1474 



HORMONAL REGULATION OF BEHAVIOR 



Such a study would start from a series 

 of assumptions about the level at which it is 

 possible to talk of American culture as a 

 whole, and w^here class and regional break- 

 dow^ns would have to be introduced (Mead, 

 1949b; Gorer, 1948). It is possible to con- 

 struct a national picture of sex behavior, 

 based on the mass media, existing laws and 

 court decisions, practices in national in- 

 stitutions like the armed forces, the Federal 

 agencies, supplemented by the statistical 

 and detailed studies mentioned above. The 

 statistical and detailed studies do not pro- 

 vide the basic data for a national paradigm, 

 but the accuracy of the paradigm can be 

 tested against them. At present the only 

 models we have are those made by anthro- 

 pologists, trained to extract over-all pat- 

 terns from material on small, preliterate 

 societies, who attempt to extract the same 

 kind of pattern from the masses of availa- 

 ble material on American behavior. In such 

 an analysis the publications of the research 

 workers on American sex behavior, and the 

 responses of critics, reviewers, librarians 

 (c/. Proceedings of American Social Hy- 

 giene Association, 1948; Geddes, 1954) be- 

 come part of the data that the anthro- 

 pologists use. The check on the accuracy of 

 such an analysis must come from detailed 

 studies, on the one hand, and consistent 

 theoretic approaches, on the other. 



With these provisos, I shall attempt a brief 

 sketch of American sex behavior, as it has 

 been developing over the period since World 

 War I. It must be understood that this 

 model refers to no single individual, but 

 the most detailed analysis of any single 

 individual should show a systematic rela- 

 tionship to the model. The case of an 

 American Mennonite, or a Puerto Rican 

 resident in New York, or a Moslem student's 

 encounter with an American middle-class 

 girl in a Southwestern College, although 

 containing many elements of foreign cul- 

 tural behavior, should nevertheless show a 

 systematic relationship to the over-all pat- 

 terns of recognized American sexual be- 

 havior at the present time. 



In contemporary American national at- 

 titudes toward sex, sex behavior is regarded 

 as necessary for complete mental and physi- 

 cal health during adulthood, and such be- 



havior must be exercised within the mar- 

 ried state. All departures from this mode — 

 deferred marriage after maturity, a divorced 

 or widow^ed state which is not remedied by 

 another marriage, vows of religious celi- 

 bacy, single-purposed devotion to some in- 

 tellectual or artistic pursuit, sex relations 

 with more than one partner (of either sex) , 

 masturbation as an adult except under 

 special circumstances such as among males 

 isolated from w^omen when it is preferred 

 to homosexual behavior — are regarded as 

 either contributing to poor mental health 

 or as a sign of poor mental health. Un- 

 married adults are poor risks in any enter- 

 prise requiring stability of character; even 

 the astronauts must be married. Within the 

 married state, some kind of normal regular 

 sex life should exist, about which there is 

 the widest possible difference of opinion as 

 to what constitutes an appropriate number 

 of sex contacts. As in American attitudes 

 toward digestion, bad effects may be ex- 

 pected if body products bank up inside the 

 body; they should pass through the body 

 and out (c/. Kinsey, Pomeroy and Martin's 

 (1948) definition of sex outlets). Adoles- 

 cents are in a difficult position because it 

 is recognized that they are sexually mature, 

 even though they are not psychologically or 

 socially ready for marriage. While in school 

 no social expectation of consummated sex 

 relationships is permitted, although the 

 same-aged boy in the army will be provided 

 with adequate prophylactic information. 

 Earlier and earlier marriage, within nar- 

 rower social groups, where the future par- 

 ents-in-law know each other, accompany an 

 increasing parental condoning of premartial 

 sex activities of young people who intend to 

 marry. 



Sex activity is good for one, just as sleep, 

 recreation, exercise, food, and excretion are 

 good for one. If indulged in as ends rather 

 than as means they may be bad for one. So 

 people sleep "to be fresh next day," exercise 

 to reduce or keep up their muscle tone, and 

 engage in sex activity, if single to keep 

 themselves in good shape, and if married 

 to "have a good personal relationship with 

 the spouse." Sex engaged in for its own sake, 

 as an end, is regarded as bad. All seeking of 

 stimulation, through pornographic litera- 



