The common sense of sex

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About this book

"The common sense of sex by James Oppenheim" is a short work of popular psychology and sex education written in the early 20th century. It presents a clear, non-puritan view of sexuality, blending psychoanalytic ideas with practical guidance, and argues that sexual life is natural, varied, and best approached with informed common sense. The book surveys Freud’s account of infantile sexuality, fixation, perversion, and sublimation; contrasts it with Jung’s critiques, his introvert–extravert types, and the four functions (thinking, feeling, intuition, sensation) to show why sexuality differs so widely among individuals. It evaluates claims about a “third sex,” reframing them as mixtures of masculine and feminine principles present in everyone, and emphasizes Havelock Ellis’s “art of love,” where foreplay and mutual responsiveness elevate the act.