PSYCHOLOGY OF SEX: PERFORMANCE ANXIETY. INHIBITED ORGASM

Performance anxiety

Performance anxiety is the fear of being unable to please a partner. In men, it is the fear of erectile dysfunction. It is also one of the causes of erectile dysfunction. Poor body image, lack of self-esteem, problems in relationships, and fear and anxiety about sex can contribute to performance anxiety. If a man can believe that occasional failure to become erect is common, he is more likely to break the vicious circle of inhibited erection leading to performance anxiety leading to inhibited erection.

Performance anxiety can lead to a habit of thinking about, comparing, grading, and monitoring our sexual performance while we are having sex with a partner. This is called spectatoring. We can become so preoccupied spectatoring that we inhibit our sexual arousal. Spectatoring, like performance anxiety, seems to be more common in men than women, but it may be that a man’s failure to become erect is more obvious than a woman’s failure to become aroused.

Most of us will experience inhibited sexual arousal from time b time. It is important that we accept this as a normal part of our se lives and not let ourselves become so anxious that we make sex less pleasurable for us than it might be.