You do not currently have permission to view the full text for this document. Please sign in to an account with an active subscription or contact support.
Noting the physician's need to understand his own and others' sexual problems, the University of Minnesota Medical School initiated group instruction in sex, on an emotional as well as a factual level, for medical students. The objectives were: demythologizing of sexual behavior, desensitization to hasty response to sexual stimuli, and an increase of gentle, humanistic, and professional understanding of sex. A two-day presentation for some eighty persons—medical students and their sexual partners—ensued. The assembly was divided into groups of a dozen people each, led by a male and by a female. Emphasis was on sharing cognitive awareness of emotional reactions. The sessions started with audiovisual presentation of erotica with humorous comments on the enjoyment of sex. Content and comments gradually became more serious. Portrayals of various kinds of coitus were shown to a point of saturation. This was followed by technical suggestions and comments on current sexual mores. The members at first showed resistance, often expressed by boredom, but gradually, encouraged by others' examples, they told of their responses to the subject. The most dynamic aspect of the proceedings was the small group discussion.