Ch. 1: Sexuality in other Cultures Flashcards
Ethnocentrism
judging other cultures to appear superior
How do Inis Beag and Mangaia communities vary culturally when it comes to sex?
Inis Beag- very conservative and don’t believe in french kissing
Mangaia- very sex-positive and have teens practice sex with older partners
Aside from culture, what else shapes sexual variations?
social class and ethnicity also shape sexuality
What are the universal taboos that exist globally?
incest & the regulation of sex
How is gender viewed in the U.S versus other cultures?
U.S: men & woman (binary)
other cultures: 3-4 genders & “intertwined” genders
cultivation theory
exposure to mass media warps sexuality from the reality of what people typically do
Ex: porn warps the idea of what sex typically is like
framing theory
media defines what is important based on what they cover
ex: using words like f*g instead of LGBTQ+ frames sex between same-sex partners as incorrect and unimportant
social cognitive theory
media provides role models that we imitate
ex: kim kardasian is a role model to young girls on what a “desirable” woman looks like which pushes them to imitate her body with bbls
reinforcing spiral theory
social identities influence our selection of media which reinforces sexual ideologies
ex: hetero individual select hetero porn which reinforces their sexuality
differential susceptibility model
some people are more vulnerable to media effects than others
ex: someone who is LGBTQ+ who lives in a “traditional” household may be more vulnerable to the effects of hetero media on their sexuality (what they feel safe doing)
What were the different conclusions about sexuality that the Greeks, Christians and Muslims made about 100 years ago?
Greeks: humans used to be half male and female, double male, or double female but were split in half by the gods. Heterosexuality & homosexuality come about as humans search for their other half.
Christians: “wet dreams” are the result of have sex with a spirit called an incubi. Those who had these dreams were guilty of sodomy and witchcraft.
Muslims: sexual intercourse is one of the best pleasure in life and reflects the teachings of the koran
Sexual behavior
Behavior that produces arousal and increases the chance of orgasm
Who are two important early sex researchers?
Sigmund Freud & Henry Havelock Ellis
What did Henry Havelock Ellis (1859-1939) contribute to the scientific understanding of sexuality?
- collected info on sexuality (medical & anthropological findings, case histories)
- urged society to accept sexuality outside of man & woman
- believed mand & woman are both sexual beings
What did Richard von Krafft-Ebing (1840-1902) contribute to the scientific understanding of sexuality?
- examined “pathological” sexuality
- collected over 200 case histories of pathological individuals
- coined concepts of sadism, masochism & pedophilia
- coined terms: heterosexuality & homosexuality
What did Magnus Hirschfeld (1868-1935) contribute to the scientific understanding of sexuality?
- founded first sex research institute
- administered first large-scale sex survey (10,000 people and 130 Qs)
- wrote first journal devoted to the study of sex
- provided marriage counseling, legal reform, and advice on contraception & sex issues
- especially interested in homosexuality
- coined the term transvestite
What did Alfred Kinsey and his collegues (1940s) contribute to the scientific understanding of sexuality?
- massive surveys of human sexual behavior in the U.S
- investigated sexual disorders and physiology of sexual response
What did Margaret Mead and Bronislaw Malinowski contribute to the scientific understanding of sexuality?
-collected data on sexual behavior in other cultures
What did Freud contribute to the scientific understanding of sexuality?
-used Victorian sex data to develop his psychoanalytic theory connecting sexual tensions to conflict
Masturbation
self-stimulation of the genitals to produce sexual arousal
Overview the history of sex in China
- positive attitude towards human sexuality
- rich erotic literature
- sex manuals
- but in 1400s repressive sex attitudes became dominant
- sexual liberation began in 1980s and continues today in large cities
What are some sexual practices among humans that also exist in other animals?
- masturbation
- same-gender sexual behavior
- flirting (aka sexual signaling)
How is human sexual behavior unique from other species?
- environmental influences are important in shaping sexual behavior (isolation can disrupt sexual behavior in monkeys)
- female sexual behavior is not strongly controlled by hormones (we don’t go through “heat”)
What are some nonsexual uses of sexual behavior seen in animals?
- showcasing dominance by “mounting” after a fight
- showing aggression by displaying erect penis
- rape (aggression)
- to gain money (prostituting)
sexual health
a state of physical, emotional, mental and social well-being in relation to sexuality (not just an absence of disease, dysfunction, or other)
sexual rights
right regarding sexuality, both negative and positive, like the right to reproductive self-determination, sexual self-expression, and freedom from sexual abuse and violence.
