title: Social basis of deviant sexual behaviour: a historical perspective.
abstract: Sexual perversions are often a product of civilized life. Most societies permit some degree of deviant sexual behaviour as a relief from stress of routine life. Criteria for labelling such behaviour have changed over a period of time. There have been instances of normalizing deviant sexual behaviour by formation of pressure groups by the deviants e.g. homosexual clubs, particularly in Western countries. Attitude of church on masturbation & homosexuality has fluctuated from forbidding these activities to accepting these as harmless acts. Extra marital sex, premarital sex, homosexuality, fellatio, masturbation have been reported from almost all societies. Swinging and mate-swapping is more prevalent in the West. Social factors associated with deviant sexual behaviour are discussed. Incest lobbies have come up in U. S. Prostitution has also been there in all societies since antiquity. Earlier, prostitutes enjoyed a relatively higher social status. Their degradation started with the dawn of Christianity. In 1960s there was sexual revolution in U. S. with emphasis on free sex. There is evidence of slowing down of sexual revolution with the advent of AIDS. Safe-sex and fidelity are now being emphasized.
authors.affiliation: Community Medicine, Chandigarh.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Singh
mesh_terms: D049674:History, 21st Century; D049690:History, Ancient; D049692:History, Early Modern 1451-1600; D049691:History, Medieval; D049711:History, Modern 1601-; D010262:Paraphilic Disorders / Q000266:history*; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000266:history*