Abstract
Retarded ejaculation is the persistent difficulty or inability to ejaculate despite the presence of adequate sexual desire, erection, and stimulation. The causes of this dysfunction may be organic, i.e., medical illness or drug ingestion (particularly medications with antiadrenergic effects), the result of surgical interventions, or secondary to inhibiting psychological factors. With regard to psychological determinants, fear, guilt, resentment, and passivity have all been implicated, although objective studies are rare. The sexual object choice of men with retarded ejaculation has been reported by several clinicians and investigators to be other than adult members of the opposite sex, while the marital relationship of these males has been considered etiological in other instances. Outcome assessment to date consists mostly of individual case reports or reports on small groups of patients treated without controls. To some extent, routine reliance on longterm traditional therapy has yielded to shorter, symptomatic learning-based treatments. While improved outcomes have been reported, many patients do not respond well. It is not yet possible to objectively predict success or failure. Since it is our impression that this sexual dysfunction is more common than previously assumed (or is increasing in frequency), our present lack of data should soon be remedied.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alexander, F. (1950).Psychosomatic Medicine Norton, New York, pp. 242–243.
Barnett, J. (1971). Sex and the obsessive-compulsive person.Med. Asp. Hum. Sex. 5(2): 35–45.
Bennett, D. (1961). Treatment of ejaculatio praecox with monoamine-oxidase inhibitors.Lancet 2: 1309.
Bergler, E. (1935). Some special varieties of ejaculatory disturbance not hitherto described.Int. J. Psychoanal. 16: 84.
Blair, J. H., and Simpson, G. M. (1966). Effects of antipsychotic drugs on reproductive functions.Dis. Nerv. Syst. 27: 645–647.
Bors, E., and Comarr, A. E. (1960). Neurological disturbances of sexual function with special reference to 529 patients with spinal cord injury.Urol. Surv. 10: 191.
Cole, T. (1975). Sexuality in the spinal cord injured. In Green, R. (ed.),Human Sexuality: A Health Practitioner's Text Williams and Wilkins, Baltimore, pp. 147–170.
Cooper, A. J. (1968a). A factual study of male potency disorders.Br. J. Psychiat. 114: 719–731.
Cooper, A. J. (1968b). “Neurosis” and disorders of sexual potency in the male.J. Psychosom. Res. 12: 141–144.
Cooper, A. J. (1968c). Hostility and male potency disorders.Comp. Psychiat. 9(6): 621–626.
Cooper, A. J. (1969). A clinical study of “coital anxiety” in male potency disorders.J. Psychosom. Res. 13: 143–147.
Cushman, P. (1972). Sexual behavior in heroin addiction and methadone maintenance.N.Y. State J. Med. 72: 1261–1265.
Ditman, K. S. (1964). Inhibition of ejaculation by chlorprothixene.Am. J. Psychiat. 120: 1004–1005.
Fenichel, O. (1945).The Psychoanalytic Theory of Neurosis Norton, New York, p. 172.
Ferenczi, S. (1950). The symbolism of the bridge. In Rickman, J. (compiled by),Theory and Technique of Psychoanalysis Basic Books, New York, pp. 352–56.
Friedman, D. (1968). The treatment of impotence by Brietal relaxation therapy.Behav. Res. Ther. 6: 257–261.
Friedman, M. (1973). Success phobia and retarded ejaculation.Am. J. Psychother. 27: 78–84.
Gagliardi, F. A. (1976). Ejaculatio retardata.Am. J. Psychother. 30: 85–94.
Gay, G., and Sheppard, C. (1972). Sex in the “drug culture.”Med. Asp. Hum. Sex. 6(10): 28–50.
Green, M., and Berman, S. (1954). Failure of ejaculation produced by Dibenzyline.Conn. Med. 18: 30–33.
Heath, R. G. (1972). Pleasure and brain activity in man.J. Nerv. Ment. Dis. 154: 3–18.
Huff, B. B. (comp. ed.) (1976).Physicians' Desk Reference 30th ed., Medical Economics, Inc., Oradell, N.J.
Hughes, J. M. (1964). Failure to ejaculate with chlordiazepoxide.Am. J. Psychiat. 121: 610–611.
Johnson, J. (1965). Prognosis of disorders of sexual potency in the male.J. Psychosom. Res. 9: 195–200.
Kaplan, A. H., and Abrams, M. (1958). Ejaculatory impotence.J. Urol. 79(6): 964–968.
Kaplan, H. (1974).The New Sex Therapy Brunner/Mazel, New York.
Leiter, E., and Brendler, H. (1967). Loss of ejaculation following bilateral retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy.J. Urol. 98: 375–378.
Levine, S. B. (1976). Marital sexual dysfunction: Ejaculation disturbances.Ann. Intern. Med. 84(5): 575–579.
LoPiccolo, J., Stewart, R., and Watkins, B. (1972). Treatment of erectile failure and ejaculatory incompetence of homosexual etiology.J. Behav. Ther. Exp. Psychiat. 3: 233–236.
MacLean, P. D.,et al. (1963). Cerebral localization for scratching and seminal discharge.Arch. Neurol. 9: 485–497.
Mann, J. (1976). Retarded ejaculation and treatment. Presented at the International Congress of Sexology, Montreal, Canada.
Masters, W., and Johnson, V. E. (1966).Human Sexual Response Little, Brown, Boston.
Masters, W., and Johnson, V. E. (1970).Human Sexual Inadequacy Little, Brown, Boston.
Mintz, J., O'Hare, K., O'Brien, C., and Goldschmidt, J. (1974). Sexual problems of heroin addicts.Arch. Gen. Psychiat. 31: 700–703.
Moan, C. E., and Heath, R. G. (1972). Septal stimulation for the initiation of heterosexual behavior in a homosexual male.J. Behav. Ther. Exp. Psychiat. 3: 23–30.
Munjack, D. (1975). Male inability to climax.Med. Asp. Hum. Sex. 1971(6): 125–126.
Munjack, D., Kanno, P., and Oziel, L. (1978). Ejaculatory disorders: Some psychometric data.Psychol. Rep. 43: 783–787.
Newell, A. G. (1976). A case of ejaculatory incompetence treated with a mechanical aid.J. Behav. Ther. Exp. Psychiat. 7: 193–194.
O'Connor, J. F., and Stern, L. O. (1972). Results of treatment in functional sexual disorders.N.Y. State J. Med. 72: 1927–1934.
Ovesey, L., and Meyers, H. (1968). Retarded ejaculation: Psychodynamics and psychotherapy.Am. J. Psychother. 22: 185–201.
Razani, J. (1972). Ejaculatory incompetence treated by deconditioning anxiety.J. Behav. Ther. Exp. Psychiat. 3: 65–67.
Schellen, T. (1968). Induction of ejaculation by electrovibration.Fertil. Steril. 19(4): 566–569.
Selikoff, I., and Robitzek, E. H. (1952). Tuberculosis chemotherapy with hydralazine derivatives of isonicotinic acid.Dis. Chest 21: 385–438.
Silver, J. R. (1975). Sexual problems in disorders of the nervous system: Anatomic and physiologic aspects.Br. Med. J. 3: 480–482.
Singh, H. (1961). A case of inhibition of ejaculation as a side effect of Mellaril.Am. J. Psychiat. 117: 1041–1042.
Talbot, H. S. (1955). The sexual function in paraplegia.J. Urol. 73: 91–100.
Tuthill, J. F. (1955). Impotence.Lancet 1: 124–128.
Whitelaw, G. P., and Smithwick, R. H. (1951). Some secondary effects of sympathectomy with particular reference to disturbance of sexual function.New Engl. J. Med. 245: 121–130.
Zinsser, H. H. (1975). Sex and medicine. In Freedman, A. M., Kaplan, H. I., and Sadock, B. J. (eds.),Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry Williams and Wilkins, Baltimore.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Munjack, D.J., Kanno, P.H. Retarded ejaculation: A review. Arch Sex Behav 8, 139–150 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01541234
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01541234