Sexual behaviour acceptable to family, school, peers, media, religion and government is normal else it is abnormal
When a family, school, peers or government decides what is normal or abnormal, it is on the basis of their own sexual values, and their sexual knowledge.
Media always reflects what is present in the society. If a society considers a particular act as immoral, the media will only reflect that.
Religion is based on Social Morality. It does not take into account what an individual likes but expects people to follow certain sexual norm so that society remains stable.
Cultures use various criteria to define what is normal. A specific sexual behaviour is considered normal if it is prevalent, considered to be morally correct or is viewed as natural.
To add to the complexity, within the same culture, sexual behaviour may be labelled as normal in one historical time and abnormal in another.
Take the case of masturbation. It is very prevalent in any society so it is normal, but it’s not morally correct according to some religions, so it is abnormal and it is unnatural because it does not lead to procreation. So, it is abnormal, not anymore. So, how do you decide whether a particular sexual behaviour is normal or not?
Simple, ask yourself these questions:
- Does it give you pleasure?
- How does your partner feel about it?
- Is it safe?
- Are you being pressured into doing it?
- Does it harm anymore?
- Is it good for your relationship?
Answering these questions will help you decide whether you should try a particular sexual behaviour or not.