Masturbation and Self-esteem

Many of you (or few? My marketing abilities fell by the wayside on this one) may remember a survey I designed via Survey Monkey back in November. I had been brainstorming about how self-esteem affects masturbation: frequency, intensity, gain, and felt a mini-study might provide some insight. Noticing I felt turned on more frequently and more mentally engaged in personal sexual conduct when happy with my appearance and social life, I pondered if these psychological manifestations might be positively correlated.

So... I designed a pretty shitty survey. I have yet to take experimental psychology and asked what I thought *might* probe at my hypothesis. For example, my first questioned asked, "Do you genuinely like yourself?" Vague but somewhat revealing. 71% of my 50-person (facebook-induced!) data pool said "Yes, my personality and my looks." An interesting 23% said "Yes, my personality but I don't find myself attractive." We could be getting somewhere...

After having respondents rank on a scale of 1-10 their self-esteem (common answer: a high-medium 7), masturbation frequency questions revealed that 30% masturbate quite often (once per day) and another 30% masturbate a few times per week. Again, standard figures from a pool of people approximately 70% white, 98% ages 20-25.

Here I probe, "Do you ever think about yourself while masturbating?" Though this question may have nothing to do with my hypothesis (you can have high-self esteem without being incredibly narcissistic!) 41% of respondents admitted that they sometimes do. Respondents enjoyed thinking about their accomplishments, abilities, intellect, confidence, positive attitude, and success with the opposite sex.

However, the majority of frequent masturbating twenty-somethings never have thought about themselves while masturbating (54.2%.) This diversity of opinion points to a major flaw in my mini-study--lack of information. Further questions could have accessed why said respondents decidedly do not think of themselves while self-pleasuring. Is sexuality something they view more externally from themselves? Do accomplishments and confidence contribute at all to their understanding of sexuality and dominance?

One study published in the Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology measuring self-efficacy as well as self-esteem in sexually active 18-year-olds (1991) concluded, "There is need for adolescents to achieve a sense of mastery and self-worth in the sexual domain." Though this outcome supports my hypothesis, it still skims the periphery of the individual's self-perception and how that is linked to perception of pleasure in a fully safe place (alone). Perhaps I'll get back to you after I read the classic Masturbation, Self Esteem and Other Variables* (1973)...Google scholar, you allude me!

Product Review: Climax Pop Vibrator

I am no at-home vibrator expert. I know what all the crazy vibe/dildo combos potentially do; for example, the rabbit stimulates your clitoris while simultaneously pressing on your gspot through vibrations on several levels, including pearls on the shaft. I know what it means for a vibrator to have greater strength than another, or what the difference between a silicone and plastic vibrator might feel like. But, in my short lifetime, I've only owned three: two of which don't classify as anything beyond pocket rockets, and one which has been my sole proprietor to cater to any animalistic needs.

My sole proprietor, which I will name, uh, Odysseus, for the purposes of this review, is a medium length (4") bright orange plastic rod with four miniature metal rotating balls stationed at the top on a circular plane. The metal spinners take the brunt of the batteries' power, acting as a pulsating unit to titilate the hood of clitoris. The power of its double A is strong and loud. An apartment with thin walls is Odysseus' antagonist.

Enter little Blue, who I will now (ironically) refer to as Charybdis. He is less than 3" long with a spherical top (pictured above). He is silicone, waterproof, and powers on with those little buttons our posterity might stick in their hearing aids. Though soft, supple and discreet compared to the cacophony that is Odysseus, Charybdis loses his strength through the thick walls of the silicone. He is merely a pop dominated, at least in my corner, by his predecessor Odysseus.

And yet, Charybdis must not be discounted from the general market. He or any of his brethren (he comes in pink, orange, and Charybdis blue) might suit a clitoris-clad body not used to the pumping waves of Odyseus's buzzer, or a fresh perineum. His calm demeanor, classy small size and cute figure could be a welcome addition to any bedside drawer, especially for a vibrator rookie. In short, I would recommend the Climax Pop to anyone looking to try a vibe for the first time or looking for an easy travel companion. If a Climax Pop goes off spontaneously in your dresser, no one but the panties (and a garter or two) will know.

You can purchase a Climax Pop for an easy $15.00 at Babeland.