Avoiding two extremist positions on masturbation • Obsessing about masturbation as if it is the most basic and important problem of Christian life. This extremist position involves a constant preoccupation for avoiding, at any cost, all situations involving masturbation. In the process they forget that chastity is more than just the absence of such manifestations, but rather the effort toward progressive and maturing integration of sexuality in one’s personality. Such integration may be absent in an apparently chaste person when conduct has been simply repressed by fear or by excessive guilt.
• The other extremist position is to present masturbation as if it is laden with positive values which make it often desirable, beneficial, and obligatory. Such an extremist position sees that the only thing wrong with masturbation is a sense of guilt which should be removed by adequate education.
• An updated Christian teaching on masturbation should take into respectfbl consideration the data from empirical sciences and the sources of Christian moral wisdom revelation and reason.
Masturbation from the empirical sciences
• Definition and frequency
Masturbation is the stimulation of the genitals, usually to the point of orgasm., for the purpose of obtaining pleasure, relaxation or psychological compensation. It generally involves much concurrent use of the imagination and of sexual fantasy. Masturbation occurs with great frequency in any given community, especially among adolescents and young adults. Although masturbation is common, it is neither universal nor “obligatory” in the sense of “unavoidable.
• General types of masturbation from the point of view of clinical psychology
· Nonpathological masturbation - This is masturbation that takes place frequently in relation to certain stages in psychosexual and personality development, or as a substitute for the unavailable normal expression of the sexual drive. Examples of nonpathological masturbation:
· Masturbation during childhood more out of curiosity than pleasure
· Masturbation of adolescence and young adulthood, frequently as a means of coping with psychological stress in a situation of relative emotional immaturity.
· The substitutive masturbation of adults who happen to be deprived of the opportunity for the normal expression of the sex drive in intercourse.
· Pathological masturbation - the act of masturbation is actually a symptom of some deep-seated psychological or mental disorder; the impulse to masturbate is a compulsive one, bringing little or no satisfaction, and yet masturbation is frequently repeated even though there is no rational explanation.
• Physical and psychological effects of masturbation
· The physical effects of masturbation are generally negligible. The psychological effects of masturbation are usually minor. These include feelings of inadequacy caused by the unreality of the fantasies accompanying the acts of masturbation. These also incude feelings of depression and guilt. However, they do sometimes lead to a psychological pattern of introversion and self-preoccupation, with consequent inability to cope with the challenges of life.
· Psychic mechanisms operative in masturbation
· The psychic mechanisms most frequently associated with the act of masturbation include fixation, regression, and slow psychosexual development.
· Masturbation could be a manifestation of fixation, meaning the arrest of personality development or psychosexual maturation at a certain stage before adequate personalization of psychosexual maturity is attained.
· Masturbation could also result from regression, by which in trying to adjust to difficult of unpleasant situations, the individual again takes up a pattern of behavior of a type that had been appropriate at an earlier stage of development but no longer fits the age and expected degree of socialization of the individual.
· However, masturbation at an age at which a person should have attained adult personality could also indicate nothing more than that the particular individual has had an unusually slow rate of personality development or sexual maturation, but will eventually outgrow the need for masturbation as an adaptive or coping mechanism.
Moral evaluation of masturbation from Christian sources
Historical Notes
Sacred Scripture
· Both the Old and New Testaments make no direct mention of masturbation.
· The text used quite often in the moral theological tradition to show the sinfulness of masturbation--Genesis 38:6:10 (the sin of Onan)--does not refer to masturbation. Actually what is condemned in this passage is Onan’s selfishness. This selfishness led him to spill his seed on the ground during intercourse with the widow of his brother, in order to avoid raising up offspring for him. This was a violation of the law at that time (Deut. 25: 5-10), which meant to keep the property of a deceased person within the same clan so as to avoid impoverishment of that clan.
Patristic era and early monasticism
· The Church fatherts were silent about masturbation. Only Cassian, in one passage alludes of his works, alludes to it as a form of lust. The Church Fathers were more concerned with “nnocturnal pollutions,” but this was out of regard for ritual purity.
Early Middle Ages (500-1000AD)
· In the early Middle Ages the Penitential Books came to widespread use. These were manuals for confessors that classified sins with the corresponding penance. In these manuals, masturbation emerges as commonly considered sinful, but less so than some other sexual sins such as fornication and adultery. Lesser penalties were prescribed for adolescents and youth, heavier ones for married persons, and especially heavy penalties for clerics and religious.
High Middle Ages and late Middle Ages (1000-1200/1200-1450)
· In the High Middle Ages, the moral teaching on masturbation was affected by the prescientific character of intellectual life at that time.
· It was not yet known that the origination of human life required fertilization of the ovum by the sperm, and not just the nurturing of the sperm in the uterus.
· Strange ideas circulated about the origin of semen, which was considered to be a product of excess of such food as meat, milk and eggs. Strange ideas also circulated about the consequences of the loss of semen in masturbation or frequent sexual intercourse; it was thought that the latter would cause severe debilitation and many kinds of illnesses
· Sexuality was considered as a natural faculty and the moral acceptability or unacceptability of a sexual act was gauged according to whether it conformed to the natural purpose of the sexual faculty, which was considered in exclusive terms to be that of procreation. Male masturbation, going against the generative purpose of semen, was considered a “sin against nature” and so was judged quite severely.
From the Renaissance to the eve of Vatican II
· During this period there was a kind of collective obsession with the theme of masturbation, retaining and exaggerating many of the prejudices of prescientific times. Spiritual direction and moral catechesis on sexual matters often dwelt disproportionately on masturbation
· The prevailing framework at this time was the casuist moral position found in the moral manuals then in use in seminaries.
· Masturbation was understood to be the use of the reproductive faculty separate from fecundity, with emission of semen or vaginal discharge, without sexual intercourse, and through seif-stimualtion or stimulating others.
· With regard to its moral evaluation, certain principles were set forth:
• Masturbation, when direct and perfectly voluntary, was considered always a grave sin.
• The malice of masturbation was specifically differentiated from that of incomplete self-stimulation, whether in married persons or single persons of either sex, and should therefore be told separately in Confession.
• Masturbation, when directly voluntary, was considered a grave sin if the benefit intended were notably disproportionate to the harm of permitting orgasm, or if it placed the moral agent in danger of consenting to impure pleasure.
• Masturbation, when indirectly voluntary, was considered a lesser sin if the benefit intended were not sufficiently proportionate to the harm of permitting orgasm or of putting the moral agent in danger of consenting to impure pleasure, or also if, without the proximate danger of the moral agent consenting to impure pleasure, orgasm accidentally results from the act of masturbation done without sufficient reason.
• Masturbation, when directly voluntary, is not sinful if there is proportionate reason for permitting orgasm without there being any danger of the moral agent consenting to impure pleasure.
· The casuist definition and understanding of masturbation suffers from biological reductionism that focuses undue attention on biological details of relatively minor importance to personalization or depersonalization, revealing an inadequate sexual anthropology.
· The casuist position that direct and perfectly voluntary masturbation is always a grave sin is based on faulty reasoning.
• The view that masturbation is hostile to life because of the loss of seminal fluid lacks scientific foundation. The spermatozoa in semen are superabundant and occasional acts of masturbation have nO adverse affects on fertility. Also such arguments (hostility to life) does not address the issue of feminine masturbation not the intercourse of married couples with no immediate prospect of procreation.
• Arguments like masturbation being a danger to the survival of the species because it separates pleasure from procreation also fail because of the superabundance of spermatozoa and because it implies that sexual pleasure is only designed by God to induce men and women to bear the burdens of marriage.
Updated Position of the Church on Masturbation
• One should not make a moral evaluation of masturbation without considering the personal conditions or circumstances in which it is practiced. These conditions and circumstances are objective elements in the moral reality of masturbation. In general, one can only conclude that masturbation as a whole has a place in the range of sexual ethical faults.
· The personal conditions or circumstances introduce two objective variables to the reality of masturbation:
o The aspect of time tells us that masturbation participates in the evolutive character of human sexuality.
o The aspect of scope tells us that different acts of masturbation may include various levels of the human personality: biological, psychological, and personal.
· Correlating the aspects of time and scope allows us to identify the real anthropological character of a given act of masturbation, and therefore its real moral significance.
• The immorality of masturbation resides in its tendency to impair the harmonious development of human personality. It tends to impair psychosexual maturation and also hinders the integration of the various aspects of the human personality. In these negative tendency of masturbation there are degrees--a “more or less.”
• The variability in the premoral and moral harm which masturbation does to psycholosexual maturation depends on factors like the intensity of the act, its frequency, the stage of psychosexual development of the moral agent, the level of the human personality involved, and the degree of freedom and of responsibility of the moral agent. Therefore, not all masturbation involves objectively grave matter, although it may do so depending on the involvement the person’s liberty and responsibility.
• The phenomenon of masturbation can be classified in terms of masturbatory act, masturbatory behavior, and masturbatory character:
§ A masturbatory act is an occasional or isolated act usually proceeding from the psychic mechanism of regression, particularly if it is substitutive for normal intercourse not available when the individual was put under stress. This does not indicate a serious tendency to depersonalization. The sinfulness of this kind of masturbation, is any, would generally be less.
§ Masturbatory behavior is characterized by recurrence or habit, with the implication that frequently this is because the individual is fixated at an immature stage of psychosexual maturation, or has a personality structure with such serious weaknesses that he or she recurs to masturbation habitually as a mechanism to adapt to cope with relatively normal stresses of life. The sinfulness of such behavior, if deliberately chosen, is grave than that of a masturbatory act.
§ A masturbatory character structure is one in which physical masturbation, usually but not always frequent, is only a manifestation of a selfish personality, which makes the drive to pleasure or the gratification of some primitive human drive the primary consideration in its conduct, irrespective of the effects of such a pursuit of pleasure onother human beings or on nature. The sinfulness of this kind of masturbatory phenomenon is grave.
• The efforts that the moral agent makes to avoid occasions of sin and the degree to which the moral agent resorts to means that help him or her avoid masturbation give some indication of the degree of personal commitment of the moral agent in and to the acts of masturbation, and therefore of whether the acts of masturbation can be considered masturbatory act, habit or character.
Significance of sexual fantasies associated with masturbation
• Sexual fantasies that frequently accompany acts of masturbation should be taken seriously when attempting to determine the human and moral significance of masturbation.
• It is a cause for concern if fantasies becomes the main source of a person’s intimacy and fulfillment.
• When fantasy fosters growth in interpersonal relations, it is healthy, but when fantasy impedes or violates growth, it is immature and unhealthy. To the extent therefore that fantasies do not contribute to a person’s growth as a an authentic lover, they are unhealthy and should be resisted. Moreover, insofar as it would be objectively wrong to act out those fantasies, the guilt that is associated with freely encouraging or entertaining them during the act of masturbation would seem to be authentic and proper.
Pastoral Approach to Masturbation
• We should distinguish between pathological and nonpathological masturbation. A well-formed pastoral agent, even without special psychological training, can usually handle nonpathological types of masturbation. Pathological types usually need referral to psychiatrists or clinical psychologists, because of deep underlying psychological disorder.
• A good approach to the problem of masturbation avoids extremes of rigorism and laxity. It requires learning how to listen patiently and with understanding to the person with the problem, avoiding a harsh judgmental attitude, but also avoiding a condescending, clinical attitude or a trivializing one.
• One must be careful about imputing mortal sin mortal sin or even grave sin to a person who confesses to masturbation. One should be able to appreciate situations of impairment of liberty or of advertence on the part of persons who admit to masturbation.
• Persons striving to rid of the habit of masturbation should be encouraged by practical and feasible means to grow in generosity and the spirit of service. They should be encouraged to exert serious moral effort toward chastity. One ought to support the person in times of backsliding and discouragement. Furthermore, our moral pedagogy should not concentrate too much on sexual continence, to the detriment of other values like generosity or justice.
• The Eucharist and the other sacraments do not remove our biological urges, and are not panaceas for sin. Persons with problems of masturbation should however be encouraged to receive the sacraments frequently and fervently, as they are means of grace. A person may receive the Eucharist, and in fact should be encouraged to do so without need for the sacrament of reconciliation, if he or she has any doubt that he or she has sinned gravely. An act of masturbation which is not certainly seriously sinful need not be confessed, but confession is helpful and is to be encouraged.
Dealing with Cases of Masturbation
Pastoral Approaches
• Wet Dreams - assure the person that this is not a sin; it is an involuntary discharge of seminal fluid and lack freedom and knowledge of the act.
• Adolescent masturbation
· Occasional - encourage the person to continue to strive to be chaste and to avoid the occasions that lead to masturbation. Encourage the reception of the sacraments of confession and communion. Usually not a serious sin.
· Frequent/regular - strongly urge the person to address the root of this frequent activity. The person should make a commitment to do whatever is within his/her power to break the pattern of masturbation, especially avoiding the circumstances or occasions that lead to masturbation. The person should seek alternative activities to channel sexual energies and develop a more active social life. Warn the person of unhealthy introversion and narcissism that can develop because of this frequent activity. Encourage the person to pray and frequent the sacraments in order to receive spiritual help. This may be a serious sin depending on the level of freedom and knowledge that the person has regarding the activity.
· Compulsive - Urge the person to seek professional help. At the meantime assure the person that the Church understands his situation and
• Cybersex or phone sex - Strongly tell the person to stop the activity. It fosters a treatment of one’s self and another person as sex objects. One leads another person to sin and diminishes human dignity.
• As a part of foreplay in marriage - it is ok as long as actual orgasm occurs during vaginal sex.
• Spouses unable to have sexual intercourse because of distance, iliness, pregnancy, or other circumstances. - Treat the spouses with compassion and understanding. Urge them to the ideal of chastity and urge them to go to confession if they fall into the activity. Challenge them to stay chaste in solidarity with the spouse who is ill or pregnant.
• Persons in priestly or religious life - Encourage the person in his efforts to live out the vow of chastity. Urge the person to the ideal and urge him or her to frequent the sacraments. See creative ways to channel sexual energy - apostolate, sports, arts, etc.
• Widows/widowers and persons living a single chaste life - Be compassionate. Urge the person to the ideal and urge him or her to frequent the sacraments. Encourage the person to develop a healthy social life and to have close friends who can keep him from unhealthy introversion that can lead to masturbation.
• Persons confined for long periods in an institution (prison, hospital, etc.) - Be compassionate and understanding toward the person in his situation of difficult confinement. The lack of healthy outlets and the limited social contact with the opposite sex are serious obstacles to avoiding masturbation. Some might be using masturbation as a coping mechanism to extended periods of loneliness and isolation. Try to develop their spiritual life and teach them to see themselves as more than just physical beings.
· Persons working or living in isolated areas where contact with the opposite sex is limited (working on ships, being in the military, working in an isolated sites such as oilfields or farms, etc.) - Be understanding of their situation but also urge them to strive for chastity for the sake of their loved ones at home. Masturbation might be a way to cope with loneliness or missing one’s spouse. Urge them to go to the sacraments whenever possible. Warn them against developing narcissistic tendencies.
• A person with compulsive masturbatory behavior - Their personal culpability is diminished. Ask that they get professional help.
• Situations involving medical study or research - If only as means to teach science, it is unnecessary and is be avoided. If it is for the purpose of medical research for serious illnesses, it
remains wrong but seriousness may vary depending on the number and frequency required and the urgency of the research.
• Situations involving medical diagnosis - It may not be serious if it is the only means possible to diagnose a serious medical condition. The conscience of the patient must prevail and must not be coerced.
• Situations involving artificial conception - It remains wrong if for the purpose of in-vitro fertilization or artificial insemination.
Case Studies
1. Ben, a 30 year old married man comes to you for advice. He has a 14 year old teen-age son named Jay. Recently, Ben discovered some heterosexual pornographic materials in his son’s room. His wife, May, had also reported to him that she found traces of semen on her son’s bed sheet when doing the laundry. Ben wants to have a man-to-man talk with his son about sex and masturbation and asks you how to go about it. What would you advise Ben?
2. Joseph a 23 year old college student comes to you for advice. He has been experiencing very strong sexual urges and he has been masturbating everyday, sometimes even twice a day. If he tries to resist the urge to masturbate he gets distracted in his studies and is also unable to go sleep at night. Most of the time, he could not resist the urge to masturbate. He feels very guilty about his frequent masturbation and his strong sexual urges. He used to go to confession regularly but now he has stopped going to confession. He says “I feel embarrassed that I keep confessing the same sin over and over again. I feel that I cannot make a promise never to do it again if I know I am too weak to stop.” He avoids receiving communion because he feels he is in a state of serious sin. What would you advise him?
3. Dave, 33 years old, ,is?works as construction foreman in Dubai. His wife and child are in Manila and he comes home only once a year. He has only been married for three years. He misses his family and often has sexual urges when he thinks about his wife. There have been occasions when he has engaged in cyber sex with his wife. Through a webcam he and his wife would masturbate. He feels that this is the best way for him to keep marital contact with his wife and to release pent up sexual energies for his wife. He says that cyber sex helps ease the loneliness and separation he feels when he if far away from his wife. How would you evaluate this situation in the light of the church teaching on masturbation and marital relations? If he comes to you for confession, what you advise him?
4. Helen is a 40 year old widow with two children. Her husband died from a heart attack two years ago. She misses her husband whom she loved very much. She has no intention of remarrying.
There are times at night when she misses her sexual relations with her husband and she masturbates. Resigned to a life of widowhood, Helen does not feel that she can avoid masturbation because of her strong sexual desires. Would it be okay for her to masturbate as long as she only
thinks of her husband?
5. Jake and Emily are newly jiarried. Emily is pregnant with their first child. She is in her third trimester of pregnancy i(unable to have sexual relations. Jake wants to express his love for Emily
and sometimes he would want to express it sexually. He asks if she can just masturbate him as a substitute for having sex while she is pregnant. Emily asks for your advice if this would be ok.
6. You are a chaplain at a prison. Most of the prisoners have jail sentences of five years or more. You observe that masturbation happens quite frequently. For some prisoners this is their usual form of
sexual release and a coping mechanism for the boredom and loneliness of prison life. Sometimes, in cyunp prison quarters where privacy is non-existent, masturbation is done openly and is tolerated by others. As a chaplain you know that masturbation is wrong. How would you apply the
church’s teaching in the situation of prison? - vi /
7. Gino is 17 years old and is a student at a Catholic high school. He masturbates twice a week and feels guilty about this. He goes to confession during his school’s required First Friday confessions.
When he confesses his sin of masturbation, the confessor tells him that he must avoid masturbation until he gets married. When he is manied he can masturbate as much as he wants ‘7 with his wife. Gino is bothered by the priest’s advice and so he comes to you for consultation.
What would you tell him?
8. Fr. Rey is a 60 year old religious priest. He is assigned as a school chaplain but he is also on call for different sacramental requests. Fr. Rey is known as the masturbation priest because he always
preaches against the grave evil of masturbation at almost every occasion. He manages to insert an exhortation against masturbation at every liturgy that he presides. He has become an embarrassment for some of his fellow religious because of his disproportionate attention to masturbation. He has also caused discomfort and embarrassment to lay people who had to listen to his anti-masturbation homilies during special occasions such as weddings, anniversaries, baptisms, and funerals.Fr. Rey seems oblivious to people’s reaction to his anti-masturbation crusade. As his best friend, what would you say to him?
Anthony Kesmck, Human &xualiy New Directions in American Catholic Thought (New York: Paulist Press, 1977), 227- 228, cited in Genovesi, In Pursuit of Love, 325.
William F. Krafl, “A Psychospiritual View of masturbation,” Human Development 3 (1983) 80, cited in Genovesi, in Pursuit of Love, 330.
Tyrell, “The Sexual Celibate and Masturbation,” 404, cited in Genovesi, In Pursuit qf Love, 330-331.
(A) The Place of Sexual Ethics within Concrete Christian Ethics
