Having Sex, Wanting Intimacy

Why Women Settle for One-Sided Relationships

By (author) Jill P. Weber

Not available to order

Publication date:

01 February 2013

Length of book:

246 pages

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

ISBN-13: 9781442220218

Finding lasting love and intimacy can be difficult for many women. Some end up agreeing to sexual relationships hoping that they may lead to longer, more fulfilling relationships, only to be let down when they don’t. Here, Jill Weber explains why women feel forced into a male model of dating that barters sex for the unrealistic hope that it will lead to emotional intimacy. What it leads to for the woman, most often, is disappointment, despair, and impaired self-esteem. “Sextimacy,” as Weber terms it, traps women in relationships that are one-sided and lack emotional intimacy. When this happens, women routinely blame themselves instead of realizing they should blame their romantic strategy.

This book, in a step-by-step progression, shows a better way to break the cycle and cultivating better relationships. It teaches women how to recognize when they are in a Sextimacy event as opposed to the beginning of a mutually fulfilling relationship that won't leave them racked with morning-after regrets. And it gives clear direction about what women can do to find warm romantic partnerships that serve their needs.

Using real stories from women of various ages and stages of life, Weber shows how patterns of behavior may develop that produce a vulnerability to being used. Starting in childhood and proceeding through the crucial teen years, she illustrates the factors that may go into this limited approach to cultivating romantic relationships, and provides clear tips on how to stop. Including a series of self-assessments, the book offers women insight into the patterns that rob them of the opportunities to grow and to fulfill their emotional needs. Anyone struggling to break the cycle of having sex without the attendant intimacy they crave will find in these pages a warm and ready approach to finding love and fulfillment.
What do we do when we want people to want what we want them to wantbut, they just dont want it? Many of us fail to recognize that the answer to this question resides within ourselves. The answer seems simple, but the inter-workings are complexinter-workings that are explored in Webers book and explicated in this review. Weber positions herself as a clinical psychologist who is married and a mother. . . . [and offers] observations based on her clinical experience and knowledge of the field, shares examples from patients in her therapy sessions and cites other scholarsresearchlargely reflective of U. S. cultural and social contextsas appropriate. . . . Webers text does make good arguments that could benefit many women as they relate to self-worth and self-awareness and the value of their voice in heterosexual, romantic relationships. . . .While of significance to young women and women, this text is could also be of interest to men, parents, educators and students, particularly those who focus on interpersonal communication, psychology and gender studies.The text introduces many good points of discussion, debate and consideration. Importantly,Webers book focuses heavily on the female selfself-awareness, self-esteem, self-worth, and self-work and her messages to women about the legitimacy of their feelings, voice and relational placement are valuable. There exist important lessons about how girls are being raised and conditioned inWebers text and, perhaps most paramount isWebers shining the spotlight on a womans knowledge of and relationship with her entire self.