By: ALMAS, A.C.

1. Immaturity elements for a distorted perception of Sexuality

a) Considering sexuality from a spiritual- angelical perspective

People who perceives sexuality with a spiritual and angelical attitude, understands it within a dual conception of man: material and spirit. He/she feels ashamed of his/her genitals or secondary sexual characteristics. He/she feels anguished before natural sexual relationships, like the excitement experienced before affective stimulus (Gastaldi, I., S.D.B.& Perelló, J., 1989).

He/she considers the sexual experience as something pleasant but inconvenient for man. Sexual relationships are wrong, considered as a sexual sin. He/she confuses immoral thoughts with erotic thoughts and a sinful sight with contemplation of sexual realities (Gastaldi, I., S.D.B. & Perelló, J., 1989)

He/she considers chastity as an angelical virtue feeling despise for everything related to sex and a basic distrust for things related to the body. He/she presents chastity as a lack of sexual desire or appetite (Gastaldi, I., S.D.B. & Perelló, J., 1989).

b) Considering sexuality from a moralist perspective

People who perceive sexuality from a moralist perspective, rejects every sexual deviation due to extrinsic reasons. “It is forbidden”, “I will be condemned”, “I am afraid”, “I can become corrupt”, etc. This person thinks that sexual faults exist because they are forbidden. So, if there would not be a prohibition, they would stop being bad. This people insist in law, prohibition and shameful things, provoking with this that the sexual impulse exacerbates violently. They live in constant anguish, fear, shame, fearing to get sick or be condemned, fearing God’s punishment, etc. (Gastaldi, I., S.D.B. & Perelló, J., 1989).

c) Considering sexuality as a taboo

People who perceives sexuality as a taboo, relates it to forbidden, hidden, threatening and sacred matters. He/she has the idea of an automatic punishment because of the violation of a divine precept. It generates, at the same time, admiration and strong curiosity to know the forbidden reality, it causes a feeling of fear and anguish, of internal accusation and remorse. (Gastaldi, I., S.D.B. & Perelló, J., 1989).

Considering sex as a taboo tends to lead to a condemning and exacerbating moral severity. Corporeal intimacy and the source of life assume certain characteristics close to witchcraft, sorcery and magical rituals (Gastaldi, I., S.D.B. & Perelló, J., 1989).

d) Considering sexuality only from a biological point of view

People who considers sexuality only as something biological, reduces it to the corporeal field. This leads to an authoritarian, juridical, closed, absolute and immutable sexual morality. It does not take into consideration socio-cultural differences and its conditionings. It ignores contributions of science and new researches in the sexual-genetic field (Gastaldi, I., S.D.B. & Perelló, J., 1989).

2. Maturity elements for a healthy perception of sexuality

a) Before the spiritual-angelical attitude

Sexuality does not diminish man’s spirituality. Although sexuality represents a biological instance, there are other instances involved: the psychological (a constructive force of the Self); social (a socialization factor, it includes an opening dynamism towards the you) philosophical (gives shape to human existence); theological (sexual reality is a piece of work of the Creator and the whole body is the Temple of the Spirit) (Gastaldi, I., S.D.B. & Perelló, J., 1989).

b) Before the moralist attitude

Sexual faults must be excluded due to intrinsic reasons, it means, such faults are forbidden because they are bad by themselves. They are bad independently of any prohibition. They are bad because they prevent man’s growth and maturity, which must be fulfilled and grow when sexuality is oriented to love, community and life. They are forbidden because they harm man, because they are not within a love, commitment and fertility context and interpersonal donation. The evil part of sex is because it conceals man, accentuating his selfishness, his individualism and keeping him in a phase of immaturity (Gastaldi, I., S.D.B. & Perelló, J., 1989).

c) Considering sexuality as a taboo

Sexuality always provokes a strong attraction for knowledge and experience, and also satisfies personal needs of enjoyment, peace and contemplation. Sex is not meant to generate shame or repression, but joy, respect, devotion and ecstasy (Gastaldi, I., S.D.B. & Perelló, J., 1989).

d) Reducing sexuality to biological matters

Sexual tension does not only motivate to genitality and erotism of the other (biologism), but to the whole person of the other. The encounter with the other is an essential and constructive part of the person and not only an instrument to satisfy personal needs (Gastaldi, I., S.D.B. & Perelló, J., 1989).

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