title: Lovemaking as a ceremony of accreditation.
abstract: In this article, the significance of lovemaking as a ceremony of mutual accreditation is explored, as well as some ramifications of viewing it as such. The article (a) summarizes a well-researched formulation of the nature of romantic love; (b) provides a detailed view, based on this formulation, of what lovemaking is all about for lovers and thus the enormous importance its presence (or absence) has in most people's lives; (c) explicates the relevance of the above to understanding the powerful attraction that some ostensibly non-loving sexual behavior (e.g., that of the conquest seeker or the pornography addict) exercises over certain individuals; and (d) demonstrates how the present account clarifies an essential characteristic common to all sexual disorders and thus may be used to define the notion of "sexual disorder" itself.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Illinois State University, Norman, Illinois 61790-4620, USA. rmbergn@ilstu.edu
authors.forename: Raymond M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Bergner
mesh_terms: D003075:Coitus / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008149:Love; D008297:Male; D035502:Trust