ABSTRACT
Overt sexual behavior of humans is not observable in public as it is in other mammals. Although the promotion and depiction of sexuality by the media has raised general awareness, sexual behavior in the strict sense of genital contact is likely to be covert. Moreover, public displays of sexual behavior often elicit censure, as the example of legal consequences for exhibitionism demonstrates. Similarly, men and women with sexual problems commonly keep them hidden from others. Not only are sexual problems viewed as limiting the opportunity to find and bond with a suitable sexual partner; people who experience such difficulties also fear exposure and humiliation. This fear of exposure generalizes to help-seeking from professional health care workers, to whom sexual problems are revealed in a by-the-way or door-in-hand fashion. Professionals who inquire directly about sexual problems, therefore, are more likely to learn of them than are those who rely on their clients taking the initiative (Bachmann, Leiblum, & Grill, 1989; van Lankveld & van Koeveringe, 2003). This general reluctance of sufferers to openly discuss sexual problems may recommend the use of self-help approaches, as such approaches fit well with privacy concerns. Whether self-help interventions will be accepted by and found helpful to those with sexual dysfunctions, however, will ultimately determine the extent to which they will be adopted.
