2. Heterosexual Intercourse

Basic Types of Sexual  Behavior

2. Heterosexual Intercourse

Early depiction of
sexual intercourse
Rock carving, ca. 1500 BC
Guangxi province, China
Courtesy China Sex Museum, Tongli

According to the dictionary, the word intercourse (lat. intercurrere: to run between) can refer to any interchange or communication between persons. Thus, one may speak of social intercourse in general or, more specifically, of visual intercourse between people who wink at each other, of oral intercourse between people who talk to each other, and of manual intercourse between people who shake hands. However, many textbooks use the term in a much narrower sense. When they mention intercourse, they mean only one particular kind of communication: Sexual intercourse. Indeed, they often mean only one particular kind of sexual intercourse: Vaginal intercourse, i.e. coitus.
Unfortunately, this narrow usage has now been widely accepted by the general public. For example, popular writings often distinguish between "intercourse" (coitus) and "petting" (all other forms of sexual intimacy). They also declare that the dramatic event of "intercourse" itself should be preceded by "foreplay" and followed by "afterplay". In short, they imply that the only sexual contact that really counts is that between penis and vagina.
This is a very shortsighted view. After all, as we have seen in
Course 1, the human sexual response involves the whole body, and orgasm can be reached in many different ways. Coitus may very well be the most common form of sexual contact, but it is by no means the only one. Indeed, for many men and women it is not even the one they like best. Furthermore, there are countless individuals who are physically unable to engage in coitus because of certain handicaps, injuries, or diseases. Nevertheless, many of them can and do practice other forms of sexual intercourse and thus have satisfying sexual relationships.

[Course 6] [Description] [How to use it] [Introduction] [Development] [Basic Types] [1. Self-stimulation] [2. Heterosexual] [3. Homosexual] [4. Contact with Animals] [Variations] [Prohibited Behavior] [Additional Reading] [Examination]