The use of "impotence" and "frigidity": why has "impotence" survived

The negative connotations and decreased utility of the terms "impotence" and "frigidity" prompted an investigation of their use in the literature. Psychological Abstracts were reviewed from 1940 to 1983 for titles containing these terms. It was found that both impotence and frigidity titles fluctuated at low levels from 1940 to 1969. Frigidity titles then increased slightly, but dropped to zero after 1979. Impotence titles, however, have continued to increase at a significant rate. Classic sexual behavior and therapy works are reviewed to explain this discrepancy since both terms are equally inappropriate.