This English version of the book exists because of the patience of scrupulous copy-editors and translators ix I am especially grateful to Fabiano Bassi, Fernando Castrillón (who helped me with this English edition), Cristiana Cimino, Antonello Correale, Antonio Gargano, Edy Gatto Pertegato, Antonella Mancini, Victor Mazin (who is editing the Russian edition of this book), Bruno Moroncini, Roberto Neuburger (who invited me to present my work in Buenos Aires), Dany Nobus, Teodosio Orlando, Robert Pfaller, Elisabeth Roudinesco (who promoted my work on perversions in France), August Ruhs, Antonello Sciacchitano, Richard Steurer (who translated the book into German), and Karl Stockreiter (who edited the German edition of this book). A special thanks goes to the dear friends who are no longer with us, but whose help in making known the Italian edition of this book was extraordinary: Giovanni Jervis, Fulvio Marone, Valeria Medda, and Luciana Sica. And since in a certain sense a book is a collective work, I would say that this book was born four times, because each edition (Italian, German, Russian, and now English) had its own readers, commentators, and editors. Like every book, even this one was born thanks to several midwives. for this book is available from the British Library ISBN-13: 978-1-78220-327-8 Typeset by V Publishing Solutions Pvt Ltd., Chennai, India Printed in Great Britain To Elvio Fachinelli (1928–1989), my friend and teacher in psychoanalysis British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A C.I.P.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. WHAT ARE PERVERSIONS? Sexuality, Ethics, Psychoanalysisįirst published in 2016 by Karnac Books Ltd 118 Finchley Road London NW3 5HT Copyright © 2016 by Sergio Benvenuto The right of Sergio Benvenuto to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with §§ 77 and 78 of the Copyright Design and Patents Act 1988. The final appendix delves more deeply into Freud’s theory of masochism. The book articulates an heterodox hypothesis by drawing on clinical cases, from both the author’s own analytic practice and those of others but it also draws on cinema, historical episodes, social psychology experiments (for example, Stanley Milgram’s experiment), stories and novels, and philosophical works. The perversions signal a specific relationship with the other, who is treated not simply as a sexual object, but someone whose subjectivity is ably exploited precisely in order to get a perverse pleasure.Īcts, if considered perverse, are understood as a metaphorical re-edition of a trauma, above all sexual, in which the subject (as a child) suffered the bitter experience of exclusion or jealousy. The book retraces some of the fundamental stages in the field of psychoanalytic thought―from Freud to Masud Khan, Stoller, and Lacan―and proposes an original approach: that “paraphilias” today are taken as an ethical failure of the sexual relationship with the other. Now that we’ve got that covered, it’s time to learn more about the best gay sex positions.This book explores what we mean when we use the term “perversion.” Are we dealing with a sexological classification, a mental disturbance, an ethical deviation, a hedonistic style, or an historical-cultural artifact? Both partners must clearly give their consent prior to any sexual activity.
Always practice safer sex, which includes using condoms and plenty of water-based lube, and getting tested regularly for STIs and HIV.Tops: If it gets a little messy down there, be cool about it! It’s really no big deal. Bottoms: Wash yourself out with an enema or simply using soap and water before sex to make things as clean as possible. The reality is that anal sex can be messy.
If you’re in a longterm relationship, how do you keep the sex fun and exciting with each anniversary? Even the most seasoned casanovas need to know their fair share of sex positions to keep things interesting between the sheets, which is why we’ve put together this handy (and illustrated) guide to the best gay ones.īefore we get started, it’s important to establish some gay sex ground rules: If you’re single, how do you prevent awkward and boring sex from ruining chemistry with that really cute guy from Grindr?