Joseph LoPiccolo (psychology)


Joseph LoPiccolo is an American psychologist and sex researcher who focuses on female sexual response. He coauthored the self-help book Becoming Orgasmic with Julia Heiman and served on the Subcommittee on Sexual Dysfunctions for the DSM-III-R. He is Professor Emeritus of Psychological Sciences at the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri, where previously served as Chair of the department.

Life and career

LoPiccolo earned his Ph.D. from Yale University in 1969. That year, he took a position at University of Oregon. In 1974 he moved to the Department of Psychiatry at Stony Brook University.
In 1976 he produced the film 'Becoming Orgasmic,' based on research into assisting women with difficulties reaching orgasm. The film led to a 1976 book version co-authored with Julia Heiman, titled Becoming Orgasmic: A Sexual and Personal Growth Program for Women.
In a study funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, LoPiccolo found that low sex drive among men was far more common than previously thought, and he credited the feminist movement with reducing the percentage of anorgasmic women.
He taught at Texas A&M from 1984 to 1988 before taking an appointment that year at University of Missouri. Since becoming an emeritus professor, he continues to write reviews and articles.

Selected publications