Editing Libido (section)

== Psychological perspectives ==
===Freud===
{{Psychoanalysis |Concepts}}
[[File:Sigmund Freud, by Max Halberstadt (cropped).jpg|thumb|160px|[[Sigmund Freud]]]]

[[Sigmund Freud]], who is considered the originator of the modern use of the term,<ref>{{Cite book|title=Sex and Society|last1=Crowe|first1=Felicity|last2=Hill|first2=Emily|last3=Hollingum|first3=Ben|publisher=Marshall Cavendish|year=2010|isbn=9780761479055|location=New York|pages=462}}</ref> defined libido as "the energy, regarded as a quantitative magnitude... of those instincts which have to do with all that may be comprised under the word 'love'."<ref>S. Freud, [[Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego]], 1959</ref> It is the instinctual energy or force, contained in what Freud called the [[Id, Ego and Superego|id]], the strictly unconscious structure of the [[Psyche (psychology)|psyche]]. He also explained that it is analogous to hunger, the will to power, and so on<ref>{{Cite book|title=The New Wounded: From Neurosis to Brain Damage|last=Malabou|first=Catherine|date=2012|publisher=Fordham University Press|isbn=9780823239672|location=New York|pages=103}}</ref> insisting that it is a fundamental instinct that is innate in all humans.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Literary Theory: The Complete Guide|last=Klages|first=Mary|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|year=2017|isbn=9781472592767|location=London|pages=245}}</ref>

Freud pointed out that these libidinal drives can conflict with the conventions of civilised behavior, represented in the psyche by the [[superego]]. It is this need to conform to society and control the libido that leads to tension and anxiety in the individual, prompting the use of [[ego defenses]] which channel the psychic energy of the unconscious drives into forms that are acceptable to the ego and superego. Excessive use of ego defenses results in [[neurosis]], so a primary goal of [[psychoanalysis]] is to make the drives accessible to [[consciousness]], allowing them to be addressed directly, thus reducing the patient's automatic resort to ego defenses.<ref>{{cite book
 | last = Reber
 | first = Arthur S.
 | author2 = Reber, Emily S.
 | title = Dictionary of Psychology
 | publisher = Penguin Reference
 | year = 2001
 | location = New York
 | url = https://archive.org/details/penguindictionar00rebe_0
 | isbn = 0-14-051451-1
 }}
</ref>

Freud viewed libido as passing through a series of [[Psychosexual development|developmental stages]] in the individual, in which the libido fixates on different erogenous zones: first the [[oral stage]] (exemplified by an infant's pleasure in nursing), then the [[anal stage]] (exemplified by a toddler's pleasure in controlling his or her bowels), then the [[phallic stage]], through a [[latency stage]] in which the libido is dormant, to its reemergence at puberty in the [[genital stage]]<ref>Sigmund Freud, ''New Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis'' (PFL 2) p. 131</ref> ([[Karl Abraham]] would later add subdivisions in both oral and anal stages.).<ref>[[Otto Fenichel]], ''The Psychoanalytic Theory of Neurosis'' (1946)p. 101</ref> Failure to adequately adapt to the demands of these different stages could result in libidinal energy becoming 'dammed up' or [[Fixation (psychology)|fixated]] in these stages, producing certain pathological character traits in adulthood.

===Jung===
Swiss psychiatrist [[Carl Jung|Carl Gustav Jung]] identified the libido with psychic energy in general. According to Jung, 'energy', in its subjective and psychological sense, is 'desire', of which sexual desire is just one aspect.<ref>P. Gay, ''Freud'' (1989) p. 397</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://frithluton.com/articles/libido/ |title=Libido |last=Sharp |first=Daryl |website=frithluton.com|date=15 October 2011 }}</ref> Libido thus denotes "a desire or impulse which is unchecked by any kind of authority, moral or otherwise. Libido is appetite in its natural state. From the genetic point of view it is bodily needs like hunger, thirst, sleep, and sex, and emotional states or affects, which constitute the essence of libido."<ref>“The Concept of Libido” Collected Works Vol. 5, par. 194.</ref> It is "the energy that manifests itself in the life process and is perceived subjectively as striving and desire."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ellenberger |first1=Henri |title=The Discovery of the Unconscious |date=1970 |publisher=Basic Books |location=New York |page=697}}</ref> Duality (opposition) creates the energy (or libido) of the psyche, which Jung asserts expresses itself only through symbols. These symbols may manifest as "fantasy-images" in the process of psychoanalysis, giving subjective expression to the contents of the libido, which otherwise lacks any definite form.<ref>“The Technique of Differentiation,” Collected Works Vol. 7, par. 345.</ref> Desire, conceived generally as a psychic longing, movement, displacement and structuring, manifests itself in definable forms which are apprehended through analysis.

=== Other psychological and social perspectives ===
A person may have a desire for sex, but not have the opportunity to act on that desire, or may on personal, moral or religious reasons [[Sexual abstinence|refrain from acting on the urge]]. Psychologically, a person's urge can be [[Psychological repression|repressed]] or [[Sublimation (psychology)|sublimated]]. Conversely, a person can engage in sexual activity without an actual desire for it. Multiple factors affect human sex drive, including stress, illness, pregnancy, and others. A 2001 review found that, on average, men have a higher desire for sex than women.<ref>{{cite news|author1=Roy F. Baumeister, Kathleen R. Catanese, and Kathleen D. Vohs|title=Is There a Gender Difference in Strength of Sex Drive? Theoretical Views, Conceptual Distinctions, and a Review of Relevant Evidence|url=http://assets.csom.umn.edu/assets/71520.pdf|work=Department of Psychology Case Western Reserve University|publisher=Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.|quote=All the evidence we have reviewed points toward the conclusion that men desire sex more than women. Although some of the findings were more methodologically rigorous than others, the unanimous convergence across all measures and findings increases confidence. We did not find a single study, on any of nearly a dozen different measures, that found women had a stronger sex drive than men. We think that the combined quantity, quality, diversity, and convergence of the evidence render the conclusion indisputable}}</ref>

Certain psychological or social factors can reduce the desire for sex. These factors can include lack of privacy or [[intimacy]], [[stress (medicine)|stress]] or [[fatigue (medical)|fatigue]], distraction, or depression. Environmental stress, such as prolonged exposure to [[noise health effects|elevated sound levels]] or [[over-illumination|bright light]], can also affect libido. Other causes include experience of sexual abuse, assault, trauma, or neglect, body image issues, and anxiety about engaging in sexual activity.<ref>[[Irvin D. Yalom|Yalom, I.D.]], ''Love's Executioner and Other Tales of Psychotherapy''. New York: Basic Books, 1989. {{ISBN|0-06-097334-X}}.</ref>

Individuals with [[post-traumatic stress disorder]] (PTSD) may find themselves with reduced sexual desire. Struggling to find pleasure, as well as having trust issues, many with PTSD experience feelings of vulnerability, rage and anger, and emotional shutdowns, which have been shown to inhibit sexual desire in those with PTSD.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Yehuda|first1=Rachel|last2=Lehrner|first2=Amy|last3=Rosenbaum|first3=Talli Y.|date=2015|title=PTSD and Sexual Dysfunction in Men and Women|journal=The Journal of Sexual Medicine|volume=12|issue=5|pages=1107–1119|doi=10.1111/jsm.12856|pmid=25847589|s2cid=1746180|issn=1743-6109}}</ref> Reduced sex drive may also be present in trauma victims due to issues arising in sexual function. For women, it has been found that treatment can improve sexual function, thus helping restore sexual desire.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Wells|first1=Stephanie Y.|last2=Glassman|first2=Lisa H.|last3=Talkovsky|first3=Alexander M.|last4=Chatfield|first4=Miranda A.|last5=Sohn|first5=Min Ji|last6=Morland|first6=Leslie A.|last7=Mackintosh|first7=Margaret-Anne|date=2019-01-01|title=Examining Changes in Sexual Functioning after Cognitive Processing Therapy in a Sample of Women Trauma Survivors|url=https://www.whijournal.com/article/S1049-3867(18)30101-4/abstract|journal=Women's Health Issues|language=en|volume=29|issue=1|pages=72–79|doi=10.1016/j.whi.2018.10.003|issn=1049-3867|pmid=30455090|s2cid=53871527|doi-access=free}}</ref> Depression and libido decline often coincide, with reduced sex drive being one of the symptoms of [[Depression (mood)|depression]].<ref name=":12">{{Cite journal|last1=Robert L. Phillips|first1=Jr|last2=Slaughter|first2=James R.|date=2000-08-15|title=Depression and Sexual Desire|url=https://www.aafp.org/afp/2000/0815/p782.html|journal=American Family Physician|volume=62|issue=4|pages=782–786|pmid=10969857|issn=0002-838X}}</ref> Those with depression often report the decline in libido to be far reaching and more noticeable than other symptoms.<ref name=":12" /> In addition, those with depression often are reluctant to report their reduced sex drive, often normalizing it with cultural/social values, or by the failure of the physician to inquire about it.

[[Sexual desire]]s are often an important factor in the formation and maintenance of [[intimate relationship]]s in humans. A lack or loss of sexual desire can adversely affect relationships. Changes in the sexual desires of any partner in a sexual relationship, if sustained and unresolved, may cause [[Relationship breakup|problems in the relationship]]. The [[infidelity]] of a partner may be an indication that a partner's changing sexual desires can no longer be satisfied within the current relationship. Problems can arise from disparity of sexual desires between partners, or poor communication between partners of sexual needs and preferences.<ref name="B">{{cite web|url=http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/low-sex-drive-in-women/DS01043/DSECTION=causes |title=Low sex drive in women|website=Mayo Clinic|publisher=Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research|access-date=July 28, 2010}}</ref>