Nymphomania
is a layperson's term used to label a woman whose sex drive
or sexual activity is subjectively deemed too high. This
is not a scientifically meaningful term because there are
no specific criteria defining how much sexual desire or
activity is too much.
The
clinical conditions that include the concept of high levels
of sexual desire and/or activity are hypersexuality and
sexual addiction or compulsivity.
The
central features of these disorders are that sexual activity
is an insatiable need, often interfering with other areas
of everyday functioning; sex is impersonal, with no emotional
intimacy; and despite frequent orgasms, sexual activity
is generally not satisfying.
The
label of nymphomania is used in a pejorative and derogatory
manner, almost exclusively in reference to women. To many
men, the idea of a woman with a greater sex drive than their
own is somewhat threatening, so they may use the label to
preserve their own egos by "proving" that the
woman is abnormal.
Similarly,
men with sexual dysfunction might accuse their partners
of being oversexed in an effort to hide their own fears
or sense of inadequacy, just as some women who object to
the frequency of their partner's sexual advances might accuse
him of being oversexed.
The
difference is that the double standard which exists in our
society congratulates a man who is highly sexed and has
many partners, calling him a "stud", whereas a
woman with the same behavior is often called a "nympho",
which carries a negative connotation.