Male Sexuality

Introduction
Ever wanted to know about sex or how porn might impact your relationship or sex life? Michael Shelton MS, LPC is a the author of a number of books on topics ranging from multiculturalism to homosexual culture—and he is also a frequent contributor to Psychology Today, where he blogs about sex, sexuality, relationships, and other issues related to the language of love. This paper will review Shelton’s blog, which is named Sex Life of the American Male: How new technology, new mores, and current events impact male sexuality. It will identify common themes found in the blog, how well the information is presented, how accurate it is, and how interesting it is to read—which is very.
Background and Credentials of the Blogger
Shelton’s bio on Psychology Today describes him as “a writer, therapist, and educator focused on male sex and sexuality issues” (Shelton, 2018)—but there is more to say about Shelton’s credentials than just that. His books include: Boy Crazy: Why Monogamy is So Hard for Gay Men and What You Can Do about It, Secret Encounters: Addressing Sexual Behaviors in Group Settings, and Multiculturalism in Camps and Youth Programs: How Us and Them Became Just Us. Is profile indicates that he has a website, but clicking on the link takes one to a dead domain that is up for sale—not a good sign. The other link takes one to a website called Equilibria: Psychological & Consultation Services. Here you can schedule an appointment at the Philadelphia clinic. Scrolling down the page will let you meet the therapists working at this facility and Michael Shelton is one of them: his profile on this site lists him as Michael Shelton, MS, CAC, and states that he has been in the field for almost 30 years. He also lists his credentials and the fact that he is the author of three self-help books, one of which won a “best book of the year” award by the Independent Book Publishers Association. He also notes that he is recognized as an expert in male psychological concerns by Psychology Today. Since that is case, it is time to get back to his blog.
The Blog
Shelton’s blog has been around since 2011, and while he is not a frequent contributor (he only has two posts so far for 2018, and he only had three posts for all of 2017), he is at least a consistent contributor (his output for the blog is steady—he has never been one to throw up short little blurb posts every few days or weeks). The themes he has covered include pornography (for example, its effect relationships, on mental health, whether porn addiction is a real problem, and so on), technology and dating (i.e., the impact of cell phones on romantic relationships), bisexuality and masturbation.
Themes
The theme of pornography is covered by Shelton in an academic way. For example, he routinely covers what other researchers have found in their research or explains what the DSM-V says about porn addiction. In most cases he does not offer up a personal opinion but simply restates what researchers in the field are finding. On the issue of how pornography impacts relationships, he examines a couple of research articles where the researchers conducted studies of how men and women use pornography and how it impacts their lives. He lets their findings speak for themselves. In this way, I feel that Shelton is generally spot on, as he mainly reiterates what other researchers have said. He is not trying to be persuasive but rather informative. Most of his blogs are constructed in this manner: he wants to pass on what he has read and help to inform others on topics that not many people may talk about. The aim here is to provide clarity where there is confusion and to base it on fact rather than fiction or personal conviction and opinion. That is why Shelton references the studies and cites them: he wants to show the reader where this information is coming from. It is a helpful way to pass on knowledge and all of the information he passes on in this manner correlates with what has been learned in class.
The theme of technology is treated in the same manner. Shelton examines what other researchers have found about the topic and provides the reader with a brief synopsis of their findings and what they mean. There is no personal opinion provided, just the facts. Shelton cites what a Pew Research Report has found, for instance, regarding cell phone usage and its effect on romantic partnerships along with other recent studies, like one done by Roberts and David (2016), who coin a new term called “phubbing” (phone snubbing) and discuss what it means in terms of how one partner might snub another by always being on his or her phone when with the other. This type of information is presented in a simple manner, with main points bulleted out for the reader and conclusions of the research summarized tersely. In this way, Shelton just reports on the facts. Again, the aim of Shelton when writing on this theme is to simply show what others have said about it and what is important to know about the issues.
In some cases, however, the posts are less substantively focused on current research and offer a glimpse into what Shelton himself thinks. For instance, on the theme of masturbation there are numerous blog posts that cover other researchers’ findings on this subject, but there are also windows into Shelton’s views. For example, in one post entitled “An Unacknowledged Harm of Masturbation,” Shelton holds the position that the only harm of masturbation is the development of paraphilias and that aside from this masturbation can actually be quite healthy for males. This assertion is not backed up by any links to other research and thus must be taken as Shelton’s own personal or professional belief. However, the article is not very long and the author does not get into much beyond a discussion of paraphilias which he notes may have social or legalistic issues for some people.
The theme of bisexuality is also covered extensively and Shelton again uses a lot of other research as the subject of his posts, looking at books, first person accounts, and academic papers on how sex and bisexuality form a part of people’s lives. He uses the topic of bisexuality as a starting point for showing how sex is a fluid phenomenon and that labeling it is not really necessarily a needful thing. This information is supported by evidence obtained from other researchers in studies and again Shelton simply passes on what he has found in a concise and clear manner.
Overall Evaluation
The blog posts are generally interesting and easy to read: the topics are quirky but tend to bring up subjects that are of interest and that will catch the reader’s eye. The blogger does achieve his goals with respect to the title of the blog and all the articles focus in some way on male sexuality and how technology, mores or current events (i.e., findings in research) relate to it. There is not really much focus on current events, such as political events or world events discussed or written about in this blog, so that aspect of the title might be a little misleading.
However, the information presented in the blog and in the blog posts appears to be accurate, mainly because it relies so heavily on what other researchers have said in current research. The blog is very informative and is definitely interesting to read as who is not interested in the subject of sex? Everyone, especially men, but also women who might like to understand men, will probably be interested in reading this blog—however, if one is looking for personal opinion, this is the wrong place to come because most of what is reported in this blog is simply what researchers have found in the course of their own studies.
Conclusion
Michael Shelton’s blog Sex Life of the American Male presents a great deal of information for readers, focusing on how technology, pornography, masturbation, and bisexuality all figure into the landscape of the American male. The information is supported by recent research and Shelton offers the insights of what scholars in the field have found. The information is useful and can help better understand how sex and sexuality might impact their lives—especially if they are an American male. While there is not a lot of focus on what it means to be an American male (it is just assumed that this is the audience), the blog does offer up a lot of solid evidence on the themes it covers. So if you’ve ever wanted to know more about sex, male sexuality, and how porn and masturbation link to these topics according to modern researchers, this is the blog for you.
References
Shelton, M. (2018). Sex life of the American male. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/sex-life-the-american-male