When Do We Say a Woman’s Sexuality Is Dysfunctional?

I did not know 25 years ago that my dilemma was actually one of choosing between two classic approaches to defining sexual dysfunction. The “objective approach” compares the woman’s behavior with established standards of sexual functioning, demarking a point where good functioning ceases and dysfunction begins. The “functional approach,” on the other hand, is not concerned with how this woman’s sexuality compares with that of others but with how it promotes satisfaction, or causes problems, for her, her partner, or both of them.