This fear widened to a loss of self-control or control over one’s own sexual desire (Hunt, 1998), which was linked to the ability to control and satisfy a woman and maintain the patriarchal position within the family (Stolberg, 2000). Complementing religious arguments, fear of pathological consequences became an incentive to abstain from masturbation (Kontula & Haavio-Mannila, 2003). In one edition of this work, Tissot ( 1781) elaborated on the concept of a “post-masturbatory disease.” He regarded the loss of semen and the mechanical manipulation of the genitals as possible causes of infection, sexual dysfunction, and insanity (Patton, 1986 Stolberg, 2000). In the beginning of the eighteenth century, this view changed with the publication of “Onania: or, the Heinous Sin of Self-Pollution,” which ascribed physiological symptoms to masturbation (Laqueur, 2003). Until the early modern age, moralists and theologians considered masturbation a “sin against nature” (Stolberg, 2000), whereas medical professionals left it largely unnoticed (Laqueur, 2003).
It is present in religious arguments, discussions surrounding the fear of physiological or psychological consequences, and efforts to avoid feelings of guilt or loss of control (Patton, 1986). Individual motivation for abstaining from masturbation has been diversely scattered across recent history. We argue that research on abstinence from masturbation can enrich the understanding of whether and how average frequencies of healthy behavior are pathologized. Higher abstinence motivation was related to a higher perceived impact of masturbation, conservatism, and religiosity and to lower trust in science. While there were associations with hypersexuality, no significant correlation with behavioral markers such as maximum number of orgasms was found. As visible from zero-order correlations and multiple linear regression, motivation for abstinence was mostly associated with attitudinal correlates, specifically the perception of masturbation as unhealthy. In an online questionnaire survey recruited via a non-thematic Reddit thread ( n = 1063), most participants reported that they had tried to be abstinent from masturbation. We adopted a framework of perceived problems with pornography to collect first hints about whether abstinence from masturbation stems from a psychological and behavioral “addiction” or conflicting attitudes. Despite the lack of evidence for negative health effects of masturbation, abstinence from masturbation is frequently recommended as a strategy to improve one’s sexual self-regulation.