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Psychosexual Development, Intersex States, and Sexual Dysfunctions

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Psychopathology in Women

Abstract

Within human sexuality, three basic pillars are entwined, mainly biological factors; individual personality or psychosexuality, which encompasses the sexual identity of the concerned subject, as well as the interaction and conveyance of the different affections to the closest beings (together with the relational aspects derived) and the life circumstances at each particular moment; and the sociocultural environment in which it is lived.

The sexual development of an individual bears a resemblance with a relay race: in a chronological sequence, genetic and chromosomal influences, hormonal, environmental, and psychosocial factors will appear. Each of them, regardless of the opinion of different authors and schools, will play the main role in certain moments, although in the end all will have needed the others to achieve the ultimate goal of a grown and sexually mature and healthy individual (according to an interactionist model), which in his turn will lead to the enhancement of the personal identity (therein included the sexual identity and narcissism itself).

Sexuality is therefore a more general phenomenon than plain physical sex. In that regard, it is worth noting a curious paradox: human sexual behavior is scarcely known, at least from a scientific perspective and through epidemiological and gender-relevant designed and controlled studies.

Finally, intersex states and sexual dysfunctions represent a group of heterogeneous disorders and include an array of processes, which affect the general population, generating a high impact at the life quality and interpersonal relationship levels, and they will be analyzed from a multidimensional and not only DSM-5 perspective.

The night dark before its hour-

heavily, steadily,

the rain lushes and sprinkles

to complete its task-

as if assisting

the encroachments of our bodies

we occupy but cannot cure.

Sufferer, how can you help me,

if I use your sickness

to increase my own?

Will be always be

one up, the other down,

one hitting bottom, the other

flying through the trees-

seesaw inseparables?

Robert Lowell. Seesaw. “Day by day”, Ed. Harper Collins Canada Ltd., 1977.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cruces University Hospital, Bilbao, Spain

    Rafael Segarra-Echebarría

  2. University Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Leioa, Spain

    Rafael Segarra-Echebarría

  3. BioCRUCES-BioBIZKAIA Research Institute, Bilbao, Spain

    Rafael Segarra-Echebarría

  4. CIBERSAM, Madrid, Spain

    Rafael Segarra-Echebarría

  5. Sant Joan de Déu Manresa University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain

    Clara Isern-Tena

  6. Insular Maternal and Child University Hospital Complex, Gran Canaria, Spain

    Silvia Cañas-Jiménez & Gabriela González-Rodriguez

Authors
  1. Rafael Segarra-Echebarría
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  2. Clara Isern-Tena
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  3. Silvia Cañas-Jiménez
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  4. Gabriela González-Rodriguez
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Correspondence to Rafael Segarra-Echebarría .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Cruces University Hospital, University of the Basque Country, Barakaldo, Vizcaya, Spain

    Margarita Sáenz-Herrero

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Segarra-Echebarría, R., Isern-Tena, C., Cañas-Jiménez, S., González-Rodriguez, G. (2019). Psychosexual Development, Intersex States, and Sexual Dysfunctions. In: Sáenz-Herrero, M. (eds) Psychopathology in Women. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-15179-9_10

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