Introduction

The sexological perspective develops out of awareness of the history of sexological discourse. At the beginning of this century, the pioneers of sexology mapped out a science that would explore every cultural, psychological and biological aspect of human sexual behavior from every conceivable viewpoint. Sexological study thrived, especially in Germany, until the National Socialist Party extinguished its life in 1933. Reborn in the United States, sexology again came under devastating attack in the McCarthy era. The Kinsey effort to create a significant record of data on sexual behavior was effectively halted, but the study of sexuality then expanded in different directions, awakening interest in thousands of scientists, clinical practitioners, academics, writers and media people. Today sexology is for, a third time, under political attack from those representing repressive/oppressive groups wishing to restrict the rights of individuals and cutting back the ways in which sexologists may function.