"It Feels So Good It Almost Hurts": Young Adults' Experiences of Orgasm and Sexual Pleasure

Orgasm is a "goal" of much sexual activity, and a source of potentially intense pleasure and fulfillment, yet can be fraught with difficulty or distress. Relatively little social science research has explored people's experiences around, and their meanings related to, orgasm, and inde...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of sex research 2014-07, Vol.51 (5), p.503-515
Main Authors: Opperman, Emily, Braun, Virginia, Clarke, Victoria, Rogers, Cassandra
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
EMPIRICAL ARTICLES
Faking
Female
Heterosexuals
Humans
Male
Meaning
Orgasm - physiology
Orgasms
Pleasure
Pleasure - physiology
Qualitative Research
Sexual behavior
Sexual Behavior - psychology
Sexuality
Young Adult
Young adults
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Orgasm is a "goal" of much sexual activity, and a source of potentially intense pleasure and fulfillment, yet can be fraught with difficulty or distress. Relatively little social science research has explored people's experiences around, and their meanings related to, orgasm, and indeed other sexual pleasures, especially with young adults. This study aimed to provide a rich exploration of the meanings associated with orgasm and sexual pleasure during sex with a partner, to understand the social patterning of orgasm experience. A qualitative survey was used to collect data from 119 sexually experienced British young adults (81% women, mean age 20, 92% heterosexual). A descriptive form of thematic analysis that prioritizes participants' meanings and experiences was used to identify and explore patterns in the data. Five main themes are reported here: (a) orgasm: the purpose and end of sex; (b) "it's more about my partner's orgasm"; (c) orgasm: the ultimate pleasure?; (d) orgasm is not a simple physiological response; and (e) faking orgasm is not uncommon. These (mostly not gendered) themes demonstrate the complex and contradictory meanings around orgasm, and reveal meaning to be dependent on situation and context. However, they do resonate strongly with widespread discourses of sexuality that prioritize heterosexual coitus, orgasm, and orgasm reciprocity.
ISSN:0022-4499
1559-8519
DOI:10.1080/00224499.2012.753982