Sociology

Masturbation has been there for a long time only that people would rather pretend that it does not exist than face the embarrassment that is associated with it. There are many myths of masturbation for example, it is said to cause impotence and insanity. Such myths make masturbation a taboo hence most of the people who have been doing it try all they can to keep it a secret. However, people have become more informed and now seek to know the side effects of masturbation. Many parents have come to accept it to be like a rite of passage which introduces their children to sexual discovery and exploration and sexuality in general. They take it to be normal, healthy and a way to relieve sexual frustrations (Clinard  Meier, 2007). People are more open about the issue and there have been cases of mothers who even buy dildos for their daughters. Medical research shows that masturbation does not have negative physical or mental side effects not unless it is taken to the extremes.
This paper will talk about masturbation and will try to find out how can it lead to other acts especially criminal deviant behavior.

Causes of masturbation
The major causes of masturbation are for example inadequate parental guidance and attention. According to Clinard  Meier (2007), most masturbators come from broken homes that are characterized by parental neglect. This makes the children to be lonely and try to seek company or attention. Once they fail to get, they become their own company and do things that would give them pleasure. They end up forming a habit out of it and eventually, it can become a disorder since a child may be unable to stop. It becomes a part of the childs life and it soon starts interfering with the rest of his life and there sets in anxiety syndrome. Another major cause is sexual abuse by relatives or family members. These are the people that children trust most. For reasons like sexual starvation, older children or even adults might seek sexual stimulation from innocent children. Once the children are introduced to the behavior, they might do it even in the absence of the people who initiated it and might be unable to stop. Limited social interactions and loneliness also make people to do what they can in order to enjoy their own company. They may indulge in masturbation as a way out (Clinard  Meier, 2007).

Other causes include infestation by rectal worms which give an irritation hence resulting into penis erection, reading amorous literature, watching pornography, eating stimulating diets excessively and chronic constipation (Teslaar, 2008).

Effects of masturbation
Research indicates that masturbation in young children does not have major effects and therefore it should be ignored. Warning young children would make them conscious and embarrassed and this might make them to feel guilty about a natural thing. This is a behavior that is usually out grown as the children grow older. However, when children are made aware that what they are doing is wrong, they feel guilty. These feelings tend to become worse when combined with the fear of being caught. They can even lead to anxiety which may lead to deviant behavior (Clinard  Meier, 2007).

Psychologists and sociologists claim that masturbation is a normal practice since it is a way of seeking sexual pleasure and exploration. It has not been found to have negative effects physically or mentally. However, excessive masturbation can cause problems like broken marriages, loneliness and stress among others. These only happen when the masturbators have let the practice to interfere with their lives. According to medical research, there is no normal and abnormal masturbation. The only thing which would make masturbation to be abnormal is the intensity and frequency with which it is done. Increased frequency and intensity may lead to penis and urethra injuries. The friction that comes with it may cause skin irritation. It is also said to lead to overproduction of sexual hormones which can make the brain to malfunction. On the other hand, it can become a psychological issue in that it may lead to an obsession and addiction. When these happen, then masturbation can be said to be abnormal. When a person who had graduated to a level whereby they are depending on masturbation in order to function normally, counseling is definitely needed. This can then be referred to as the deviant side of masturbation (Bockting  Coleman, 2003).

However, there is no direct relationship between masturbation and criminality. As observed earlier in the causes of masturbation, there are major links between the social causes of masturbation and criminality. Issues like parental negligence, stress, broken families, parents who are abusing drugs among other social factors are related to criminality. The same factors are said to contribute to masturbation. This means that these are the factors that relate the two social issues otherwise they are not related. People have different ways of coping with life stressing issues. Some may go ahead and indulge in drug abuse, violence, suicide, criminal acts and solitude among others. However a person copes with the stress has impacts on his life. A person may have more than one way to cope with it, for example, one may be a violent criminal. On the other hand, one may abuse drugs and be a loner. When a person combines loneliness with any other thing, this person is likely to masturbate as a way to console himself and enjoy his own company. This is where a person can be a criminal who masturbates. It is the only thing that can link masturbation and criminality otherwise they are not related (Clinard  Meier, 2007).

Some people claim that masturbation can lead to deviant behavior. Sociologists and psychologists claim that it is not true. Masturbation is normal and therefore has no effects to the masturbator. Due to societal norms however, it is considered embarrassing and therefore in most cases it is not exposed to the public. Just like any other thing, when a masturbator goes to the extreme, then they are likely to be unable to stop. This in combination of being caught leads to anxiety and stress. The way a person behaves when he has these might then deviate from the norms. There is however no direct connection between masturbation and deviant behavior (Bockting  Coleman, 2003).

Conclusion
There are many myths overcrowding the issue of masturbation. People should seek information in order to dispel the untruthful myths. Hiding information about masturbation makes people fail to masturbate while they would have wanted to. Instead of deciding out of fear, children and even adults should know what it entails and its side effects so as to make informed choices in life.