A sexual inhibition is a conscious or subconscious constraint or curtailment by a person of behaviour relating to specific sexual matters or practices or of a discussion of sexual matters.

Though a person can be regarded as being sexually inhibited if he or she irrationally fears of or is excessively averse to any sexual practice or discourse, the term is normally not applied to a person who refrains from certain sexual activities on moral and rational grounds or due to a psychological disorder. On the other hand, a person can be regarded as having low sexual inhibitions when he/she welcomes a variety of non-conventional erotic practices. Hypersexuality is typically associated with lowered sexual inhibitions, and alcohol and some drugs can affect a person's social and sexual inhibitions. Hypersexuality is at times viewed in terms of sexual addiction.

A particularly uninhibited individual might be branded in contemporary society as being a slut, stud or pervert while someone abnormally inhibited may be considered sexually frigid or prudish. See Asexuality.

Examples of inhibitions

Some inhibitions are expressed in terms of preferences for specific sexual practices and may be based on cultural attitudes. For example, cultural attitudes towards oral sex range from disgust to reverence. It has been considered taboo, or at least frowned upon, in many cultures and parts of the world.^[1] Preferences for specific sexual practices among female same-sex relationships have been studied. It was found that not all women who have sex with women engage in oral sex (i.e., cunnilingus). Some state that they dislike it due to not liking the experience or due to psychological or social factors, such as considering it unclean.^[2][3][4][5] Others believe that it is a necessity or largely defines lesbian sexual activity, attributing lesbian women who dislike oral sex as a problem.^[4][5] Often, lesbian couples are likely to define a woman's dislike of oral sex as a problem more than heterosexual couples are, and commonly seek therapy to overcome an oral sex inhibition.^[4] Similarly, there are lesbians who like anal sex and others "who cannot bear the thought of it".^[6] People give various reasons for their dislike of oral sex. Some say that since it does not lead to procreation, it is therefore unnatural.^[7] Others believe that it is a humiliating or unclean practice (an opinion that is, at least in some cases, connected with the symbolism attached to different parts of the body).^[8]

In cultures that value virginity, some adolescent girls avoid vaginal sexual intercourse, preferring to fellate their boyfriends to create and maintain intimacy.^{[9][10][11][12][13][14][11]}

In most cultures, an intravaginal insemination by a male, such as a sperm donor, is subject to social and sexual inhibitions and taboos. This is because penile-vaginal sexual penetration as well as vaginal sexual intercourse in general with a male other than the female's normal sex partner carries with it moral and other significance, and has legal, moral and interpersonal implications.

A fear of being nude in front of others can be regarded as a sexual inhibition. In an interview in March 2007, Halle Berry said that her toplessness in Swordfish (2001) was "gratuitous" to the movie, but that she needed to do the scene to get over her fear of nudity, and that it was the best thing she did for her career. Having overcome her inhibitions, she went on to a role in Monster's Ball, which included a nude scene.^[15] In 2002, Eva Green in her first film role needed director Bernardo Bertolucci's guidance during the filming of the nude and sex scenes in The Dreamers (2003), but was embarrassed when her family saw the film.^[16] Some actresses prefer not to expose their bodies to others and use a body double even for exposure of breasts.^[17][18]

Causes of inhibitions

A person's sexual inhibitions are a product of the person's personality, as well as personal experiences. Nevertheless there are a number of sources which have a great influence on the development of actual behaviour. Social conditioning and fashions also has an influence. (See the nature vs nurture debate.)

As a young person matures sexually, he or she will be exposed to myriad mixed signals of what various people regard as the normal behavior in a particular situation. On the other hand, other will hold such behavior to be unacceptable. Sexual inhibitions may result from, for example, repression of sexual behaviour as a child, societal restraints on sexual behaviour, ignorance, sexual myths, and disparity between the partners. For example, many women suffer from the “good girl syndrome” because they were taught that only “bad girls” will do a striptease for their lover, masturbate, give oral, have anal or even initiate sex when they want it. Women are often raised with shame and guilt about their body so they are inhibited about the size or shape of their breasts, the look and smell of their vagina, losing control during orgasm as well as asking for what they want in bed.^[19]

Early conditioning by not only parents and guardians, but society, can play a paramount role in the development of sexual inhibitions. When the child is young, they begin to understand the concept of gender identity, and begin to associate themselves as either a boy or a girl. This will also eventually lead to the discovery of the genitalia. Touching/playing/showing of the genitalia is generally considered inappropriate behaviour and the child may be admonished. The child learns the taboo of the genitalia and generally accepts them. If the child witnesses any sort of sexual behaviours between persons he is familiar with, after all of this anti sexual conditioning, the child may become confused and thus it may lead to sexual inhibition as the child grows^{[citation needed]}. However this depends on the response of the child. Many times, if the child witnesses their parent(s) engaging in sexual acts, the child may see them acting frantically, and thus the child would interpret it in a negative manner, again leading to sexual inhibitions^{[citation needed]}. But if the parent(s) or another party are abusing the child, he/she may grow to engage in more atypical sexual behaviour.^{[citation needed]}

Society has a profound effect on a person's perception of sex. For example, parents may pass on their anti-sex ideas onto their children at a young age, but the media imposes conflicting ideas on the youths as they grow older^{[citation needed]}.