1st course unit Introduction: Thought experiment 1

Part 1: We start this learning unit with a thought experiment. Please read through the case study.

Case study

"The Berlin sexologist and clinical psychologist Christoph Josef Ahlers deplores a still narrow understanding of sexuality. Heaven on earth", as his latest book is also called, can be experienced by those who do not critically scrutinise every detail. Old age should actually be made for this. But we live in a society that pays a lot of attention to appearances. Sexuality in old age is still a taboo. According to Christoph Josef Ahlers, many people assume that sexuality is linked to a youthful appearance and attractiveness. Of course, this is not the case. Only from the body-narcissistic perspective of our social evaluation systems does sexuality of old people appear as unappetising or unaesthetic. And all this is actually not what one wants to imagine or see, says Ahlers.[...] Our social ideas about old age, still supported by medical information, follow a deficit hypothesis: everything is getting worse and worse. The health, the appearance, the bodily functions. The skin becomes flabby, hormone levels drop, sexual functioning weakens. Because of these attributions, ageing people virtually develop the expectation that they must become asexual beings - even if they feel differently. Only a few take these feelings seriously - and take up the fight for their needs. They are the ones who end up in Christoph Josef Ahlers' practice. And the first question on most clients' minds is: Are we allowed to do this? Among the couples who come to Christoph Josef Ahlers' practice are also those who are in their mid-80s. After a phase of clarification, some experience intimacy without fear or stress for the first time in their lives. The key lies in an expanded understanding of sexuality: intimacy, tenderness, security - and not simply the mechanical act of sexual intercourse." [1]

[1] Albinus (2023)

Connection to the thought experiment

Please take 15 minutes to look at the task cards and the questions on them. You can fill in your answers by clicking on the "+" under each question. click. Feel free to reply to other people's contributions.