METHODOLOGY OF SURVEY-DESIGN FOR INTER-CULTURAL SEXOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS

4. Individual behavior and its social regulation

With a view to developing the ecological model, let us define more exactly the social importance of sexological texts, using as an example Vatsaani Mallahahi's Kama Sutra. The translator notes that this is a scientific and didactic text, and that when studying it, we should pay special attention, first and foremost, to the distinctive Ancient-Indian scientific language, which is carefully crafted with systematic methods for description and enumeration, and equipped with highly specialized terminology for describing minute details. The style of Kama Sutra is characterized by nominative sentences and the use of wish-constructions, by terminological exactitude and consistency in the use of previously introduced terms, and by the wide use of synonyms [8]. The inclination of Ancient-Indian authors towards the scrupulous classification of reality is reflected not only in their theoretical discourse, but also in their artistic productions. They possessed a system of symbols in which expressive means were linked to definite objects, states, and virtues. Through these symbols, they were able to express in art and literature some unique ideas. A significant part of Ancient-Indian teaching is concerned with three types, or orientations of human activity:

Dharma - the totality of social, familial, and religious obligations, which affect a person's behavior.
Artha - the acquisition and use of material possessions
Kama - the sphere of emotional, sensual life.

This system with three principles, has helped many generations of Indians to make sense of and to order their activities in life. At the same time, Dharma, Artha, and Kama did not always relate so much to different activities, but rather to different ways of looking at one and the same activity √ evaluating it in ethical, pragmatic, and hedonistic terms. It was traditionally held that these three elements should be kept in harmony, so that none of them had a greater weight than any of the others. If we compare the Indian categories of Dharma, Artha, and Kama with the categories (extero-, neo-, and archaeo-) used in Burn's description of the human psyche we find some striking parallels (table 1):

Table 1

Parallels between Burn's Categories and Ancient-Indian philosophy

Structure of the Psyche (sub-personal structure)	Personality Structure	Type of Activity (meta-personal structure)
Extero-psyche	Parent	Artha
Neo-psyche	Adult	Dharma
Archaeo-psyche	Child	Kama

As Burn stated, the different personality systems (diag. 1) react differently to stimuli. The extero-psyche exerts a dogmatic influence, trying to force the other structures to adopt its judgments. It corresponds to the mental structure "I am a Parent," comprising the unity of feelings, manners, and models of behavior similar to those of parents. This structure manifests itself in various forms of habitual behavior, and systems of judgment which, though irrational, appear to the subject as reasoned, and have a proscriptive character [3].

Diagram 1 √ Personality structure according to Burn

The neo-psyche transforms stimuli into units of information, analyzing and classifying these elements, and comparing them to previous experiences. The neo-psyche corresponds to the mental structure "I am an Adult," characterized by the aggregate of feelings, habits, and models of behavior connected with activity in the real world. The Adult is realized as an organized, adaptable, and reasonable person, who forms objective relationships with the outside world on the basis of real, independent experience.

The archaeo-psyche generates impulsive reactions not based on fully-formed understanding. The archaeo-psyche corresponds to the mental structure "I am a Child," characterized by the aggregate of feelings, habits, and models of behavior typical of an individual's childhood. The Child is distinguished by independence of behavior, a tendency towards protest, and an inclination towards self-interested motivations.

In this way, it is possible to use the categories of structural analysis, intended for the study of the individual personality, to study the social and meta-personal structures which regulate an individual's behavior. We can use these categories to investigate the influence of sexual morality, ethical norms, taboos, and the specific features of families and other social groups (table 2).

Table 2

Personality structure in relation to a society's sexual culture

Sexual Culture	Personality Structure	Personality Structure in the sexual sphere
Sexual morality, laws, dogma, and religion	P -- Parent	P -- accepts without critical judgment, preaches ethics and morality
Scientific knowledge about platonic, erotic, and sexual love, and about reproduction	A -- Adult	A -- becomes acquainted with the world of the opposite sex, through experience of love and erotic behavior
Art, depicting sexuality	Ch -- Child	Ch -- enjoys and is excited by the sexual and the erotic.

It follows from all this that if a range of sexological categories are used on a questionnaire form, and that if the texts reflect ideas of duty, goal-directedness, and impulsivity, then the questionnaire corresponds to the ecological model of sexuality.

When designing the questionnaire form, the sexologist tries to reflect information relevant to his profession. The text itself, though, must be comprehensible to a respondent who is not a specialist. In this there is a certain conflict, which, however, can be resolved if we use the correct semantic structures to shed light on the quanta.