Given that Maslow listed it separately from “sex”, I guess he had in mind a narrower sense for “sexual intimacy” than you might have. (Unless he had in mind an extremely broad sense for “sex”, which would include e.g. self-masturbation.)
By looking at the pyramid, I think he meant for “sexual intimacy” to be to “sex” as friendship is to conversation, i.e. by the former he meant what people today would call “being in a relationship” or “romance”. But I’m not fully sure.
“Sexual intimacy” is a thing prostitutes (including low-end ones) provide, which is why they’re more expensive than fleshlights.
Given that Maslow listed it separately from “sex”, I guess he had in mind a narrower sense for “sexual intimacy” than you might have. (Unless he had in mind an extremely broad sense for “sex”, which would include e.g. self-masturbation.)
Maybe he was just moralizing and wanted to label short or paid-for sexual intimacy as “mere sex”.
By looking at the pyramid, I think he meant for “sexual intimacy” to be to “sex” as friendship is to conversation, i.e. by the former he meant what people today would call “being in a relationship” or “romance”. But I’m not fully sure.
You mean the function of guaranteeing availability? Having friends provides good conversation. Being in a relationship provides good sex.
And being free from worry about having to provide conversation or sex for tomorrow satisfies a psychological need for security. That makes sense.