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Seduction
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In sociology, seduction (also called inveigling or wheedling) is the process of deliberately enticing a person to engage in some sort of behavior, frequently sexual in nature. The word seduction stems from Indo-European roots and means literally "to lead astray." As a result, the term may have a positive or negative connotation. Famous seducers from history or legend include Cleopatra, Giacomo Casanova, and the character Don Juan.
Seduction, seen negatively, involves temptation and enticement, often sexual in nature, to lead someone astray into a behavioural choice they would not have made if they were not in a state of sexual arousal.
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Encyclopedia
In sociology, seduction (also called inveigling or wheedling) is the process of deliberately enticing a person to engage in some sort of behavior, frequently sexual in nature. The word seduction stems from Indo-European roots and means literally "to lead astray." As a result, the term may have a positive or negative connotation. Famous seducers from history or legend include Cleopatra, Giacomo Casanova, and the character Don Juan.
Seduction, seen negatively, involves temptation and enticement, often sexual in nature, to lead someone astray into a behavioural choice they would not have made if they were not in a state of sexual arousal. Seen positively, seduction is a synonym for the act of charming someone — male or female — by an appeal to the senses, often with the goal of reducing unfounded fears and leading to their (sexual) emancipation. The seducing agent may even be nonhuman, such as music or food. In contemporary academic debate, therefore, the morality of seduction depends on the long-term impacts on the individuals concerned, rather than the act itself, and may not necessarily carry the negative connotations expressed in dictionary definitions.
History
Seduction is a popular motif in history and fiction, both as a warning of the social consequences of engaging in the behaviour or becoming its victim, and as a salute to a powerful skill. In the Bible, Eve was a seductress who convinced Adam to eat forbidden fruit, a situation directly related to her verbal seduction by Satan to pick it in the first place; the Sirens of Greek myth lured sailors to their death by singing them to shipwreck; Cleopatra beguiled both Julius Caesar and Marc Antony, Dionysus was the Greek God of Seduction and wine, and Persian queen Scheherazade saved herself from execution by story-telling. Famous male seducers, their names synonymous with sexual allure, range from Genji to James Bond.
In biblical times, because unmarried females who lost their virginity had also lost much of their value as marriage prospects, the Old Testament Book of Exodus specifies that the seducer must marry his victim or pay her father to compensate him for his loss of the marriage price: "And if a man entice a maid that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife. If her father utterly refuse to give her unto him, he shall pay money according to the dowry of virgins."
English common law defined the crime of seduction as a felony committed "when a male person induced an unmarried female of previously chaste character to engage in an act of sexual intercourse on a promise of marriage." A father had the right to maintain an action for the seduction of his daughter (or the enticement of a son who left home), since this deprived him of services or earnings.
In more modern times, Frank Sinatra was charged in New Jersey in 1938 with seduction, having enticed a woman "of good repute to engage in sexual intercourse with him upon his promise of marriage. The charges were dropped when it was discovered that the woman was already married.".
Dr Ridley-Duff, however, discusses popular misconceptions about seduction at some length. Frequently, the advice provided, confirmed by studies of attractiveness and seductive power, show that attraction is grounded in the honesty of the seducer, rather than their capacity for deception. Hostility to people perceived as 'seductive' can arise when a "victim" fails in their goal of controlling or attracting the "seducer", rather than dishonesty or deception on the part of the "seducer". This calls into question the quality of the debate about seduction in the popular press. Emily Dubberley considers the emancipatory power of seduction for women, while Derek Vitalio considers how 'honesty' and 'integrity' enable men to release themselves from the feelings of inadequacy and not only improve their seduction skills, but also take overall control of their lives.
Biological point of view
Thierry Lodé, a French biologist, proposed in his book that seduction could result from the supranormal stimulus. The trend towards exaggeration is a fundamental biological component which explains the exuberance of certain sexual traits; for instance: the peacock’s tail and the uca crab's pincers. Sexual selection and sexual conflict could amplify the maintenance of extreme specific characters by intensifying sexual desire. The bilateral symmetry is also an essential character in life. Most animals prefer to mate with sexual partners exhibiting symmetric pattern. Actually, symmetric traits are largely altered by growth and health, and asymmetry often reveals genetic problem or immune system (MHC) deficiencies.
See also
Bibliography
- Baudrillard, J. (1991) Seduction. New York: Saint Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-05294-4
- Casanova, G (2002 [1894]) Story of my life. London: Penguin. ISBN 0-14-043915-3
- Kierkegaard, S (1997) The Seducer's Diary. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-01737-9
- Ridley-Duff, R. J. (2007) Emotion, Seduction and Intimacy: Alternative Perspectives on Organisation Behaviour, Bracknell: Men's Hour Books. ISBN 978-0975430019
External links
- : e-version of the rare unabridged London edition of 1894 translated by Arthur Machen
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