Lovemaps: Clinical Concepts of Sexual/Erotic Health and Pathology, Paraphilia, and Gender Transposition in Childhood, Adolescenc

by John Money

Book Overview

The word "lovemap" was first used by Dr. John Money in lectures at Johns Hopkins University in 1980 to symbolize "the neutral template expressed in every individual's sexuoerotic fantasies and practices." The word connotes our often subconscious pattern of erotic yearnings and desire. Each of us has a distinctive lovemap, as different and individual as a fingerprint.In this book, Dr. Money outlines healthy lovemap development as well as lovemap pathology...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0879754567
• ISBN13: 9780879754563
• Release Date: August 1986
• Publisher: Prometheus Books
• Length: 331 Pages
• Weight: 0.92 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.4" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Great Insight

I found the book to be very insightful to the understanding of pathology regarding sexual behavior. His work helps to explain the etiology of certain paraphilias that can help in the understanding and treatment of sexual disorders. I would have liked to see this work explained from a different theoretical perspective. His use of the metaphors, sinful lust and saintly love get old and more reasoning behind the choice of particular paraphilias would prove helpful. Money has a brilliant mind, but his work would provide much more meaning had he used a different theoretical understanding of sexual deviance.

A Johns Hopkins Money Shot!

Dr. Money wrote eloquently and of course authoritatively about topics most would rather not give much thought to. Given that the paraphilias (typically referred to in common vernacular as "sexual perversions") he researched and profiled in Lovemaps continue to infect a new crop of sex offenders in each new generation, a book of this type is a fabulous resource yet sometimes disturbing read. Addressing everything from coprophilia and urophilia to child molestation and rape, Money presents it all with a brutal realism. One key point Lovemaps presented is the concept of the window of vulnerability. Through Dr. Money's exhaustive studies he was able to pinpoint how sexual perversions or "paraphilias" develop. Paraphilias generally only exist in teens and adults if a traumatic incident happened to them when they were between the ages of five and eight. Hence, the ages five through eight appear to be a window of vulnerability. Apparently the traumatic experience need not only be sexual in nature. It also can possibly include verbal, emotional or physical abuse. To cite an example Money profiled in the book: a man had an insatiable need to visit gay bathhouses and peepshows in search of ever larger penises. The cause of his behavior was traced to an event that happened when he was five years old. During his window of vulnerability he was able to surreptitiously view his father showing his big penis to his older sister; he felt excluded and jealous. Another example Money documented was his notion that in some cases autoerotic-asphyxiophilia (arousal dependent on self-strangulation up to the moment just before unconsciousness) has its origins when five to eight year old children hold their breath during especially heavy crying spells. Boys are more susceptible than girls to having their lovemaps "vandalized". A vandalized lovemap essentially means the development of a paraphilia. Unfortunately in our yet still repressive culture Money felt it necessary to emphasize that parents, educators, and authority figures should be open minded to what he called childhood sexual rehearsal play; basically two youths "playing doctor". Lovemaps proceeded to continually broach the idea that it is virtually impossible for kids to grow up without assimilating the concept that the genitals are a prime source of sin. Dr. Money was an intellectual giant. While working out of Johns Hopkins University he conducted groundbreaking research into human sexual development, much of it culminating in outline format in Lovemaps. Having been written for both the layman and the professional psychiatric practitioner, Lovemaps is definitely a proverbial must read.

Sexological Review

I found Lovemaps a valueable and insightful look at the way individuals relate to sexual behavior and establish their sexual identify and desires based on life experiences which as Dr. Money indicates occurs in childhood and which is unconsciously formed by the individual. I found this book extremely helpful while working on my Doctorate in Human Sexuality and now 6 years later as I continue my research and work as a Sexologist and Sex Therapist. I highly recommend this book to other Sexologist and Clinicians, as well as any man or woman who is interested in learning more about sex and sexual behavior; and in essence more about themselves. It definitely helps if you read a book before judging it. And this book should be in everyone's "Sensual Library". Live with passion, Dr. Charley Ferrer, author of The Latina Kama Sutra, The W.I.S.E. Journal for the Sensual Woman, Para La Mujer Sensual, El Kama Sutra Latino, The Passionate Latina: In Our Own Words... www.instituteofpleasure.org

Lovemaps: ... by John Money

An exhaustive analysis of sexuality, especially paraphelia, carefully organized, not too clinical so the lay reader can appreciate. Not a self-help book but can be useful in understanding oneself.

Fellow author recommends this over popular trash!

This is the most accessible of John Money's books. It is the real "Venus and Mars" book about relationships. Dr. Money has a long history of solid research and writing in the field of sexology that predates Comfort and others. His intense intellectual power limits the audience to those willing to struggle through complex descriptions of very complex concepts...you see our sexual brain is not so simple as to be covered in the prime time attention span of 30 minutes. If you take the time with this one, I am sure you will come away with more than that which the 10 most popular lay books out there COMBINED have to offer. This is the REAL truth, and not in a fancy package...all the best to Dr. Money...former student and author, Kenneth Giuffre MD, "The Care and Feeding of Your Brain", Career Press 1999.