Chapter 10: Sexuality Flashcards
How do you study sexuality
- surveys: requires truthfulness in private matters, self-selection of participation and representativeness of sample
- direct observation: people are less willing to participate, research on animals may not generalize to humans
Sex Surveys
- results questioned prevailing victorian social norms of repression and denial of sexuality
(victorian views are not reflected in sexual behaviour)
The Kinsey Surveys
- sexual behaviour of the time not always consistent with prevailing social opinions
- double standard for sexual behaviour: men compared to women are not held to the standard of being sexually inexperienced before marriage (men wider variety of sexual experience than women)
Hunts Playboy Foundation Survey
- attempt to update the Kinsey findings
- confirmed the prevalence of masturbation (increased rates for pre-adolescents
- decreased estimates of same-sex sexuality (form of adolescent experimentation but stops around 16)
The National Health and Social life survey
- first study to obtain a representative sample (increase in more liberal sexual standards)
Then National Health and Social Life Survey: Gender Differences in First Intercourse
- men: more varied sexual interests, more partners, group sex, watching sex, oral sex, anal sex, masturbation
- women: more likely to feel guilt about masturbation, more frequent intercourse (few times a month)
- 28% of women and 8% of men say they did not want it or did it out of affection or forced
What are the Two Large differences ( and similarities) in sexual attitudes and behaviour?
- men more masturbation, use of pornography, frequency and permissive attitudes of casual sex
- differences in other sexual attitudes and behaviours were either small or absent and must have decreased over time (men and women sexual behaviours quite similar)
What is the tendency for people to report according to gender norms
- men: overestimate more
- Women: underestimate more
Master’s and Johnson’s Approach
direct observation of sexual behaviours (masturbation, oral- genital, intercourse)
- contrasted with freudian view of sex. Women do not have two different orgasms (vaginal and clitoral), just clitoral
- ignored individual differences, used stages
When does sexuality begin?
early age
- infant boys: erections
- infant girls: lubrication
- pre- school children: manipulate their genitals (exploration) different from adult sexual behaviours, more so related to self exploration
What defines childhood sexual abuse
- sexual contact with an adult or adolescent at least 5 years older than the child
( young children close to the same age typically is exploration)
Rates of abuse for childhood sexual abuse
- girls: 15%
- boys: 5%
- most common pattern is male perpetrator and female victim
Heterosexuality
- attraction to people of the opposite sex
- the sexual orientation of the majority
- gender segregation restricts heterosexuality activity (teasing- flirting)
Heterosexuality during adolescents
- typical period of sexual initiation
- societal messages regarding sex: promotes pleasures of sex but urges not to participate, girls more warned of sex
Monogamy
- one sexual partner
- women more so
Serial monogamy
having a series of partners at one time
sexual freedom
hooking up
Reactions to sexual betrayal
-women more likely to leave partner
Homosexuality
attraction to people of the same sex
- the sexual orientation of the minority
Genetics and Homosexuality
- inheritance for sexual orientation is unclear, some strong evidence
- role of prenatal exposure to testosterone (index finger length
Exotic-Becomes- Erotic Theory
- social and biological factors
- childhood activity preference associated with other gender results in making opposite gender less exotic
- stronger prediction for boys
Homosexuality during adolescence
- sexual attraction and sexual orientation do not correspond to sexual identity in adulthood
- 25% of women change identity within 5 years
Process of developing sexual identity
- labeling self (women first)
- engaging in sex ( men first)
- acknowledging orientation
Challenges to same sex relationships
- stigma, legal rights, discrimination
Bisexuality
- attraction to individuals of both genders
- some claim it is those who have not accepted that they are gay or lesbian
- sexual fluidity
sexual fluidity
sexual orientation is not fixed and can change over time
Considering diversity
- no universally accepted or rejected set of sexual behaviours
- sexuality is culturally specific
Lepcha of India: childhood sexuality
- to mature girls they must engage in intercourse
