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Alpharic Research
Institute
Centre for Research in Philosophy, Theology and Ethics
Email: alpharicinstitute@gmail.com +2349066927954

THE ACT OF MASTURBATION: AN INVESTIGATION INTO ITS CAUSES,

CONSEQUENT CHALLENGES AND PREVENTIVE MEASURES
BY
GODSWILL OME UFERE
Email: uferegodswillmatthias@gmail.com, godswillmatthias99@gmail.com; __GSM: +2347045155575
AUGUST, 2020

ABSTRACT

Masturbation as a sexual problem is no new matter. The prevalence of masturbation

could be traceable to the common access of all into the internet and at other times due to
the proliferation of pornography on the internet. People engage in it, especially the
young people. Many of such started to masturbate at a very tender age – as early as 8
years. Research has shown that men are more addicted or involved in the act of
masturbation. It has been observed that masturbation causes several damages to the
victim: physical, social, spiritual, emotional. Some have been considered as myths, while
others are said to be true. The purpose of this research is to find the reason of why
people especially the young people resort to masturbation and to specify its signs and
symptoms; also interest shall be given into showing the harmful effects of masturbation
and its consequent challenges and also to investigate and to present some preventive
ways for masturbation.

I. Introduction desires and these sexual behaviours may cause

some problems for the teenagers and their
Sexual behaviours, in general, incorporate the
parents (Khosropoor 74). Masturbation as a
actions and behaviours which are common
prevalent sexual behaviour is the subject of this
among the teenagers to satisfy their sexual

study. Researches conducted by
anthropologists, psychologists and
psychotherapists showed that ways of satisfying
sexual desires(sexuality) and the concept of sex
had different forms in different cultures. The act
of kissing is, for example, one of the usual ways
of sexual behaviours in most cultures. However,
in case of masturbation, there are different
views on it. In some societies, masturbating is
totally rejected during the bachelorhood and
almost it is considered an unpleasant act in most
human societies. To this end, Ellen White had
called masturbation the secret vice, solitary vice
and self-abuse.
II. On Masturbation
Ohadi described masturbation as an aberrant
sexual behaviour which is more common than
other socially unacceptable behaviours (19). In
their studies, Kamkar and Jabarian showed that
the youngest persons starting masturbating are
aged between 8 and 10. All teenagers who had
accepted that they are addicted to masturbation
had a negative view on masturbation and
reproached themselves. However, they
continued masturbating, because of the increase
of daily life’s tension and they become nervous,
depressed and so on. A psychological research
conducted by KSEYIN revealed that
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masturbation is common among all men and
three quarter (3/4) of women. Also according to
the research, among men and women, 92 and 62
% respectively have masturbated during a
period of their life, because masturbation is the
most common ways of satisfying sexual desire
before marriage (Birjandi 39).
Some research studies have pointed that they
are health benefits associated with
masturbation. According to Davidson and
Moore, despite the health benefits of
masturbation, people still feel guilty or
shameful about it (114). Approximately 50
percent of women and 50 percent of men who
masturbate feel guilty about it (Laumann, et al.,
36). In fact, the majority of women and men
who masturbate have mixed feelings about
providing themselves with pleasure. Although
masturbation is the safest sex of all, negative
feelings that may be associated with it can
threaten one’s individual health and well-being
(Masters, Johnson, and Kolodny, 76).
Although most masturbation myths have been
debunked, masturbation remains so stigmatized
that people also worry about masturbating “too
much.” In general, there is no such thing as too
much masturbation unless it is symptomatic of
an obsessive/compulsive disorder. Symptoms

of this disorder are repeatedly performing
behaviors that are so time-consuming that they
interfere with an individual’s normal routine,
occupational function, social life,
personal relationships (APA 417–9). Repetitive
behaviors more commonly associated with
obsessive/compulsive disorder
masturbation include hand washing, counting,
checking to see if the stove or other appliance
has been turned off, and excessive cleaning
(APA 418). Crooks and Bauer posited,
however, that such behaviors performed to
prevent and/or reduce anxiety and stress,
including masturbation, are not considered
symptomatic of a disorder unless they interfere
with a person’s daily, personal,
professional life — if they hinder a person from
fulfilling his/her commitments
responsibilities. (Crooks and Bauer 258).
III. Brief Analysis of the Teenage
Sexual Development
When human being reaches puberty, he shows
more tendencies to sexual relations and both sex
hormones and social factors influence the
growth of the teenager’s tendency to Sexual
activities. As far as boys are concerned, their
first sexual activities rely on the level of their
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blood, hormones status and social factors have
little influence on them. However, as far as girls
are concerned, their first sexual activities are
and/or more influenced by social factors rather than
hormones status. For example, the girls care
whether their boyfriends had a sex with a girl or
than not (Ohadi 21). Even though the teenagers are
mostly subject to inward changes compared to
outward changes, they are concerned about the
changes which are related to the physiological
aspects of their sexual desires.
Since there are some differences between the
boys and the girls, their sexual behaviours are
different. Furthermore, women’s sense of
auditory is better than the men’s and men’s
and/or
sense of vision is better than women’s.
Therefore the boys show more interest in visual
and
stimuli and patterns and the girls show more
interest in auditory stimuli and patterns. Men
are more sensitive to visual stimuli and it is
clearly reflected in their daily actions and
behaviours. Some men are, for example,
interested in collecting sexy pictures and
watching blue movies and are more easily
influenced by visual stimuli. However, women
are more sensitive to the sense of touch and
react better to touching stimuli.
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2. Sexual issues are attracted more attention and

the teenager show affection and love for the
Sexual differences between girls and boys are
opposite sex.
as follows:
3. The teenager show more interest in the
1. The boys want to reach climax more than the
opposite sex. In this phase, the teenager has
girls.
affection for several persons.
2. The boys resort to daydreaming about sexual
4. Affection for and interest in several persons
activities more than the girls.
is changed into the affection for one opposite
3. The boys are more easily influenced by sex, who may be older than the teenager. In this
sexual symbols phase the teenager needs to be affectionately
supported.
4. The boys reach climax mostly during the
sleep. 5. The teenager changed his idea and show
affection and love for an opposite sex who is as
5. The boys have more tendencies to having
old as him (70).
sexual intercourse with more than one girl.
IV. Symptoms and Signs of
6. The boys give little importance to love and
masturbation
affection for their sexual relation.
The person accustomed to masturbating have
These sexual behaviours differences between
some sings which include:
the two opposite sex are mostly determined by
the social expectations and cultural limitations. 1. Paleness
2. Dark circles under the eyes
According to Debs, the teenagers’ period of life
3. Excessive tiredness and faintness,
during which they reach puberty consists of five
4. Drowsiness
phases: 1. First, the teenager become aware of
5. Memory loss
physical differences between the girls and boys
6. Anxiety
and this awareness arouse his interest in sexual
7. Depression
affairs.
8. Anger

9. Trembling of the parts of body
10. Despair (Kochetkov 114).
However, the presence of these signs are not
bent only to people that masturbates a lot but
have been confirmed by research conducted on
addicts of masturbation to be the signs and
symptoms higher percentage of such people
possess.
V. Causes of Masturbation
As it is mentioned by Sharafi, “masturbation is
the most common sexual behaviour among the
Iranian teenagers” (60). He also believed that
the parents, teachers, educators and education
authorities should be aware of the negative
effects of masturbation, so that the students can
benefit from their awareness. He categorizes 19
factors as the causes of masturbating which are
as follows:
1. Curiosity
2. Unfamiliarity with sexual issues
3. Seclusion
4. Family problems
5. Suspicious and unfriendly friendship
6. Lasting diseases
7. Sense of inferiority
8. Imitation
9. Premature puberty
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10. Cultural factors
11. Skin sensitivities
12. Stress and anxiety
13. Babyhood problem such as feeding, type of
games and so on.
14. Unsuitable clothes
15. Corporal punishment
16. Parasite infections
17. Voyaging
18. Unsuitable classroom benches and
19. Lack of affection.
When human being reach puberty, his sex
hormones increase and his secondary sexual
characteristics appear. He become more curious
about sexual activities and mostly satisfies his
sexual desires through masturbation, even
though they are physically capable of having
sex with the opposite sex. This prevention and
abstention from having sex may cause some
physical tensions among the teenagers who
need to satisfy their sexual desires and therefore
they resort to masturbation. Men, in general,
masturbate more than women. Even the
persons, who married, might not give up
masturbating completely and might resort to
masturbating when they are not sexually
satisfied with their sexual partner or when their
sexual partner is away.
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VI. The Effects of Masturbation some circumstances, behavior which

looks like schizophrenia. . . It is even
Ellen White affirms that the mind and the body
possible, given the importance of zinc to
are weakened by this habit. She says it
the brain, that 19th century moralists
diminishes the energy of the brain and as a
were correct when they said that repeated
result the brilliance of the young mind is
masturbation could make one mad!
clouded. She states that if a person continues
Similarly, the high livers were also
this habit they will eventually develop
correct when they said that a diet rich in
dementia. Ellen White wrote that masturbation
oysters was necessary to compensate for
affects the mental powers even to the point of
excessive sexual indulgence” (08-09).
leading someone to be idiotic. This assertion of
Ellen is subject to verification. Here the Dr. Carl Pfeiffer of Harvard University added
opinions of two prominent physicians stand to that, “We hate to say it but in a zinc-deficient
solidify the writing of Ellen. adolescent, sexual excitement and excessive
masturbation might precipitate insanity” (45).
Dr. David Horrobin, an Oxford University
teacher says that, “The effect of zinc deficiency A. Physical Damages
has particularly profound effects on the male,
1. Weakness of physical power: A natural
because extraordinary amounts of zinc are
consequence of masturbating is tiredness. If a
found in the testicles and the prostate gland. . .
person get used to masturbating, he will always
The amount of zinc in semen is such that one
feel tired. This tiredness will result in the
ejaculation may get rid of all the zinc that can
weakness of the human’s body and so the
be absorbed from the intestines in one day”
immunity against diseases is reduced and the
(08).
person becomes old soon.
He continued,
2. Poor vision: Those masturbating gradually
“In humans, among the most consistent began to have a poor sight. Studies showed that
effects of zinc deficiency, are changes in most persons accustomed to masturbating felt
mood and behavior. There is depression, dizzy, felt a pain in their eyes and eventually
extreme irritability, apathy and even in their eyesight got dim.

3. Damages to the sexual organs and
impotence: Masturbating would cause great
damages to the sexual organs:
i). Premature ejaculation.
ii). Impotence, sex hormones disorders and
genital disorders.
iii). Sexually transmitted disease and possibility
of infertility.
iv). incomplete sexual satisfaction.
B. Mental and Psychological Damages
1. Lack of memory and forgetfulness: As it is
mentioned, one of the consequences of the
masturbating is the weakness of physical
powers which itself is the consequence of brain
disorders. The person addicted to masturbating
is absentminded and cannot concentrate well,
because his brain is somehow damaged by
masturbating.
2. Aggression and anger: The person addicted
to masturbating is easily annoyed, is not
interested in conversing with others, is bad –
tempered, burst into anger, hate others’ advice
and is not logical.
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C. Social Damages
The person addicted to masturbating prefers
loneliness and doesn’t enjoy involving himself
in group activities. Therefore, this person’s
social and human identity is weakened and the
society deprived from a young and creative
person .Furthermore, this person will have
problems in his family and in the society.
VII. Scientific Claim
Despite all legendry stories made by the
psychologists concerning the consequences of
masturbation such as mental and spiritual
damages as well as lack of potency, scientific
researches didn’t prove the above-mentioned
big claims. However, masturbation is
considered a psychological threat and damage
when it becomes a habit and human being has
no will power or control over it. Therefore, in
this case, the person is suffering from an
emotional problem and disorder, not because he
is involved in a sexual behaviour but because
something forced him to masturbate and he has
no control over his unusual sexual behaviours.
Generally speaking, to masturbate on a whim
would cause a pain; because human being’s
sexual organs might be sexually damaged.
Imagination is also involved in the act of
masturbating that is the person picture any one
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he loves in his mind and mentally has a sexual don’t use soft blankets. Silvanus Stall believed
intercourse with his opposite sex. that the teenagers should prevent from feather
beds and soft blankets, so that they are less
VIII. Preventive Measures for
sexually excited and their body becomes more
Masturbation
powerful
Sex education
Healthy and Balanced Diet
Sex education is a process of acquiring
The teenagers should eat foods which don’t
knowledge and forming our awareness,
arouse their sexual desires. Therefore the
approach and behaviour about gender, sexual
teenagers should prevent from overeating foods
identity, sexual awareness, appropriate
such as egg, date, cinnamon, onion and so on.
behaviour and confidence in our relationship
Furthermore, the teenagers should eat food at
with the opposite sex, so that we are immune
appropriate time, because it is one of the
from sexual abuse, inadvertent pregnancy,
reasons that cause sleeping disorders.
sexually transmitted diseases like AIDS and so
on. Sex education has an effective role on Programming for Leisure Time
healthy behaviours, sound sexual behavior,
Activities such as calligraphy, swimming,
mental health and prevention of sex disorders,
hiking and so on can prevent the teenagers from
healthy life style and appropriate sex identity.
aberrant sexual behaviours. According to
Sleep Adjustment Maurice Rosenberg, one of the factors shaping
the teenager’s identity is to what extent he is
According to the psychological standards,
consistent with the society(Biyabangard
sleeping has a great role on tranquility and
121).The teenagers having a job are more
prevention from aberrant sexual behaviours. It
confident. Furthermore, Bandura, Mentioned
is recommended that the teenagers go to bed
that those who praise themselves because of
early and wake up early in the morning.
their success are more likely respected and
Quality of Sleep immune against aberrant behaviours (Bandura
66).
The teenagers should sleep flat on their back
and don’t sleep in feather and soft beds and

Development of Spirituality
There is a positive significant relationship
between religion, tranquility and abstention
from aberrant behaviours. Witter and et al
showed that 20 to 60 percent of the individual’s
health is somehow determined by the religious
beliefs (30). As for Christians, nothing should
justify masturbation because it is against the
natural way of procreative sex. The Holy
Scriptures abhors the act though it is not
mentioned in it.
Inculcating Attitude
The teenagers should inculcate themselves with
a sense of prevention from masturbating. Paul-
Celement Jagot mentioned that when we want
to fight with an unpleasant habit, we should first
picture its negative consequences in our mind
and then picture the advantages and benefits of
giving up this habit in our mind. He further
noted that we should inculcate ourselves with a
sense of responsibility about the health of our
body and mind.
Some other ways to prevent from masturbating
are: marriage, awareness of parents, hydropathy
and abstention from watching pornography.
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IX. Conclusion
To satisfy ones sexual desires, there are
different ways. Of these ways, some of them are
acceptable and some of them are aberrant. It
seems that the most common aberrant sexual
behaviour among the teenagers is masturbation.
Despite the lack of biblical references to
masturbation, the church adamantly oppose to it
as they are to any kind of non-procreative sex. I
will say that masturbation and other forms of
outercourse are worse sins than fornication,
rape, incest, and adultery. Masturbation and
other non-reproductive sexual activities are seen
as “unnatural” sins because they are
contraceptive. Since fornication, rape, incest,
and adultery could lead to pregnancy, they were
“natural” sins and, therefore, much less serious
than “unnatural” sins. This looks more
religious. Still, there are other health, social and
emotional damages caused by masturbation
which are enough to deter someone from it.
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Tehran: Elmi Press, 1956. Print.
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