexual behavior.
See also
- Research
- Bruce Rind - An admirer of Kinsey's method, has produced statistical analyses based on his data.
- Memes and Graphics - Kinsey is the basis for a few of our informational memes.
- Thomas O'Carroll - Influenced by Kinsey's research.
- Vern Bullough - One of Kinsey's academic supporters.
- Clarence Tripp - Academic supporter.
- Michel Foucault - Queer Theory's equivalent to Kinsey.
- William Simon - Worked with Kinsey and inspired modern sociologists (see Ken Plummer)
External links
- Wikipedia - full biography.
- The Kinsey Institute
- The Kinsey Syndrome - Book that blames Kinsey for child abductions.
- Phil Donahue episode - Featuring Clarence Tripp, a former Kinsey Researcher and Judith Reisman.
- "Sexual Behavior in the Human Male" by Alfred C. Kinsey at PDFdrive, at Libgen
- "Sexual Behavior in the Human Female" by Alfred C. Kinsey & Wardell B. Pomeroy & Paul H. Gebhard at PDFDrive, at Libgen