The current medical approach to erectile dysfunction (ED) consists of physiological, psychological and social components. This paper proposes an additional framework for thinking about ED based on phenomenology, by focusing on the theory of sexual projection. This framework will be complementary to the current medical approach to ED. Our phenomenological analysis of ED provides philosophical depth and illuminates overlooked aspects in the study of ED. Mainly by appealing to Merleau-Ponty’s Phenomenology of Perception, we suggest considering an additional etiology of ED in terms of a weakening of a function of sexual projection. We argue that sexual projection can be problematized through cognitive interferences, changes in the ‘intentional arc’, and modifications in the subject’s ‘body schema’. Our approach further highlights the importance of considering the ‘existential situation’ of patients with ED. We close by reflecting briefly on some of the implications of this phenomenological framework for diagnosis and treatment of ED.

目前治疗勃起功能障碍 (ED) 的医学方法包括生理、心理和社会因素。本文通过关注性投射理论，提出了一个基于现象学思考 ED 的额外框架。该框架将补充当前的 ED 医学方法。我们对 ED 的现象学分析提供了哲学深度，并阐明了 ED 研究中被忽视的方面。主要是诉诸梅洛-庞蒂的感知现象学，我们建议根据性投射功能的减弱考虑 ED 的其他病因。我们认为，性投射可能会通过认知干扰、“意向弧”的变化以及主体“身体图式”的修改而成为问题。我们的方法进一步强调了考虑 ED 患者“存在情况”的重要性。最后，我们简要回顾一下这种现象学框架对 ED 诊断和治疗的一些影响。