Involuntary celibacy
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Involuntary celibacy is the failure to establish an intimate relationship or engage in sexual intercourse for reasons other than voluntary celibacy or sexual abstinence. The term is used especially for adults who, despite general expectations, have had little to no sexual or romantic experience.
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[edit] Definition
Syndrome of involuntary celibacy, also termed as incelism.
An involuntarily celibate person is someone who fails to initiate or sustain a sexual or romantic relationship, despite his/her desire to experience such a relationship. Sufferers may complain of loneliness, frustration, and may be mistaken for homosexuals who are hiding their sexuality (although homosexuals may also be affected by involuntary celibacy). Also can develop sentiments of anger and/or depression. Causes may include lack of sex appeal, religion, discrimination, shyness, poverty, poor social skills, love-shyness, social isolation, or the law.
There is some degree of debate concerning the precise duration of the celibacy needed to qualify for the label of involuntary celibacy. On the one hand, some people class themselves as involuntary celibate because they are not in a relationship at the moment, though they have been in the recent past and are likely to be again. Critics to this view would suggest that the proper label for this is simply being "single", which, unlike "involuntarily celibate", is in common usage and does not carry potential social stigma. Others have never been involved in a sexual relationship.
People who are unable to engage in sexual activities due to medical limitations are termed medcel (medically celibate). Married couples who do not engage in sexual activities are termed marcel (marriage celibate). People who chosed to stay celibate are termed vocel (voluntarily celibate).
[edit] Research
A study was initiated in 1998 by researchers from Georgia State University when a member of an online discussion group for involuntary celibates inquired about current research on the subject. [1] The study, Involuntary celibacy: A life course analysis, [2] was published in 2001 in the Journal of Sex Research, produced by the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality. A news article reporting on the study indicated that involuntary celibacy can lead to anger and depression. [3] Involuntary celibacy: A life course analysis has also been included in an anthology of scholarly literature. [4]
[edit] Criticism
There is also debate on the use of the word "involuntary". Involuntary celibates who choose not to engage the services of a prostitute for ethical or legal reasons could be viewed as accepting their celibacy voluntarily. Taken to an extreme, it might even be argued that the refusal to rape a member of the opposite sex implies a voluntary aspect to celibacy. While such views are not commonly supported, it is more debatable whether a person qualifies as an involuntary celibate if he or she merely has high standards in assessing a potential mate and therefore does not have a relationship for a protracted time.
Involuntary celibacy is not recognised by most experts in psychology, virtually no research has been published, and no statistics are available, although it is finding its way onto university syllabi.[5][6] It does not appear to be a concept taken seriously by those who do not experience it. However, conditions associated with involuntary celibacy may include severe depression, self-harm, mental illness and even suicide.
In a March 6, 2004 letter by Brian G. Gilmartin, who performed extensive studies on involuntarily celibate males (whom he termed "love-shy") he noted that "as many as 40 percent of the cases of severely love-shy men would qualify for a diagnosis of 'Asperger's Syndrome'". This figure has been criticized as being inaccurate.[citation needed]
[edit] Contributing factors
Socio-economic factors, such as homelessness and poverty, may also play a role by discouraging courtship. Certain other factors such as having a criminal record, having HIV/AIDS, and some religions may also play such similar roles in courtship discouragement. Discrimination may also be a big factor in causing involuntary celibacy because of disapproval of the person's partner from family and friends, especially if the person is attracted to people of a different race, ethnicity, religion, and/or nationality.
Involuntary celibacy may also be perpetuated by cognitive biases and/or negative explanatory styles such as learned helplessness or Fundamental Attribution Error. Learned helplessness occurs when, after experiencing repeated rejection, an individual is conditioned to assume all other potential prospects will also reject them. Every "signal" of interest may be dismissed, even when the object of one's attraction is genuinely interested. "Actual helplessness" occurs when there are no signals of interest to be misinterpreted. The Fundamental Attribution Error can cause individuals to see people as being mean or shallow towards them when they have experienced a rejection of some form, instead of explaining the behaviour through situational or environmental factors. For example, someone may jump to the conclusion that they are undesirable simply because they went to a supermarket and a cashier brushed them off when they tried to crack a joke. There could be many situational or environmental reasons to the cashier's reaction that has nothing to do with whether or not one is attractive. Perhaps the cashier was in a bad mood, or was having a bad day, or perhaps had some other unseen problems in her life. It is important to note that both of these cognitive errors are common among the general population and are not signs of mental illness.
[edit] References
- ^ For many, sexless lifestyle is not a choice, Georgia State University News Release, July 24, 2001 (accessed December 14, 2006)
- ^ Involuntary celibacy: A life course analysis D. Donnelly, E. Burgess, S. Anderson, R. Curry, J. Dillard, Journal of Sex Research 38(2), S. 159-169. (2001) (accessed December 14, 2006)
- ^ Study shows that involuntary celibacy can lead to anger and depression American Association of Single People, November 12, 2001 (accessed December 14, 2006)
- ^ Sex Matters AbeBooks.com, (accessed December 14, 2006)
- ^ Sexuality in Society syllabus for San Francisco State University, Fall 2004 (accessed December 14, 2006)
- ^ Sociology of Sexuality Syllabus for Washington State University, Summer Quarter, 2006 (accessed December 14, 2006)
