臨床研究發現，提高自我注意容易提高個體的負向情緒，反之，提高負向情緒容易觸發個體的自我注意程度，而高自我注意、負向情緒又正是憂鬱者的主要特徵。由於高自我注意跟負向情緒具有負相關，再根據過去文獻分析，推論高自我注意跟負向情緒之間可能具有共變關係。 循著Carver & Scheier的自我調適理論、Pyszczynski & Greenberg的憂鬱者的自我調適維持理論、Higgins的自我落差理論等脈絡前行，並分析有關目標設定、自我效能、憂鬱者對自我表現之主觀感受、自我滿意度等研究後，發現憂鬱者內在傾向於設定自己無法達成的目標，因此容易產生「目標--現況之間具有落差」的現象。本研究主張，差距現象乃是憂鬱者之高自我注意、負向情緒關係的中介因素，並將差距現象區分為客觀差距（事前自我效能評估--目標設定）、主觀差距（事後自我效能評估--主觀感受）。這兩者可能影響自我注意、負向情緒之關係。基於研究興趣，再探討「事前自我效能評估--實際自我效能」差距與「事後自我效能評估--實際自我效能」差距，這兩者並不會影響自我注意、負向情緒之關係。 本研究為了解自我注意、負向情緒、差距現象三者之關係，針對輕度憂鬱、一般大學生，以社交表現（與陌生人初次之談話）為主題，設計兩個實驗，探討（一）自我注意、負向情緒是否具有共變關係。（二）輕度憂鬱大學生在社交方面是否具有差距現象。（三）輕度憂鬱大學生的差距現象，是否為自我注意、負向情緒之共變關係之中介因素。（四）輕度憂鬱大學生的實際社交表現是否受到差距現象的影響。 根據本研究的實驗結果發現： （一）輕度憂鬱大學生之自我注意與負向情緒之間具有負相關，但在實驗操弄的情況下，兩者並沒有明顯共變關係。 （二）輕度憂鬱大學生在社交表現方面，和一般大學生大致相同，沒有顯著的客觀、主觀差距現象。而造成差距現象不明顯的原因，在於憂鬱大學生的社交表現一樣好、一樣受歡迎。然而憂鬱大學生對自己表現之評分較一般大學生為差，顯示憂鬱大學生的社交自信不足。 （三）輕度憂鬱大學生之客觀、主觀差距現象不構成高自我注意與負向情緒之中介因素。然而，憂鬱大學生對自我表現的主觀評價與滿意度確實顯著低於一般大學生，顯出憂鬱者習慣自我貶低的特質。 （四）輕度憂鬱大學生之社交表現並不受客觀、主觀差距現象之影響。 （五）在「事前自我效能評估--實際自我效能」差距與「事後自我效能評估--實際自我效能」差距方面，憂鬱大學生之差距量皆顯著小於非憂鬱大學生，顯示自評的社交實力與實際社交實力仍稍有不同，且一般大學生對自評社交能力的高估情況較顯著，反映出社交自信較憂鬱大學生高。 由於實驗結果並不支持本研究之假設，探討其可能原因為： （一）受試者特性：本研究所抽樣之政大學生之憂鬱程度相當輕微，而且在社交表現上並不比同輩差，因此在社交上之差距現象不明顯，無法看出差距現象是否足以構成自我注意、負向情緒之中介因素。另外，不同受試者具有不同的先天自我注意傾向，可能影響實驗結果。 （二）自我注意的內涵：本實驗操弄之自我注意採用「編故事」方式進行，並不會引發個體的挫折，因此無法引起強烈情緒變動。 （三）實驗測量的問題：以實驗操弄雖能暫時改變個體之情緒與注意力，然而操弄所得的情緒與注意力很容易受到外在干擾而改變、或隨著時間變化而消退。 綜合以上結果與探討，對未來研究之建議如下： 建議未來針對憂鬱症狀較高之憂鬱者，選定不同的實驗作業，在受試者不知情的情況下，利用非紙筆類的測量工具，在數個時間點重覆測量情緒與注意力的變化，再度檢驗差距現象對憂鬱者「自我注意--負向情緒」之共變關係。

智慧財產案件審理法第16條揭示當事人抗辯智慧財產權有應撤銷、廢止之原因者，法院應就其主張或抗辯有無理由自為判斷，不適用相關法律停止訴訟程序之規定。前項情形，法院認有撤銷之原因時，智慧財產權人於該民事訴訟中不得對於他造主張權利。上開規定之意旨在於使同一智慧財產權所生之紛爭得於同一訴訟程序中一次解決，以對智慧財產權作有效保護。 依據上開規定，專利有效性之議題即可能為專利侵權訴訟程序及舉發程序所審理。兩程序審理之情形下，專利有效性之認定即可能會因對同一證據事實有不同見解而使認定結果產生歧異（嚴格定義下之判決歧異）或因證據/請求權基礎之不同而產生歧異（假性之判決歧異）。 民事法院和行政機關/法院於發明、新型及新式樣專利對專利有效性具兩歧認定之比例分別為所有抗辯專利有效性案件之6.8%、16%及12%。具歧異認定之案件中約有8%係因對同一證據之處理方式不同。約66%之案件係起因於呈送之證據有別及主張之撤銷理由不同，而此歧異認定或可於後續程序化解。另約有8%歧異認定之案件係因智慧局之見解受到先前經濟部對該見解之拘束，此分歧認定之結果或需藉由救濟程序才得化解。又約有16%具歧異認定之案件係因民事法院非以舉發程序中構成「舉發成立」之要件審酌系爭專利是否具撤銷事由，此歧異認定之結果尚需仰賴救濟程序始得化解。 民事法院倘非以舉發成立要件審酌專利有效性，則其審酌範疇可能涵蓋：得據以舉發事由、未達得據以舉發標準之事由、專利法及施行細則中得據以使申請案不予專利或不受理之事由。而有違誠信原則之事由亦可能受到審查，使系爭專利有不可執行之虞。倘民事訴訟有效性抗辯得涵蓋上開事由，則可預見本質不良但被智慧局誤准之專利將有去除之途徑，公眾利益即得以維護；專利申請人於申請過程中較可能考慮遵循誠信原則；且專利糾紛得以完全於一訴訟程序一併解決。專利環境或可能朝優質化、誠信化及效率化發展。於此架構下，侵權訴訟專利有效性抗辯機制及舉發程序之雙軌制審理即各有實質存在意義。 專利權人於台灣侵權訴訟具專利有效性抗辯案件之勝訴比約10%；敗訴案件中，發明、新型及新式樣專利被認定具無效事由之比例約為48%、65%及40%。審理法施行以來，舉發申請案之案件量約僅減少6%至7%，或隱含專利侵權訴訟不僅未於一定程度取代舉發制度更可能因而使當事人必需同時面對侵權訴訟與舉發程序雙軌戰場之處境。 審理法第16條之施行加快民事訴訟審結速度，達到迅速實現訴訟當事人權利保護之立法目的。而專利權所生之紛爭於同一訴訟程序中一次解決之目的，依檢驗角度之不同而有截然不同之結果，因此或可說未全然達到紛爭一次解決之立法目的。 / Article 16 of Intellectual Property Case Adjunction Act in Taiwan reveals that when a party claims or defends that an intellectual property right shall be cancelled, the court shall decide based on the merit of the case and the relevant laws concerning the stay of an action shall not apply.　Under the circumstances in the preceding paragraph, the holder of the intellectual property right shall not claim any rights during the civil action against the opposing party where the court has recognized the grounds for cancellation of the intellectual property right. The main purpose of the article is to solve the disputes over Intellectual Property Right in one litigation proceeding so as to protect the intellectual property right effectively. According to said article, the validity issue of a patent may be dealt with under civil litigation and invalidation proceedings. Under the circumstances, the decisions on the validity issue of a patent may be diverged due to different perceptions on the same evidence/fact (defined in this article as “actual decision divergence”) or different submitted evidences or instituted grounds (defined in this article as “fake decision divergence”). With respect to invention, utility model, and design patents, about 6.8%, 16% and 12% of cases with invalidity defense respectively had decision divergence between civil court and administrative organization/court. Among patents with decision divergence, around 8% of the patents were due to different perceptions of the same evidence. About 66% of the patents were deemed differently due to different evidences and instituted grounds. This discrepancy may be resolved in subsequent proceedings. Around 8% of the patents having divergent decisions were resulted from that the opinion of Taiwan Intellectual Property Office (TIPO) is confined by that in a previous administrative action issued by its superior organization, the Board of Appeal. This discrepancy may need to be resolved through a remedial procedure. Approximately 16% of the patents were determined differently because the civil court adopted different standards for initiating an invalidation action. This type of discrepancy may only be resolved through a remedial procedure. When the civil court uses its own standards in determining the validity issue of the patent in question, the scope of judicial review might include: the grounds of invalidation proceedings, the grounds of invalidation proceedings with loosened standards, the grounds attributed to a patent being rejected or an application to be inacceptable to TIPO based on Patent Act or the Enforcement Rules of Patent Act. In addition, inequitable conduct might also be reviewed. Under the circumstances, defective patents have a chance to be removed, a duty of candor and good faith would be more likely to be followed during prosecution; patent disputes are able to be reviewed entirely in one proceeding. It is expected that the quality of the patent system would be improved. Moreover, either the invalidity defense mechanism in infringement litigation, or the invalidation proceeding serves its own purpose. For patent infringement cases with invalidity defense, plaintiffs won about 10% of the cases. Among the cases lost by plaintiffs, the patent at issue deemed by civil court as invalid accounted for about 48%, 65% and 40% for invention, utility model and design patents respectively. Since the IP Case Adjudication Act took effect, the number of invalidation cases has decreased about 6-7%, which might indicate that the invalidity defense mechanism in infringement litigation does not replace the invalidation proceeding. The regulation of Article 16 of IP Case Adjudication Act speeds up civil proceedings indicating that the legislative purpose of providing effective protection to parties in IP litigation may be realized. However, the legislative purpose of solving patent disputes in one proceeding may not be achieved fully as the test results vary on the basis of different evaluation criteria.

In this thesis I explore the social construction of sexuality and sexual dysfunction. Interviews were undertaken with 20 sex therapists practising in Aotearoa/New Zealand in order to elicit accounts of contemporary sex therapy practice in the local context. Using a feminist poststructuralist lens, I explicate and critically examine the dominant discourses informing the construction of sex therapy, and heterosexual sexual relations, and what these discourses enable and constrain. I draw attention to some of the assumptions embedded in the construction of the sexual dysfunctions in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR, APA, 2000), and in accounts of sex therapy practice, examining the ways in which these are based on taken-for-granted norms of (hetero)sexuality and highlighting the differently enabled gendered sexual subjectivities they (re)produce. Although there are nine sexual dysfunctions identified in the DSM-IV-TR, all of which I briefly outline in Chapter Four, I restrict my focus in the analytical chapters to the conceptualisation and treatment of vaginismus, orgasm difficulties in women, discrepancies in desire and, relatedly, the gendering of desire through powerful sociocultural discourses and representations. I pay particular attention to the implications of these for heterosexual women’s sexuality. I also explore some of the generic concepts that dominate the construction of therapy at a broader level than that of sex therapy alone, arguing that while these offer some useful ways of framing therapy they also constrain therapy practice in important ways. Through a critical review of the sex therapy literature and accounts of practice from those interviewed, I contend that contemporary sex therapy tends to reify dominant cultural and sexological norms rather than challenge them. My analyses show that the dominant discourses informing constructions of sex therapy and heterosexual sexual relations produce particular types of sex as normal whilst marginalizing sexual acts or practices that fall outside of such restrictive parameters. In particular, I argue that the genital-coital-orgasm construct that is hegemonic within sex therapy restricts possibilities for alternative erotic pleasures and possibilities amongst heterosexuals whilst contributing to the invisibilization of sexual identities other than heterosexual. Accounts of sex therapy practice that were able to contest such framings are also highlighted. Because these came from sex therapists drawing on radical feminist or feminist poststructuralist discourses, I suggest that these discourses offer important possibilities for a deconstructive (sex) therapy practice that is able to challenge an often inequitable sexual status quo. Attention is also drawn to the significant constraints which act to restrict clients’ choices and possibilities for sex therapists to practise in more critically questioning ways. I conclude this thesis with an ‘invitation to reflection’ where I briefly discuss some deconstructive approaches that I have found useful for developing ongoing reflexive analysis of my own taken-for-granted assumptions in the area of sexuality, and for aiding my thinking about therapeutic practices that support my political and theoretical commitments and that attend to some of the issues outlined in this thesis. / Whole document restricted, but available by request, use the feedback form to request access.

This research paper explores the educational challenges faced by unaccompanied refugee youths in Stockholm. It focuses on the ongoing educational challenges that stem after separating from their families or other representatives in struggling to find a safe place; and adjust to a foreign country with minimal support. The research also examines what educational services that have been made available to these unaccompanied refugee youths.  Furthermore, how successful they have been in adjusting into the Swedish educational system and achieving their educational goals.   We have conducted a qualitative research method using semi-structured interviews to provide insightful findings into this research topic. The sample included ten unaccompanied refugee youths and three professionals that are experts in the area of unaccompanied refugee youths.  The findings underscore that most of the unaccompanied refugee youths´ dropout from school before they are able to achieve their post- secondary education due to different challenges that influence their educational pursuit.    Key words: challenges, support, imbalance, education, and unaccompanied Refugee youths.

No description available.

In this thesis I explore the social construction of sexuality and sexual dysfunction. Interviews were undertaken with 20 sex therapists practising in Aotearoa/New Zealand in order to elicit accounts of contemporary sex therapy practice in the local context. Using a feminist poststructuralist lens, I explicate and critically examine the dominant discourses informing the construction of sex therapy, and heterosexual sexual relations, and what these discourses enable and constrain. I draw attention to some of the assumptions embedded in the construction of the sexual dysfunctions in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR, APA, 2000), and in accounts of sex therapy practice, examining the ways in which these are based on taken-for-granted norms of (hetero)sexuality and highlighting the differently enabled gendered sexual subjectivities they (re)produce. Although there are nine sexual dysfunctions identified in the DSM-IV-TR, all of which I briefly outline in Chapter Four, I restrict my focus in the analytical chapters to the conceptualisation and treatment of vaginismus, orgasm difficulties in women, discrepancies in desire and, relatedly, the gendering of desire through powerful sociocultural discourses and representations. I pay particular attention to the implications of these for heterosexual women’s sexuality. I also explore some of the generic concepts that dominate the construction of therapy at a broader level than that of sex therapy alone, arguing that while these offer some useful ways of framing therapy they also constrain therapy practice in important ways. Through a critical review of the sex therapy literature and accounts of practice from those interviewed, I contend that contemporary sex therapy tends to reify dominant cultural and sexological norms rather than challenge them. My analyses show that the dominant discourses informing constructions of sex therapy and heterosexual sexual relations produce particular types of sex as normal whilst marginalizing sexual acts or practices that fall outside of such restrictive parameters. In particular, I argue that the genital-coital-orgasm construct that is hegemonic within sex therapy restricts possibilities for alternative erotic pleasures and possibilities amongst heterosexuals whilst contributing to the invisibilization of sexual identities other than heterosexual. Accounts of sex therapy practice that were able to contest such framings are also highlighted. Because these came from sex therapists drawing on radical feminist or feminist poststructuralist discourses, I suggest that these discourses offer important possibilities for a deconstructive (sex) therapy practice that is able to challenge an often inequitable sexual status quo. Attention is also drawn to the significant constraints which act to restrict clients’ choices and possibilities for sex therapists to practise in more critically questioning ways. I conclude this thesis with an ‘invitation to reflection’ where I briefly discuss some deconstructive approaches that I have found useful for developing ongoing reflexive analysis of my own taken-for-granted assumptions in the area of sexuality, and for aiding my thinking about therapeutic practices that support my political and theoretical commitments and that attend to some of the issues outlined in this thesis. / Whole document restricted, but available by request, use the feedback form to request access.

國際貿易實務上，「信用狀」係往來銀行提供信用狀擔保付款之模式，確保跨國貿易之順利完成、加速貿易進行，為當今世界重要付款方式。「信用狀統一慣例（UCP）」係國際商會（ICC）制定之信用狀交易實務慣例，自1933年首次頒布以來，目前已成為全世界公認遵行之信用狀標準處理方針。2007年，國際商會公佈最新修訂版本之第600號出版物“UCP 600”，明定因應銀行及航運實務發展、檢討UCP 500之規範文字及語體、抑制銀行拒絕付款率等為主要修訂目標。 鑑於UCP 600對於未來國際貿易發展之影響力，實有全面且深入研究UCP 600條款內容及規範目的之必要。本文以UCP 600新增定義解釋條款、審查單據條款、及運送單據條款為研究主題，透過闡釋條文涵義、比較與UCP 500之差異、探究新條款影響、檢討修訂目標之成效等，俾使信用狀當事人及相關銀行正確理解及適用UCP 600條款內容。 本文首先介紹信用狀之特性、經濟功能及信用狀統一慣例之定位適用等基本概念；其次從文義解釋、法律性質及當事人間法律關係等觀點切入，闡釋UCP 600本次新增之定義及解釋條款；並研究銀行實務最常發生爭議之審查單據程序，詳盡分析UCP 600規定之審單標準、符合提示、拒付瑕疵單據等重要條款。此外，本文探討UCP 600所規定國際航運常見之提單、多式運送單據、不可轉讓海運單及傭船提單等運送單據條款。最後，本文針對UCP 600條款之重要修訂內容予以彙整，嘗試提出該等條款之修正趨勢及未來發展。 / In international trade practice, “letter of credit”which is the most important type of payment in the world is the means of settlement that an issuing bank independently undertake to honour a complying presentation , and that ensures international trade to successfully completed, and speeded up the transactions.“ICC Uniform Customs and Practice for Documentary Credit(UCP)”is the rules of international letter of credit practice promulgated by the Commission on Banking Technique and Practice of the International Chamber of Commerce(ICC).The 2007 Revision, UCP 600, is the latest of a series of revisions of these ICC rules that date from 1933 and have in their evolution become the universal norm for commercial letter of credit. The introduction of UCP 600 expressly indicated the main revised objective was to address developments in banking and transport industries, to look at the language and style used in UCP 500, and to reduce the rejections of the documents presented under letter of credit. In consideration of the influence of UCP 600 for the development of international trade in the future, it was necessary to generally and deeply research the clauses and provisions of UCP 600 and the revised objective. This paper’s research subjects include the formal definitions and interpretations of UCP 600, the provision regarding examination of documents, and the provisions regarding transport documents. In order to make the parties of letter of credit and the relevant banks correctly understand and apply the UCP 600 clauses, this paper interprets the meaning of UCP 600 clauses, compares the differences between UCP 600 and UCP 500, analyses the influence of new provisions, and look at the achievements of this revision. This paper first introduces the fundamental concepts included the characteristic of letter of credit, the economic functions of letter of credit, and the position and application of UCP 600.The second part is to discuss the formal definitions and interpretations that UCP 600 new formulated from the perspectives of language interpretation, quality of law, and the law relationship of the parties. Then this paper discusses the rules for the examination of documents that most controversial in banking industries, and analyses the important provisions regarding standard for examination of documents, complying presentation, and rejection of discrepant documents. Moreover, this paper is referring to the general transport documents clauses stipulated in UCP 600, including bill of lading, multimodal transport document, non-negotiable sea waybill, and charter party bill of lading. Finally, this paper synthesizes the significant revised provisions, and recommends several suggestions about modifying the relevant provisions in UCP 600 and development in the future.

本篇論文將厚尾分配（Heavy-Tailed Distribution）應用在財務及保險精算上。本研究主要有三個部分：第一部份是用厚尾分配來重新建構Lee-Carter模型（1992），發現改良後的Lee-Carter模型其配適與預測效果都較準確。第二部分是將厚尾分配建構於具有世代因子（Cohort Factor）的Renshaw and Haberman模型（2006）中，其配適及預測效果皆有顯著改善，此外，針對英格蘭及威爾斯（England and Wales）訂價長壽交換（Longevity Swaps），結果顯示此模型可以支付較少的長壽交換之保費以及避免低估損失準備金。第三部分是財務上的應用，利用Schmidt等人（2006）提出的多元仿射廣義雙曲線分配（Multivariate Affine Generalized Hyperbolic Distributions; MAGH）於Boyle等人（2003）提出的低偏差網狀法（Low Discrepancy Mesh; LDM）來定價多維度的百慕達選擇權。理論上，LDM法的數值會高於Longstaff and Schwartz（2001）提出的最小平方法（Least Square Method; LSM）的數值，而數值分析結果皆一致顯示此性質，藉由此特性，我們可知道多維度之百慕達選擇權的真值落於此範圍之間。 / The thesis focus on the application of heavy-tailed distributions in finance and actuarial science. We provide three applications in this thesis. The first application is that we refine the Lee-Carter model (1992) with heavy-tailed distributions. The results show that the Lee-Carter model with heavy-tailed distributions provide better fitting and prediction. The second application is that we also model the error term of Renshaw and Haberman model (2006) using heavy-tailed distributions and provide an iterative fitting algorithm to generate maximum likelihood estimates under the Cox regression model. Using the RH model with non-Gaussian innovations can pay lower premiums of longevity swaps and avoid the underestimation of loss reserves for England and Wales. The third application is that we use multivariate affine generalized hyperbolic (MAGH) distributions introduced by Schmidt et al. (2006) and low discrepancy mesh (LDM) method introduced by Boyle et al. (2003), to show how to price multidimensional Bermudan derivatives. In addition, the LDM estimates are higher than the corresponding estimates from the Least Square Method (LSM) of Longstaff and Schwartz (2001). This is consistent with the property that the LDM estimate is high bias while the LSM estimate is low bias. This property also ensures that the true option value will lie between these two bounds.

In this thesis I explore the social construction of sexuality and sexual dysfunction. Interviews were undertaken with 20 sex therapists practising in Aotearoa/New Zealand in order to elicit accounts of contemporary sex therapy practice in the local context. Using a feminist poststructuralist lens, I explicate and critically examine the dominant discourses informing the construction of sex therapy, and heterosexual sexual relations, and what these discourses enable and constrain. I draw attention to some of the assumptions embedded in the construction of the sexual dysfunctions in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR, APA, 2000), and in accounts of sex therapy practice, examining the ways in which these are based on taken-for-granted norms of (hetero)sexuality and highlighting the differently enabled gendered sexual subjectivities they (re)produce. Although there are nine sexual dysfunctions identified in the DSM-IV-TR, all of which I briefly outline in Chapter Four, I restrict my focus in the analytical chapters to the conceptualisation and treatment of vaginismus, orgasm difficulties in women, discrepancies in desire and, relatedly, the gendering of desire through powerful sociocultural discourses and representations. I pay particular attention to the implications of these for heterosexual women’s sexuality. I also explore some of the generic concepts that dominate the construction of therapy at a broader level than that of sex therapy alone, arguing that while these offer some useful ways of framing therapy they also constrain therapy practice in important ways. Through a critical review of the sex therapy literature and accounts of practice from those interviewed, I contend that contemporary sex therapy tends to reify dominant cultural and sexological norms rather than challenge them. My analyses show that the dominant discourses informing constructions of sex therapy and heterosexual sexual relations produce particular types of sex as normal whilst marginalizing sexual acts or practices that fall outside of such restrictive parameters. In particular, I argue that the genital-coital-orgasm construct that is hegemonic within sex therapy restricts possibilities for alternative erotic pleasures and possibilities amongst heterosexuals whilst contributing to the invisibilization of sexual identities other than heterosexual. Accounts of sex therapy practice that were able to contest such framings are also highlighted. Because these came from sex therapists drawing on radical feminist or feminist poststructuralist discourses, I suggest that these discourses offer important possibilities for a deconstructive (sex) therapy practice that is able to challenge an often inequitable sexual status quo. Attention is also drawn to the significant constraints which act to restrict clients’ choices and possibilities for sex therapists to practise in more critically questioning ways. I conclude this thesis with an ‘invitation to reflection’ where I briefly discuss some deconstructive approaches that I have found useful for developing ongoing reflexive analysis of my own taken-for-granted assumptions in the area of sexuality, and for aiding my thinking about therapeutic practices that support my political and theoretical commitments and that attend to some of the issues outlined in this thesis. / Whole document restricted, but available by request, use the feedback form to request access.

In this thesis I explore the social construction of sexuality and sexual dysfunction. Interviews were undertaken with 20 sex therapists practising in Aotearoa/New Zealand in order to elicit accounts of contemporary sex therapy practice in the local context. Using a feminist poststructuralist lens, I explicate and critically examine the dominant discourses informing the construction of sex therapy, and heterosexual sexual relations, and what these discourses enable and constrain. I draw attention to some of the assumptions embedded in the construction of the sexual dysfunctions in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR, APA, 2000), and in accounts of sex therapy practice, examining the ways in which these are based on taken-for-granted norms of (hetero)sexuality and highlighting the differently enabled gendered sexual subjectivities they (re)produce. Although there are nine sexual dysfunctions identified in the DSM-IV-TR, all of which I briefly outline in Chapter Four, I restrict my focus in the analytical chapters to the conceptualisation and treatment of vaginismus, orgasm difficulties in women, discrepancies in desire and, relatedly, the gendering of desire through powerful sociocultural discourses and representations. I pay particular attention to the implications of these for heterosexual women’s sexuality. I also explore some of the generic concepts that dominate the construction of therapy at a broader level than that of sex therapy alone, arguing that while these offer some useful ways of framing therapy they also constrain therapy practice in important ways. Through a critical review of the sex therapy literature and accounts of practice from those interviewed, I contend that contemporary sex therapy tends to reify dominant cultural and sexological norms rather than challenge them. My analyses show that the dominant discourses informing constructions of sex therapy and heterosexual sexual relations produce particular types of sex as normal whilst marginalizing sexual acts or practices that fall outside of such restrictive parameters. In particular, I argue that the genital-coital-orgasm construct that is hegemonic within sex therapy restricts possibilities for alternative erotic pleasures and possibilities amongst heterosexuals whilst contributing to the invisibilization of sexual identities other than heterosexual. Accounts of sex therapy practice that were able to contest such framings are also highlighted. Because these came from sex therapists drawing on radical feminist or feminist poststructuralist discourses, I suggest that these discourses offer important possibilities for a deconstructive (sex) therapy practice that is able to challenge an often inequitable sexual status quo. Attention is also drawn to the significant constraints which act to restrict clients’ choices and possibilities for sex therapists to practise in more critically questioning ways. I conclude this thesis with an ‘invitation to reflection’ where I briefly discuss some deconstructive approaches that I have found useful for developing ongoing reflexive analysis of my own taken-for-granted assumptions in the area of sexuality, and for aiding my thinking about therapeutic practices that support my political and theoretical commitments and that attend to some of the issues outlined in this thesis. / Whole document restricted, but available by request, use the feedback form to request access.