Psychological Impotence
Understanding Psychological Impotence
Impotence in men that is not caused by any physical problem is considered to be psychological impotence. This is a condition that affects all men at least a few times in their lives and the causes of this varies. Impotence itself is an inability to have or keep an erection during sex or to have an erection but not be able to ejaculate or end the sexual encounter. It was thought that most cases of impotence where psychologically related but we know now that only ten to twenty percent of men who suffer with this problem actually have psychological impotence.
There is a saying that states that the brain is the largest sexual organ and in this case it is true. During arousal a man can have specific images that appear to him but in this case the images are negative and not positive. This sends chemicals to the brain and the blood flow to the penis slows down, making an erection impossible. Because of performance anxiety, the man can stay stuck in this rut for a long period of time.
When a man cannot perform during sex his may experience depression. He puts a great deal of emphasis on his sexual performance and this can cause additional stress. Stress is one of the most common things that accompany psychological impotence because it affects the nerves. This means that every time a man tries to achieve an erection he gets nervous and puts too much emphasis on his performance causing extreme anxiety. If he tries more than a few times without any success the condition can worsen and can also last a long period of time resulting in an impotence domino effect.
Too much alcohol or the consumption of certain drugs like anti depressants, can cause temporary impotence in men. A person who consumes too much alcohol may feel too fatigued or even too sick to perform sex and anti depressants are known to cause a lack of sexual desire. When a man either stops drinking or taking these types of drugs, sexual functions almost always go back to normal.
If a man was sexually abused during childhood or had seen a traumatic event that was related with sex, he can have severe psychological impotence. This is possible the worst case scenario when it comes to impotence. But this condition can also be corrected with psychiatric counseling and therapy.
Some men can have preferences when it comes to sexual partners. Although they might not be conscious of these preferences, they have an idea of what a sexual partner needs to look like, act like and smell like. If any of these things are not what the man expected, he may become impotent and not be able to end the sexual encounter. This can also happen if there is a role reversal when it comes to sex.
If a woman becomes too dominant or submissive this can cause impotence. A man usually considers himself the aggressor and acts on this. While women are usually passive and allow this to happen. But as people become more sexually free, they can now enjoy role reversal. But this can only happen if both parties agree to it and if both people are either dominant or submissive at the same time, it does not end up in a very sexually satisfying experience.
Masturbation can also lead to psychological impotence. Because a man might have stronger sexual urges than his partner, he may masturbate to get sexual release. Over time he may become used to doing this because he believes that this is the only way to get sex. If the partner again becomes interested, he may continue to satisfy himself instead of having sex with his partner.