ABSTRACT
Few today are ignorant of the gravity of HIV infection and the importance of safer sex practices. Exposing oneself to the risk of HIV infection, however, is often not simply suicidal, impulsive behavior. Because of its primary mode of transmission, namely, through the exchange of body fluids, HIV infection is a physiological process that is immersed in, and configured by, the personal and social influences that shape our modes of intimate contact with others. High-risk behavior or actual infection with HIV often has deeply personal and dynamic meanings. When explored therapeutically, these meanings can be uncovered, thereby expanding the patient's self-knowledge and curiosity about him-or herself, while aiding in the reduction of self-destructive patterns. Factors such as desire for intimacy, fear of aloneness or rejection, and low self-esteem, as well as one's sense of social integration versus isolation, are crucial.
