Disorders of Desire: Sexuality and Gender in Modern American Sexology

Disorders of Desire is the only book to tell the story of the development and impact of sexology - the scientific study of sex - in the United States. In this era of sex scandals, culture wars, "Sex in the City," and new sexual enhancement technologiies (like erectile dysfunction drugs), its critique of sexology is even more relevant than it was when the book was first published in 1990. Revised throughout, this new edition features a chapter on the invention of the diagnosis of "sex addiction" in the 1970s, examining the social and political implications of this "disorder." The new Afterward focuses on recent developments within the field of sexology. In particular, it discusses the "Viagra Revolution" that began in the 1990s, analyzing the role of the pharmaceutical industry in developing sexual enhancements and in searching for the female equivalent of Viagra.