Sexology and individual psychology today

Authors

  • Gian Giacomo Rovera

Keywords:

sexuality, couples, love, psychoeducation, social feeling

Abstract

According to Adler's Individual Psychology, sexuality is a component of lifestyle determined by biological, psychological, and social factors. Human sexuality is influenced not only by biological aspects, but also by a subjective, inner, and existential dimension that involves the entire individual development. Adler focuses on the links between sexuality and psychological dynamics, such as role identity and “masculine protest,” attributing great importance to social and cultural factors in the formation of sexual behavior. The study of sexuality requires an interdisciplinary approach that integrates natural sciences, psychology, and social sciences, with attention to both somatic aspects (organ inferiority, endocrine alterations) and psychological aspects (compensations and unconscious dynamics). For Adler, sexuality should be understood as a matter of interpersonal communication, a tool for self-realization and individual growth within the couple, in which sexual pleasure also takes on a relational function, promoting self-realization and cooperation within the couple. Individual psychology proposes different strategies at different levels of intervention. Psychotherapies based on encouragement and the recovery of aggression as a non-harmful but self-protective and fulfilling instinct, as well as psychopedagogical interventions aimed at sexuality education, support the development of social feelings and individual and couple planning, integrating themselves into personality formation. Sexuality, friendship, and love are intertwined in an evolutionary process oriented toward harmony with others and cooperation, reflecting the meaning of human life in its social and existential dimensions

Published

2025-08-14