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Sexuality, Masculinity, and Confession

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 March 2020

Larry May and
James Bohman
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Abstract

The practice of confessing one's sexual sins has historically provided boys and men with mixed messages. Engaging in coercive sex is publicly condemned; yet it is treated as not significantly different from other transgressions that can be easily forgiven. We compare Catholic confessional practices to those of psychoanalytically oriented male writers on masculinity. We argue that the latter is no more justifiable than the former, and propose a progressive confessional mode for discussing male sexuality.

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Type
Research Article
Information
Hypatia , Volume 12 , Issue 1 , Winter 1997, pp. 138 - 154
Copyright
Copyright © 1997 by Hypatia, Inc.

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