Telling audience members that everyone who buys her new book is guaranteed good sex for the rest of their lives, sex therapist Ruth Westheimer explained the intricacies of her profession last night.
Drawing over 50, the lecture was held in conjunction with a class given by the pilot curriculum entitled "Freud: The Invention of Psychoanalysis."
Psychiatry professor Rick Summers asked Westheimer a series of questions pertaining to her study of sexuality and how she was influenced by previous psychologists such as Freud.
Throughout the talk, Westheimer discussed the importance of her field.
"I have an obligation ... to do something in my life that will have an impact," Westheimer said about her feelings on having survived living in Nazi-occupied Germany as a child.
"I didn't know that [impact] would involve talking about sex," she added.
"When you talk about sexuality, it is important to be able to use some humor," Westheimer said.
Students who attended the event said they enjoyed Westheimer's lecture.
"I think it was an amazing supplement because a lot of Freud's theories are influential in the sex therapy field. ... I think Dr. Ruth was really dynamic and amazing and fun," said College freshman Kelly Sloane, who is currently taking a class on Freud.
Westheimer separated herself from predecessors like Freud because she said that many of his ideas have done a "disservice" to women's sexuality.
However, she stressed, "I could never have done or do the things I do ... without the data Freud provided us." Westheimer added, however, that in many ways, Freud was "sexually illiterate."
"If you stand on the shoulders of giants, you can see further," Westheimer said to clarify the fact that she is influenced by people such as Freud but wants to go beyond the ideas they presented.
"I'm [4-foot-7] so that's important to me," she added jokingly.
Despite calling herself "old fashioned and a square," Westheimer said that "most of what I do is bury the myths that have filtered down" about sexuality, which include myths about the negative physical results of masturbation.
"These things have to be buried in order to have a better sexual understanding and literacy," Westheimer said.
Westheimer explained that most of what she does in therapy sessions with couples is help them to explore why they are having sexual problems and aid them in finding physical solutions to their frustrations.
"Nothing is done in my office. I only give the exercise that is to be done at home," she said.
Students who knew of Westheimer before the lecture said they were excited to hear her speak in person.
"I'm just a really big fan of Dr. Ruth's, and I've just grown up watching her on TV and thought it was really cool that the University was offering an event like [this] for free," College freshman Anna Edwin said.
"She's adorable and exactly what I thought she would be," she added.
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