Human Sexuality Exam 1 Flashcards
Human Sexuality
The sexuality information and education council of the United States (SIECUS: sex ed for social change) defines human sexuality as encompassing the sexual knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, values, and behaviors of individuals
“Sexually Healthy” aspects
1) Body-image awareness
2) Interpersonal relationships
3) Decision making
4) Sexual intimacy
Body-image awareness
- feeling good about your gender
- feeling comfortable with bodily functions
Interpersonal relationships
- being able to communicate feelings without embarrassment
- having respect for others individuality
Decision making
- Decide what is right for oneself
- Acting in personal best interests
- Having a clear sense of personal values and acting in congruence with them
sexual intimacy
- understanding the difference between sexual feelings & love
- Knowing that one’s feelings deserves respect from others
A sexually healthy person is someone who (11):
- Makes decisions about sexual health that are in line with their personal identities, goals, values & beliefs
- Makes healthy decisions based on accurate information & affordable resources + services
- reduce spread of sexually transmitted diseases
- builds & maintain safe & healthy relationships
- right to be free from oppression, exploitation & abuse
- advocates for needs, wants, goals & values
- Educated consumer of health info, resources, services
- talk comfortably about sexual health
- Motivation to disclose a present infection
- strong foundation for lifelong sexual health
- knows when & if to have a family
Why study sexuality?
- obtain accurate sexual knowledge
- increase self-esteem by increasing personal worth
- learn about sexual well-being
- clarify personal values
- improve sexual decision-making skills
- contribute to safer sexual behavior
What are the dimensions of sexuality?
Biological, Psychological, Sociocultural
Biological dimension
sex, genetics, reproduction, fertility control, sexual arousal & response, physiological cycles & changes, physical appearance, growth & development
- reproductive function @ puberty
- Human sexual erotic functioning @ birth – maybe even in the womb
Psychological dimension
Body image, emotions, experience, self-concept (identity), motivation, expressiveness, learned attitudes & behaviors
- clearest example of learned aspects of sexuality
Sociocultural dimension
religious, multicultural, socioeconomic, ethical, media & political influence
- Most influential dimension
Cultural Differences: Mangaia of Polynesia
- adolescents are instructed on how to please their partner
- @ 13, following super-incision, boys are taught how to please a woman, then an older woman will sleep with the boy to further his education on how to please a woman
- Girls are instructed on how to be orgasmic
- Adolescence have a high level of sexual desire & behaviors
- A woman may leave a man who does not satisfy her
- Adulthood is marked by a decrease in sexual desire
Cultural differences: The Dani of New Guinea
- little interest in sexuality
- sex for reproduction
- extra relational sex and jealousy is rare
- female orgasm is unknown
- 4-6 yr sexual abstinence between pregnancies
Cultural differences: Sambians of New Guinea
- sexual orientation is malleable across lifespan
- young males exchange in sexual activity with one another
- believe boys must ingest semen to become men
- Semen is replenished by tree sap
- As grow older, switches from receiver to semen donor
- Adolescence marks the occurrence of sexual activities between males & females
- Adulthood marks the end of sexual activities between males
Variations in what is considered “Normal”
US: Kissing is considered erotic
Mehinaku of the Amazonian: kissing is a disgusting sexual abnormality
Culture molds and shapes what?
our sexual interests & behaviors; Biology does not do this
Cultural differences: Victorian americans
- women had reproductive desire rather than sexual desire
- women with sexual desire classified as suffering from “nymphomania” or “furor uterinus”
- Men were viewed as animal like with raging, uncontrollable sexual appetites
Victorian Americans: Long lasting effects
- war between sexes
- “Madonna-Whore dichotomy” for women’s roles
- Women’s responsibility to tame men’s impulses
- sexual double standards
Slut
a woman with the morals of a man
Sexual stereotyping is often used to justify what?
discrimination or social groups
Stereotypes structure our knowledge by shaping what?
- what we see
- what we notice
- what we remember
- how we explain things
What interferes with the pursuit of knowledge?
opinons, biases, stereotypes
Opinions
unsubstantiated beliefs or conclusions according to an individual’s personal thoughts
Biases
personal leanings or inclinations
Stereotypes
sets of overgeneralized beliefs about an individual, a group, or an idea
How many people would someone need to sleep with to be considered promiscuous?
One more person than I have
Value Judgements
- imply how a person ought to behave
- cannot be empirically evaluated
- only reveal the thoughts or feelings of one person
Objectivity
- describe how people actually behave
- can be empirically evaluated (tested)
- describes reality
Value judgments: limitations
- do not tell us what motivates people
- do not tell us how frequently people behave in a given way
- do not tell us how people feel
- only tell us how we ourselves feel
“normal” sexual behavior
- behavior that conforms to a group’s average or median patterns of behavior
- not related to moral or psychological judgments
Researchers view human sexuality as what?
characterized by sexual variation
- understand sexual activities existing on a continuum of frequency & behavior
- people’s activities can by typical or atypical of the group average - doesn’t indicate deviance
Many activities thought as “deviant” are engaged in by most of us to some degree, including:
exhibitionism, Voyeurism, Fetishism
Is there a “normal”?
- sexual behaviors and norms vary
- understanding diversity allows us to acknowledge that there is no such thing as inherently “normal” or “natural” sexual behavior
- sexual behavior strongly influenced by culture
The authors of the text believe that the basic standard for judging various sexual activities is:
- whether they are between consenting adults
- whether they cause harm
It is up to the individual to evaluate what aspects of behavior in accordance with his or her values?
ethical or moral
When do we become sexual beings & begin learning about gender roles?
From the moment we are born
As children, the world around us shapes our what?
views of our bodies, gender & sexuality
As adolescents our what continues as learning & curiosity?
education
As adults, we develop what?
a potentially mature sexuality which is continually re-interpreted as we age
Psychosexual development begins when?
in infancy
- learning begins on gender roles, how we should feel about our bodies
- learning about affectionate touch: infants need stroking & cuddling
Sexuality in Childhood
- children become aware of sex and sexuality earlier than most people realize
- curiosity & exploration of their own bodies
- masturbation is normal (not sexual)
- Important for children to know proper names & functions of genitals
Family context
- family styles or physical expression & feelings about modesty, privacy & nudity vary
- Families communicate implicit messages about sexuality to children through their expression & feelings
Sexual development of infants & toddlers
- begins in delivery room
- during first few months of life, infants begin to discover their bodies
- Psychosexual development (first 18 months)
- touch & bonding = establishing trust
- Teaching body parts
- bath time & diaper changes are good times to teach
Infant genital touching (7-10 months)
- babies begin to explore their genitals during diaper changes
- baby boys get erections throughout the day & about 3 times at night
- parental reaction is important
Gender during the first three years
- impact of gender roles before birth
- assigned gender from birth onward
- gender identity becomes evident
Preschool genital touching
- three & four year olds discover it feels good when they touch their own genitals
Attraction to parents
- Oedipus complex: leads to “castration anxiety”
- Electra complex: “penis envy”
- It is not uncommon for children to prefer the parent of the opposite gender
Preschoolers and sex play
- playing “doctor” or “house” with other children
- most experts believe this sex play is natural
Questions about reproduction (preschool & early elementary)
- children will ask “where did I come from?”
- where did the baby come from & where was it before it was born?
Elementary school years (K-3)
- latency period
- developing empathy
The media as sexuality educator for children
- TV, movies, magazines, music videos, video games, internet
- locus of control
puberty
the stage of maturation when a human being becomes capable of sexual reproduction. It occurs between the ages of 8 & 16
- a time of growth & confusion
- body matures faster than emotional & intellectual capabilities
Preparing for puberty
secondary sex characteristics
Masturbation
during puberty many boys/girls begin to masturbate for sexual pleasure
Puberty in girls (7-14 years)
- growth spurt
- breast development
- pubic & underarm hair
- vaginal secretions
- menarche
Puberty in boys (9-14), last 2-5 years
- growth spurt
- deepening voice
- muscle-mass growth
- pubic, underarm, facial hair
- penis & testicles grow & develop
- ejaculation of semen
Three stages of adolescence
1) Early adolescence (9-13 girls & 11-15 boys)
2) Middle adolescence (13-16 girls & 14-17 boys)
3) Late adolescence (16 + girls & 17+ boys)
Adolescence
13-19 years
Early adolescence (9-13 Girls & 11-15 boys)
- puberty
- body image concern
- begin separating from family; increased parent-child conflict
- social group cliques
- reputation-based groups, relationships w/ peers
- concrete thinking but beginning of exploration of new ability to think abstractly
Middle Adolescence (13-16 girls & 14-17 boys)
- increased independence
- increased importance of peer group
- relationship & sexual experimentation
- increased abstract thinking ability
Late adolescence (16+ girls & 17+ boys)
- completing the process of physical maturation
- understand consequences
- empathetic relationships, attainment of abstract thinking
- defining of adult roles, transition to adult roles
- greater intimacy skills
- autonomy nearly secured
- body image nearly secured
- gender-role definition nearly secured
- sexual orientation nearly secured
Sexual self-concept
individual’s evaluation of his or her sexual feelings & actions
Gender identity
understanding that one is male, female, or other gender, as well as understanding the roles, values, duties & responsibilities of being a man or a woman
Sexual orientation
often emerges in adolescence
Early sexual activity
- rare among girls 12 & younger; most nonconsensual
- 30% of girls ages 15-16 have had sexual intercourse
- Most older teen girls (17-19) sexually active
- differences by socioeconomic status & race & ethnicity
- need for better sexuality education - 83% reported not receiving any sexuality education prior to first time
What brings about a dramatic increase in sexual interest?
hormones
- masturbation becomes more frequent
What are the main influences on adolescents sexual behaviors?
1) Parents
- learn through observing parents’ behavior
2) Peers
- share information/misinformation
- create expectancy
3) Media
- significant exposure and influence
Teen mothers
- high likelihood of living @ or below poverty levels
- increase in being unmarried
- ethnic differences in teen mothers
- higher risk of abuse
- special needs for social services
- treated differently by society than teen fathers
Teen fathers
- incidence is lower than teen mothers
- difficult to contribute support for children
- more social support
What percentage of parents favor sexuality education for their children (as does the public) ?
over 90%
Types of sexuality education
1) comprehensive
- try to wait, and if you own’t, be educated enough to make informed decisions
2) Abstinence-based
- just say not now
3) Abstinence-only
- just say no
4) Abstinence-only-until-marriage
- just say no until marraige