In this way, conflicts arise between old people and their children, already middle aged and often enmeshed in their own problems.
The old person believes he is being neglected, when filial duty should ensure that he is supported. The middle-aged son resents the demands his father places on him, but at the same time respects him and feels he has a duty to help him. This ambivalence may cause antagonism and misunderstanding, particularly in what are considered to be sensitive areas of behaviour, such as sexuality.
It is astonishing that, until recently, old people were neither expected to ‘indulge’ in sex, nor to enjoy their sexuality. Many undoubtedly did but, fearful of being condemned by a censorious society, they kept quiet about it. Kinsey and his successors brushed away these absurd attitudes and it is now known that many people over 65 enjoy sexual activity. In a careful study, Dr Pfieffer and his colleagues in Duke University, North Carolina, found that 70 per cent of men over the age of 65 were having regular and enjoyable intercourse, and by the age of 80, 15 per cent were still active sexually. Those men who had enjoyed frequent sex when younger were more likely to continue enjoying sex in old age, while those people who, in youth, had been inhibited about their sexuality were more likely to avoid sex as they grew older. Age eliminates neither the need, the capacity, nor the enjoyment of sex, unless illness intervenes. Age itself does not cause impotence, but anxiety about one’s performance, conditioned by the myth that age will affect one’s ability to perform, can inhibit an erection. Abstinence from sex is also a factor in impotence. This has been called the ‘use it or lose it syndrome’! Sex is healthy, and whatever your age, you hardly ever need to avoid sex – unless you want to.
*354/16/1*
Related Posts:
Tags: Erectile Dysfunction | Men’s Health
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.