Development of Sexual Behavior

Stages of Development: Adolescence

Sexual Response 2

A good illustration of early male sexual capacity is provided by the sexual diaries of two men, Mr. Z and Mr. C. Although living in different European countries, they have sexually much in common: As adolescents, they had no opportunity for sexual intercourse and thus were left with masturbation as their only sexual outlet. Once they reached adulthood, they both married and had children. Both also kept precise diaries, listing their sexual activities over more than five decades. Such diaries are extremely rare, and their content can therefore not be considered representative. Still, the excerpts presented here, which cover the first twenty years of their lives, document levels of performance that neither could sustain in adulthood. In this respect at least, the diaries reflect a typical development. They also document that otherwise ordinary males can be sexually highly responsive in their teens: About 900 orgasms per year, i.e. 2 - 3 orgasms per day, between the ages of 15 and 17. (Actually, Mr. Z’s activity already begins in childhood during the “latency period” postulated by Freud.)

Masturbation frequency per year from birth to age 20
Green: Mr. Z, Orange: Mr. C