UNDERSTANDING AND DIAGNOSING SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION - RECENT PROGRESS THROUGH PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOPHYSICAL METHODS

The psychophysiological method has been applied to the study of human sexual response for well over three decades. The value of this method in providing an objective, integrated approach to the understanding of sexual response, and more specifically sexual dysfunction, is present ed. Selected results from recent studies using this methodology illust rate the complex relationships that emerge among cognitive, affective, and physiological components of the sexual response. In addition, dat a from a systematic study of the use of psychophysiological procedures as an aid in differential diagnosis are given as evidence that this m ethodology offers a further strategy for assessing problems such as er ectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation. Finally, recent findings utilizing sensory psychophysical procedures which relate subjective p enile thresholds to sexual response and dysfunction are reviewed. Such procedures also study the interaction of physical/physiological syste ms with psychological events, and as such may be considered relevant t o understanding the relationship between psychological and physiologic al aspects of sexual response.