Sex Without Guilt

by Albert Ellis

“Here, then, are the still unbowdlerized articles which appeared in my eventful two years as The Independent's columnist. Some of them, which were continued in two or three successive issues of the paper, have been consolidated into single chapters; and others have been somewhat augmented, because of the more liberal space allowances available between the covers of a book. In all essentials, however, these essays are identical with those appearing in Lyle Stuart's unique periodical. If this be sex heresy, please make the most of it.” …..Albert Ellis, New York City.1. New Light on Masturbation2. Thoughts on Petting3. On Premarital Sex Relations4. Pros and Cons5. The Justification of Sex Without Love6. Why Americans Are So Fearful of Sex7. Adventures with Sex Censorship8. How Males Contribute to Female Frigidity9. Sexual Inadequacy in the Male10. When Are We Going to Quit Stalling About Sex Education?11. How American Women Are Driving American Males Into Homosexuality12. Another Look at Sexual Abnormality13. On the Myths About Love14. Sex Fascism15. The Right to Sex Enjoyment

Genres: Psychology, Sociology, Sexuality, Self Help, Nonfiction

188 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1970

About the author

Albert Ellis was an American psychologist who in 1955 developed Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT). He held M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in clinical psychology from Columbia University and American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP). He also founded and was the President of the New York City-based Albert Ellis Institute for decades.
He is generally considered to be one of the originators of the cognitive revolutionary paradigm shift in psychotherapy and the founder of cognitive-behavioral therapies. Based on a 1982 professional survey of USA and Canadian psychologists, he was considered as the second most influential psychotherapist in history (Carl Rogers ranked first in the survey; Sigmund Freud was ranked third).

Reviews

[Mary in the sky · Rating 5 out of 5]

“All people, just because they exist, should have the right to as much (or as little), as varied (or as monotonous), as intense (or as mild), as enduring (or as brief) sex enjoyments as they prefer - as long as, in the process of acquiring these preferred satisfactions, they do not needlessly, forcefully, or unfairly interfere with the sexual (or non-sexual) rights and satisfactions of others.”

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book #2 completed from Great Uncle Bob’s library. This mass market 1966 edition was probably the spiciest book on the shelves. The author presents a surprisingly liberal, sex-positive outlook across a number of areas that must have been quite controversial for the time. While some views are clearly outdated — including homophobic passages — much of the material still feels relevant today. To give a sense of the book’s quirks, here are a few chapter titles: “How Males Contribute to Female Rigidity,” “How American Women Are Driving American Males Into Homosexuality,” and “Adultery: Pros and Cons.”

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

1950s psychosexual lunacy, homophobic but competently pro-poly

[The Retrospective Emperor · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF, Most of Ellis's ideas are pretty sound but some are little out there even for today. But my main gripe with this book, is that it mostly just opinions stated as facts with little evidence to back any of his claims up. If you don't agree with him you are a sexual fascist. It could have been a whole lot better.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

a prominent psychologist on the importance of openness and acceptance of sexual desires. seems to be written for beginners.

[Zorica Mihailovic · Rating 3 out of 5]

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