Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Psychosocial Perspectives on Penile Size

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Penile Augmentation

Abstract

Most men of today have at least four concerns on sexual health. First, a number of men worry to ejaculate earlier than they expect while having sex. Thus, they wish to have a longer lasting erection in bed with better control over their ejaculation [1, 2]. Second, penis size is a considerable concern for men of all ages [3]. Many men wish that they had larger size of penises, but the younger generations, especially, place greater concern or importance on penis size than the older generations [4–6]. Third, they wish to have no erectile dysfunction in their lives. In general, the level of depressive symptoms is negatively associated with various sexual functions, especially erectile function [7]. Fourth, they wish they will not lose their sex partners even when they are getting older and older. The older adults feel more anxious when there would have no available sex partner [8]. Among the four concerns, three of them are related to penile erection, while one of them which would be the main topic of this article is the penile size.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 159.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    BDD is one of obsessive-compulsive disorders and also known as dysmorphophobia in the past.

References

  1. McMahon C, Lee G, Park J, Adaikan P. Premature ejaculation and erectile dysfunction prevalence and attitudes in the Asia-Pacific Region. J Sex Med. 2012;9(2):454–65.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Symonds T, Robin D, Hart K, Althof S. How does premature ejaculation impact a man’s life? J Sex Marital Ther. 2003;29(5):361–70.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Dillon BE, Chama NB, Honig SC. Penile size and penile enlargement surgery: a review. Int J Impot Res. 2008;20:519–29.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Pietropinto A. Misconceptions about male sexuality. Med Aspects Hum Sex. 1986;20:80–5.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Rusticus S. Going beyond muscularity: developing a multidimensional measure of male body concerns. Dissertation,. University of British Columbia Vancouver; 2010.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Wylie KR, Eardley I. Penile size and the ‘small penis syndrome’. BJU Int. 2007;99(6):1449–55.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Cheng JY, Ng EM, Ko SS. Depressive symptomatology and male sexual functions in late life. J Affect Disord. 2007;104:225–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Youn G. Marital and sexual conflicts in elderly Korean people. J Sex Marital Ther. 2009;35(3):230–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Connell RW, Messerschmidt JW. Hegemonic masculinity: rethinking the concept. Gender Soc. 2005;19:829–59.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Grov C, Parsons JT, Bimbi DS. The association between penis size and sexual health among men who have sex with men. Arch Sex Behav. 2010;39:788–97.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  11. Youn G. Sex culture and psychology of sexuality. Seoul: Hakjisa; 2006.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Francoeur R, Perper T, Scherzer N, editors. A descriptive dictionary and atlas of sexology. New York: Greenwood Press; 1991.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Francken AB, van de Wiel HB, van Driel MF, Weijmar Schulz WC. What importance do women attribute to the size of the penis? Eur Urol. 2002;42(5):426–31.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Panfilov D. Augmentative phalloplasty. Aesthetic Plast Surg. 2006;30:183–97.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Lever J, Frederick D, Peplau L. Does size matter? Men’s and women’s views on penis size across the lifespan. Psychol Men Masc. 2006;7(3):129–43.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Kook H, Youn G. Development of sexual avoidance scale based on body image and relationship anxiety. Kor J Sex Health. 2014;1(2):61–77.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Schuster EB. The effects of viewing sexually explicit materials on men’s body image satisfaction, interest in pursuing cosmetic surgery, and body change behaviors. Dissertation, University of Central Florida Orlando; 2014.

    Google Scholar 

  18. Weaver AD, Byers SE. The relationships among body image, body mass index, exercise and sexual functioning in heterosexual women. Psychol Women Quart. 2006;30(4):333–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Wiederman MW. Women’s body image self-consciousness during physical intimacy with a partner. J Sex Res. 2000;37(1):60–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Algars M, Santtila P, Jern P, Johansson A, Westerlund M. Sexual body image and its correlates: a population-based study of Finnish women and men. Int J Sex Health. 2011;23(1):26–34.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Kahn SI, Hudson-Rodd N, Saggers S, Bhuiyan MI, Bhuiya A, Karim SA, Rauyajin O. Phallus, performance and power: crisis of masculinity. Sex Relation Ther. 2008;23(1):37–49.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Son H, Lee H, Huh J, Kim S, Paick J. Studies on self-esteem of penile size in young Korean military men. Asian J Androl. 2003;5:185–9.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Lee PA, Reiter EO. Genital size: a common adolescent male concern. Adolesc Med. 2002;13(1):171–80.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Vardi Y, Lowenstein L. Penile enlargement surgery – fact or illusion? Nat Clin Pract Urol. 2005;2(3):114–5.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Thompson JK, Heinberg LJ, Altabe M, Tantleff-Dunn S. Exacting beauty: theory, assessment, and treatment of body image disturbance. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association; 1999.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  26. Youn G. Sex and culture. Seoul: Hakminsa; 2001.

    Google Scholar 

  27. Vardi Y. Is penile enlargement an ethical procedure for patient with a normal-sized penis? Eur Urol. 2006;49:609–11.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Vardi Y, Harshai Y, Gil T, Gruenwald I. A critical analysis of penile enhancement procedures for patients with normal penile size: Surgical techniques, success, and complications. Eur Urol. 2008;54:1042–50.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 5th ed. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association; 2013.

    Google Scholar 

  30. Shamloul R. Treatment of men complaining of short penis. Urology. 2005;65(6):1183–5.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Štulhofer A. How (un)important is penis size for women with heterosexual experience? Arch Sex Behav. 2006;35(1):5–6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Eisenman R. Penis size: survey of female perceptions of sexual satisfaction. BMC Womens Health. 2001;1:1.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  33. Li C-Y, Kayes O, Kell PD, Christopher N, Minhas S, Ralph DJ. Penile suspensory ligament division for penile augmentation: indications and results. Eur Urol. 2006;49(4):729–33.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Bankhead C. Men with micropenis have well-adjusted outcomes. Urol Times. 2005;33(4):20.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, 61186, South Korea

    Gahyun Youn PhD (Professor)

Authors
  1. Gahyun Youn PhD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gahyun Youn PhD .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Pusan National University Hospital, Busan, Korea (Republic of)

    Nam Cheol Park

  2. Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, Seoul, Korea (Republic of)

    Sae Woong Kim

  3. Korea University Guro Hospital, Seoul, Korea (Republic of)

    Du Geon Moon

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2016 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Youn, G. (2016). Psychosocial Perspectives on Penile Size. In: Park, N., Kim, S., Moon, D. (eds) Penile Augmentation. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-46753-4_5

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-46753-4_5

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-662-46752-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-662-46753-4

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation