The New Sex Therapy by Helen Singer Kaplan describes new methods for the treatment of sexual disorders. The author sets out to distinguish these methods from traditional treatments of sexual disorders based on the psycholoanalytic model. The psychoanalytic model assumed that all sexual dysfunction was the result of deep-seated emotional problems or mental illness; treatment was based on lengthy procedures. In contrast, the new sex therapy assumes that, although some sexual dysfunction results from serious psychopathology, other sexual dysfunction results from immediate causes that are amenable to short-term treatment methods. These treatment methods include clinical sessions between couple and therapist as well as erotic and communicative tasks that the couple works on in the home environment. Sexual dysfunction arises from multiple causes and there is no single theory that can apply to its treatment. The therapist's "flexibility, openness, inventiveness, intuitiveness, warmth and sensitivity" (xvi) are essential ingredients for successful outcomes. The author further notes that the objectives of sex therapy are limited to the relief of sexual dysfunction symptoms albeit improved communication and emotional closeness in couples' relationships are often by-products.
In Area I, Basic Concepts the author summarizes some of the basic data in the field of sex therapy. The main source of this data comes from the pioneering studies of Masters and Johnson, who observed the sexual behavior of men and women under laboratory conditions. Chapter 1 discusses the four stages of human sexual response: excitement, plateau, orgasm, and resolution. Male and female response are discussed separately because: "Certain gender differences in orgastic response produce specific clinical problems in the two genders" (31). Chapter 2 examines the role of the brain in human sexuality. Chapter 3 explores the relationship between the sex hormones ...