Why Men Masturbate

By Sam Jolman | May 6, 2012

“Masturbation is an attempt to make ritual contact with the penis… to connect with the lost maleness.”  Joseph Nicolosi

“Notice that the struggle with pornography or masturbation is most difficult when you are lonely, beat up, or longing for comfort in some way.  This will become more intense the closer you get to your wounds.”  John Eldredge

Mike could not wait to get off work on Friday.  He thought of only one thing all day: his mountain bike hanging in the garage and the miles of new trail he planned to explore come Saturday morning.  A coworker had told him of an “off the beaten path” single track a short drive into the mountains down an old logging road.  He said it boasted some pretty spectacular views.  Mike was sold.  He really needed some adventure and time alone with God.  And his wife kindly agreed to watch their twin girls to give him a little space.

Saturday he blasted out the door as soon as it seemed convenient.  Highway became county roads became gravel roads – all climbing higher to his destination.  And then he was lost.  Seems this trail truly was a hidden gem and the logging road to it not used all that much.  He hadn’t figured on that.  His excitement took a nose dive.  A half hour later, still searching, he was full tilt angry – at himself mostly, for not looking better at the map, since of course his phone was useless out here.  Nearing utter exasperation, there it was suddenly, the road.  “Yes!” he cried with a fist pump to match.  He cranked his music again and all the excitement came bursting back.

Not two miles later, a big metal gate hung unapologetically across the road, marking it as closed for washouts and bringing his plans to a halt.  His heart sank.  This was an obstacle he could do nothing about.  He sat stunned for a minute and finally turned around in defeat.  Tears welled up in his eyes.  He felt ashamed, alone, and close to a very familiar grief.  He shut all this down with anger.  “&%$# me!”  he screamed.  He drove in silence for awhile, seething with hatred for himself, thinking what an idiot he had been for not checking road conditions.

In the quiet, another familiar feeling came – the urge to masturbate.  Where the hell is this coming from? he thought.  He prayed.  He fought to avoid it.  And as if his shame and contempt needed anymore fuel, he eventually gave in.

So where did that come from?

Masturbation is not about sex

Masturbation is never just about a man getting his rocks off because sex is never just about sex.  Never.  Men are not that simple, not that animal.  I know that may be a new thought.  Masturbation is deeply connected to the things going on in a man’s heart.  Boredom, discouragement, loneliness, anger – all of these could be at play and more.   He’s medicating something, masturbating to take away something he doesn’t want to feel.  Especially his feelings about himself as a man, that he’s a failure or weak or just simply doesn’t have it together like he feels he should.  Most men are not aware of this in the moment.  That’s the difficulty.  In the moment, a man just wants comfort, relief from… something.  Some unnamed something.

Its inherent in the symbolism of masturbation.  Let me walk you through what I mean so you get the picture.  I will do this as tastefully as I can.  Literally, in the act of masturbation itself, a man is taking the biological symbol of his masculinity, his penis, into his own hands.  And symbolically affirming himself, as in “giving himself strokes.”  And his “manhood” rises to the occasion.

Its About Affirmation of Your Masculinity

The picture couldn’t be more clear: Masturbation is self affirmation. This is why men masturbate. It is a man’s attempt to affirm himself as a man and in so doing take care of his feelings of failure or weakness. A man masturbates to rouse his strength, his confidence, the masculinity within, to feel like a man again.  He wants relief from all the ways he is not enough.  As Joseph Nicolosi says so poetically, he’s making “…ritual connection with his penis… to connect with his lost maleness.”

John Eldredge once pointed out that puberty awakens two things in a young man: his sexuality and his hunger for the blessing of his manhood.  If his father and the men around him don’t  realize this need and affirm his sense of masculinity, then these two desires can become confused and intertwined.  A young man can see his sexuality as the means to feel like a man – to be affirmed or at least to find relief from all the ways he doesn’t feel like a man.  Masturbation becomes the way to medicate all the ways he was never loved well by his father or father substitute.  He is getting relief from his insecurity and lack of confidence.  In holding his penis, he is symbolically holding his broken sense of masculinity and trying to give it CPR.

Making more sense?

It Never Works

And can you feel the sadness of this?  Its never going to work.  Masturbation will never do anything to help.  Its an attempt at self love, at caring for yourself and it won’t make you anymore whole.  No one can affirm themselves.  If anything, it only piles on the shame, the self hate, the feelings that you truly are a failure as a man.  The urge to masturbate must be a sign to you that some deep place inside either is in pain and needs healing or simply needs for more love and affirmation.

Mike pulled back on the road now a complete wreck.  At least the anger had subsided, I guess.  It was hard to feel much other than utterly broken.  And his sadness had only increased.  Aware only that something important was happening in his heart, he wisely decided that now more than ever he needed to be with his heart and God.  He found a familiar trail, closer to home.

There on the trail in his time with God he became aware of how young he felt, like a little boy. He remembered these feelings, knew them all too well.  His father had abandoned him emotionally at a young age, checked out into alcohol.  All of the pain of having had to find his own way as a boy and young man came back.   And there was that sadness again, but this time he welcomed it.  He sat and wept and prayed.  And God said, “You are my son. I love you.”

The desire to masturbate should be a sign that some place is hurting in you.  You need love.  You need comfort. So ask yourself what’s really going on in your heart.  And let the urge lead you to seek love from God and others.

49 Comments

  • Great post Sam. You nailed it. Thanks for being willing to dive into the subjects most are afraid to address.

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  • There is tremendous ministry in your words, Sam. You inspire, bro.

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  • Sam, I am so impressed by your courage to bring such honesty and dignity to struggle, specifically a man’s struggle, specifically this struggle. Your explanations are so helpful to bring understanding of a man’s struggle as a woman.

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    • Thanks Lauren.  Yeah, I had a little bit of a vulnerability hangover for this one.  God, should I really share about masturbation?  Your comments confirm it was the right decision.  

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  • Sam, this is an eye opener for me. I never thought about it this way. This truly helps a lot.

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    • I had the same reaction when I read some of those quotes above and it all started making sense.  Man, so glad it helps!

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    • Thanks Brian… Really grateful for your support.  Tell them I’d love to hear there reaction here if they care to share.

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  • Great post Sam! You put it well…I even liked the pun “off the beaten path”…nice

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    • HA! That was purely a Freudian slip. Maybe that should have been the blog title. Thanks Nathan for the feedback!

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    • I thought about this same question when I was writing and wondered if it would come up. Way to be brave and ask! I have read only very little on the subject and so I’ll give you my best thoughts. I think there are lots and lots of parallels, especially that, for a woman, its a way of dealing with heart struggles too – but heart struggles that are unique to a woman. So things like: her loneliness, her ache to be known and desired, her shame about her body or sexuality. And similar to a man, I think its a way to fill in for how she was never praised and blessed or celebrated and honored as a woman by her father. A father’s voice is HUGELY important in a woman’s journey, just like for a man. My advice to any woman would be the same: Pull out your journal and write out what you think personally drives you there. And if you don’t have a clue, guess. Then face those heart struggles more honestly.

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  • Sam, thanks for posting this. This will be a great help to so many men that we work with. You gave words where there has been so much silence. I’m copying my four sons on this. I appreciate you and love your heart in doing this.

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    • Steve, those are generous words. Thank you! And thanks for sharing this with others. I appreciate you and what you’re pursuing for the kingdom also.

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  • I’ve never heard that masturbation can be a symbol of men trying to take their masculinity into their own hands, but it makes sense. Especially when we believe the lie that sex has the power to turn a boy into a man. This shows how there is so much more going on than just a natural biological urge. Thanks for sharing this Sam, good stuff. 

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    • Thanks, Zach. Glad you liked it! Yes, crazy how much symbolism is really in it. I agree. God made us so interconnected, body and soul.

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  • Wow!… What a crock of shit! So we can’t “affirm” ourselves?… We need outside affirmation of our worth as men for it to be real and meaningful? If you need someone to make you feel good about yourself… THAT is when you are broken. You are certainly entitled to your beliefs… but you make the statement that, “Masturbation is never just about a man getting his rocks off because sex
    is never just about sex. Never. Men are not that simple, not that animal.” Where are you getting that info? I challenge you to find one, licensed and certified psychiatrist (who is not an Evangelical or Fundamentalist Christian) who would agree with you. I think you’ll be looking for a long time.

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    • I appreciate your honest reaction to my article. Obviously I stirred the pot for you quite a bit. Since you took the time to write, let me speak to your concerns:

      First, attachment theory itself has taught us that no one is born with self love or the ability to affirm themselves. Everyone needs affirmation/love/acceptance or we literally die (failure to thrive). And research on adult attachment has concluded that this need never goes away. We don’t outgrow it. So its not just broken men who need it. All men do.

      Second, current research on the biochemistry of sex concludes that when sex is just sex it leads to sex addiction. Literally, we all have in our bodies a natural opiate (think heroine or morphine) that is released during sex. And we can get addicted to it when we strip away the love and relationship intended in sexual union. Any expert in the field of sex addiction will tell you sex for the sake of just sex can lead to a person becoming addicted to their own brain chemicals. Brain scans of sex addicts mirror brain scans of heroine addicts. I think the science answers your question.

      That’s my two cents. Thanks for stopping by.

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  • Thx this was awesome! But does masturbation prevent me from having kids when i am older?

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    • Glad you enjoyed it, Kareem. No, masturbation will not prevent you from having kids. There is no medical evidence for that at all.

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  • but how do you deal with it as a wife? What if you feel abandoned, neglected wondering why you don’t look like the pretty girls in the pictures he looks at. What if you feel jealous because you thought you were better than a calloused dry hand. What if you feel suspicious wondering if there is the thought of someone else lingering. I understand that it’s normal but I will never understand it. I want to understand that it is ‘self comfort’ but as a woman all we want to do is comfort our husbands, our children. Why aren’t we ever enough?

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    • AMEN, esp. when we are right beside them in the bed and have never told our husband NO, not even once… but then I find you watching naked women on the TV and getting your rocks off… I will never understand this behavior… its another form of CHEATING!!!!! I could see if you had a woman that was ill or made up excuses, but still then.. it does not make it OKAY!! Why can’t men just have one woman and be happy with just her….. I often wondered, maybe we should sneak down stairs and watch a porn all the damn time and let you catch us… and start saying the words no, then maybe they can understand how it ruins a woman’s self esteem!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  • I have to say that this article presents a unique view of self-pleasure. Maybe there is a percentage of men who masturbate to satiate some deep-rooted issue, but not all men. Sometimes a man is just horny (for lack of a better term). Sometimes it’s as simple as him saying “I am a single man, I have physical desires, and I need them fulfilled. Until a wife is provided, I’ll do it myself.” What are your thoughts on that?

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    • For sure, sometimes its as simple as that.

      But a lot of men use porn or a fantasy life to masturbate. And then I think its wrong. Other men use it as anesthesia for other things happening in their hearts. Again, I think this avoids facing the deeper issues.

      I’d also add in that you don’t need your sex drive fulfilled. It is not a need. Its a deep desire, but not a need like sleep or food or oxygen or love. You won’t die without it.

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  • My husband of 42 years is still masturbating whenever possible,sometimes when he thinks iam asleep next to him. I find the whole act in a man of this age disgusting, especially since he can no longer have an erection or make love with his wife, only with himself. does it end ever?

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    • Sorry that I missed your comment from so long ago. I am sorry that your husband avoids the real (you!) and goes for the fake. It can end. There is hope for every man.

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    • True, very true. And if that’s all it is, then enjoy it.

      But I dare say most times its not that innocent for men. We have to look at what’s happening in our hearts. Its not easy knowing our motives, because they can escape consciousness at first.

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  • this articles hits the nail over the head…….i had to learn allt his the hard way..and still im on a long road to recovery…..fine print aside..thanks for posting and opening up the honest truth of the matter or the heart of the matter rather…..ps: i deal with all that ..myself for the said reasons above …response is appreciated

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  • Sam, this blog is extremely helpful! (As is everything you write. Thank you so much for all you share.)
    I really appreciate how you speak to both sides of this issue- the reasons a man does it AND the way it makes his wife feel. (In the article “It Is Another Woman”.) It helps a lot for both people to understand both sides.
    Please keep writing. It brings so much life to so many, me included! God bless you!

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  • Sam:
    Thank you for being inspired to share this article. I am almost 50, getting married for the first time and am transitioning in my career. I struggle with masturbation. When I read your article, I affirmed the fact that eventhough I am in a loving covenant relationship with my fiance’, I still hurt from not being validated and affirmed in my own life. I have been rejected by family members, negatively criticized by people that I thought loved me, and publicly embarrassed by the church. I feel totally empty, at times and unloved. My life has been a story of being introduced to sex by a youth pastor, who touched me inappropriately, rejection by my father and community, as I tried to lead without mentorship. Yes, I have made many mistakes, but I love GOD and have watched him turn my life around. I still struggle with validation. I’m sad right now because I seem to be alright for a few months and then I crash emotionally. I need help!

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    • Kim, your honesty and kindness to your story are inspiring. I am deeply sorry that a youth pastor, who could have been a source of affirmation, became such a source of harm. I encourage you follow that desire for help and find a good counselor somewhere. If you need help finding a good counselor, I’d recommend you call the Seattle School of Theology and Psychology in Seattle, and ask them for an alumni referral to someone in your area.

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  • Sam, you took Nicolosi’s quote out of his book, “Healing Homosexuality” and applied it to heterosexual men. The truth of what Dr. Nicolosi believes about a man and his penis is summed up in his statement: “If he does not succeed in ‘owning’ his own penis, he will grow into an adult who will find continuing fascination in the penises of other men” (A Parent’s Guide to Preventing Homosexuality, Kindle locations 238-239).

    Sad to read your article. I’m just glad I was taught to focus on God’s promised provision for me (Genesis 2:18) when I began masturbating nearly 50 years ago. I masturbated to the faith that God had a wife for me and that we would one day be married and would have great sex and a lot of it. Not only did I not get a girl pregnant, I didn’t have sex until I married and I still feel like I’m on my honeymoon! I’m glad I understood the responsibility of being born male and the huge responsibility of where my semen landed. This I taught to our six sons who are now also teaching this truth their teenaged sons. The wisdom of God of what I understood, lived, and taught is proven by its fruit (Luke 7:35). There is no good fruit from faithless legalism.

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    • Will, glad you found a way to masturbate to the glory of God. Its not very clear why my article made you sad. But I bless you in your journey with being a father and grandfather. I love that you fathered your sons and that they continue to be involved fathers with their sons. That’s a great legacy.

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  • Interesting Article, I’m not too much into religion but i can relate in some issues you mentioned, Thank you. If you have any tips about how to overcome it, I would highly appreciate it.

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  • I disagree with a main idea that male masturbation is about proving your manhood to yourself. Even a woman can get off, but when a man masturbates he’s literally pissing away his seed and so in the end, if anything, masturbation as a man makes you more of a woman. Mike was crying because he felt fucked and so masturbating was an adult way to cry to his mom

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  • I think i am going to remember this great article for years now. The way you put up the small emotions into a very reasonable manner is very appreciating. I have read a lot about Masturbation but never found that much close to me. Thanks Sam. Thanks a lot.

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  • I would thought that masturbation is something to be embarrassed about or something that will shock everybody if you do it in front of everybody.

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