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Cited by 298Sexual function and dysfunction studiesSexuality, Behavior, and TechnologyMarriage and Sexual Relationships

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 24 of the 31 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

The Nature of Sexual Desire: A Clinician's Perspective

Levine, Stephen B.·2003·Archives of Sexual Behavior
DOI 10.1023/a:1023421819465
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Abstract

Sexual desire is the sum of the forces that lean us toward and away from sexual behavior. The ordinary spectrum of sexual desire's intensity ranges between aversion, disinclination, indifference, interest, need, and passion. Although many individuals have a characteristic pattern of desire throughout their adult lives, this spectrum evolves considerably over the life cycle. It is clinically useful to think of desire as consisting of drive (biological), motive (individual and relationship psychology), and wish (cultural) components. Four master variables--age, gender, social situation, and health--affect sexual desire so basically that many remain blind to their presence. Five dark paradoxes of desire envelop most people at some time in their privacy: (1) Drive and motive are not in sync; (2) Behavioral fidelity is often associated with longing for infidelity; (3) Despite moral proscriptions, lust is possible; (4) Familiarity diminishes sexual interest; and (5) Derogation enhances sexual expression. Clinicians cannot afford to simplify desire's inherent contradictions. Researchers must simplify desire in order to measure it. In both the clinician's and the researcher's hands, sexual desire is a slippery concept.

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Citations

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Show all 31 references

Research works printed but not linked: 10

  1. Everaerd, W., Laan, E. T. M., Both, S., & Van Der Velde, J. (2000). Female sexuality. In L. T. Szuchman & F. Muscarella (Eds.), Psychological perspectives on human sexuality (pp. 101­146). New York: Wiley.
  2. Levine, S. B. (1988). Individual and intrapsychic factors in sexual desire. In S. R. Leiblum & R. C. Rosen (Eds.), Clinical perspectives on sexual desire disorders (pp. 21­44). New York: Guilford Press.
  3. Levine, S. B. (1989). Sex is not simple. Columbus: Ohio Psychology Publications.
  4. Levine, S. B. (1995). The vagaries of sexual desire. In S. R. Leiblum & R. C. Rosen (Eds.), Case studies in sex therapy (pp. 96­109). New York: Guilford Press.
  5. Levine, S. B. (1997). Solving common sexual problems. Livingston, NJ: Jason Aronson.
  6. Levine, S. B. (1998). Sexuality in midlife. New York: Plenum.
  7. Levine, S. B. (1999). Male heterosexuality. In R. C. Friedman & J. I. Downey (Eds.), Masculinity and sexuality: Selected topics in the psychology of men (pp. 29­54). Washington DC: American Psychiatric Press.
  8. Schnarch, D. M. (2000). Desire problems: A systemic perspective. In S. R. Lieblum & R. C. Rosen (Eds.), Principles and practice of sex therapy (3rd ed., pp. 17­56). New York: Guilford Press.
  9. Simon, W. (2002). Desire is a fuzzy matrix. Zeitschrift für Sexualforschung, 15, 150­160.
  10. Stoller, R. J. (1975). Perversion: The erotic form of hatred. New York: Pantheon Books.

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Metadata

Authors
Levine, S. B.
Affiliations
Case Western Reserve University (US)
Corresponding author
Levine, Stephen B.
ORCID
Levine, Stephen B.
Venue
Archives of Sexual Behavior
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2003-06
Volume
32
Issue
3
Pages
279-285
ISSN
  • 0004-0002 (ISSN-L)
  • 1573-2800
DOI
10.1023/a:1023421819465
OpenAlex
W132367908
Cited by
280
References
31
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 14 · 2023: 15 · 2022: 13 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 20 · 2019: 21 · 2018: 15 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 17 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 16 · 2013: 13 · 2012: 11
FWCI
6.08
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
Locations
  • Archives of Sexual Behavior (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Sexual function and dysfunction studies
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Sexuality, Behavior, and Technology
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Marriage and Sexual Relationships
Keywords
sexual desire, sexual motivation, sexual drive, sexual aversion, infidelity, behavioral fidelity, lust
MeSH terms
Adult, Age Factors, Aged, Female, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Male, Middle Aged, Motivation, Sexual Behavior, Sex Factors, Sexual Dysfunctions, Psychological

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CoChat. (2026). Citation check: The Nature of Sexual Desire: A Clinician's Perspective. https://app.cochat.ai/papers/10.1023/a:1023421819465
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Levine, S. B. (2003). The Nature of Sexual Desire: A Clinician's Perspective. Archives of Sexual Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1023/a%3A1023421819465

Data sources

Bibliographic data: Semantic Scholar, OpenAlex, Crossref.

Contains information from the Semantic Scholar Academic Graph Datasets, made available under the ODC Attribution License (ODC-BY 1.0).

Semantic Scholar’s data is described in: Kinney, R., et al. (2023). The Semantic Scholar Open Data Platform. arXiv:2301.10140.