Alfred Kinsey

Kara Duenas January 27, 2013 2nd period A. P. Psychology Mrs. Gatewood was born in New Jersey on June 23, 1894 to Alfred Kinsey and Sarah Charles. As a young boy he suffered many illnesses such as rheumatic fever and typhoid. In high school, he began his interest in biology and botanical studies with the influence of his teacher. He started his career in biology as a zoologist and entomologist but later found interest in sexology. His parents were very religious therefore not agreeing with his choice of career.

Due to this he considered his father’s wishes by studying engineering but decided that he was better off with biology. In 1919 Kinsey graduated from Harvard with a Doctor of Science degree and joined Indiana University. He became a full professor in 1924 but was not satisfied with the offer he was given so he took a change in career paths and began to study sex and marriage. His reason for studying sex and marriage was that he was intrigued by the lack of details and inaccuracies of research he read. With his knowledge in biology, he decided to take a biological approach in studying sex and marriage.

As his first case studies and research, he started by asking his students (freshman and sophomores) detailed questionnaires but that did work out because he found that some of the answers were too inappropriate. He decided to start one on one interviews. “Kinsey received research support from the National Research Council and the Rockefeller Foundation, which allowed him to hire research assistants, expand the geographic scope of his work, and found the Institute of Sex Research at Indiana University in 1947”. This sparked his career in sexology.

He decided to drop his marriage course and solely focus on his sex research. In 1948 he published his first book on sex called “Sexual Behavior in the Human Male”, this book, based on over 5000 sexual histories, provided a series of revelations about masturbation, adulterous sexual activity, and homosexuality. In 1953 he published “Sexual Behavior in the Human Female”, this book was based on almost 6000 sexual histories that contained many revelations about women’s masturbatory practices, premarital sexuality, and orgasmic experiences.

In particular, the book reported that extramarital and premarital sex were more frequent than generally believed; that nearly all males, especially teenagers, masturbated and that masturbation did not cause mental illness; and that one in three men reported having at least one homosexual encounter. Alfred Kinsey focused all his research on the following topics: anal sex, bisexuality, coitus, erogenous zones, extramarital sex, fantasy, foreplay, homosexuality, masturbation, nudity, oral sex, orgasm, peak performance/maximum sexual activity, premarital sex and sadomasochism.

There are little studies shown in the original Kinsey Studies regarding anal sex. He reported, among the male homosexual, occasional individuals brought to orgasm anally and for females, Kinsey said that good incidence data was not available. Kinsey found that bisexuality is more frequent in males then in females but believed that because a male and a male engage in sexual activity does not mean they are homosexual. Kinsey spent most of his time researching and studying sex that he did not have time for his wife. He began having sexual affairs with children and experimented to deepen his studies and knowledge about sexual behaviors. Kinsey’s work has been instrumental in advancing acceptance of pornography, homosexuality, abortion, and condom-based sex education, and his disciples even today are promoting a view of children as “sexual beings. ” Their ultimate goal: to normalize pedophilia, or “adult-child sex ” Kinsey’s health deteriorated under the strain of public attack and uncertainty about the future of his institute. Everyone attacked him for his ways of conducting research and his methods. On August 25, 1956 Alfred Kinsey died of heart disease and pneumonia. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Kinsey, 1948, W. B.

Saunders of Philadelphia, and the book was published while the Indiana legislature was in recess in December 1948. The 804 page book. “Alfred Kinsey Biography (1894-1956). ” Internet FAQ Archives – Online Education – faqs. org. http://www. faqs. org/health/bios/10/Alfred-Kinsey. html (accessed January 27, 2013). [ 2 ]. “Alfred C. Kinsey: A Pioneer Of Sex Research. ” National Center for Biotechnology Information. http://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pmc/articles/PMC1447862/ (accessed January 27, 2013). [ 3 ]. “Alfred C. Kinsey: A Pioneer Of Sex Research. ” National Center for Biotechnology Information. http://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. ov/pmc/articles/PMC1447862/ (accessed January 27, 2013). [ 4 ]. Ibid [ 5 ]. “The Kinsey Institute – Kinsey Study Data [Research Program]. ” The Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction. http://www. kinseyinstitute. org/research/ak-data. html (accessed January 27, 2013). [ 6 ]. Kinsey, 1948, W. B. Saunders of Philadelphia, and the book was published while the Indiana legislature was in recess in December 1948. The 804 page book. “Alfred Kinsey Biography (1894-1956). ” Internet FAQ Archives – Online Education – faqs. org. http://www. faqs. org/health/bios/10/Alfred-Kinsey. html (accessed January 27, 2013).