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
Abstinence programs are now referred to as what?
“Risk Avoidance Programs”
When should sex education start in schools?
Starts in kindergarten; good/bad touch, proper communication, reduce spreading disease, proper hygiene
What do you believe are characteristics of an effective sexuality educator?
knowledgeable, openminded, comfortable, inclusive
What are some barriers to teaching sexuality education?
lack of knowledge, lack of administrative support (not a problem for her study), Parent perception, fear of unemployment, moral issues
Kim Davis
Gained international attention in August 2015, when she defied US federal court order to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples & went to jail (refused to issue them a license)
Arkansas is #1 in what?
teen births each year
Characteristics of effective sexuality education programs
inclusivity, focus on reducing risky behaviors, basis in proven theoretical approaches, provide accurate information, addresses social pressures, help participants personalize course content
Themes of effective sexuality education programs
- sexual health decisions impact overall health
- HIV/STIs & unintended pregnancies = public health issues
- consensual sexual behavior is a continuum of choices
- Sex ed is a mental, social & psychological wellbeing
- Sex ed is about age-appropriate, accurate knowledge & skills that can help our children grow into responsible community members
Key sexuality-related issues during adolescence
unplanned pregnancies, STIs, sexual abuse, date rape, negative emotional consequences of premature sexual behaviors
Life behaviors of a sexually healthy adult
- Appreciate body
- seek further information
- Affirm human development includes sexual development
- interact with all genders respectfully
- Affirm one’s own sexual orientation & respect others
- Affirm one’s own gender & respect others
-express love & intimacy in appropriate ways - Develop & maintain meaningful relationships
- Avoid exploitative or manipulative relationships
- make informed choices about family options
- exhibit skills that enhance personal relationships
- identify & live according to one’s own values
- take responsibility for one’s own behavior
- practice effective decision-making
- develop critical thinking skills
- communicate effectively
- enjoy & express one’s sexuality throughout life
- express one’s sexuality in congruence with one’s values
- enjoy sexual feelings without necessarily acting on them
Associated factors that the research literature identifies as antecedents of risky sexual behavior & pregnancy
- race & ethnicity
- socioeconomic status
- social influence
- attitudes towards contraception, condoms & pregnancy
- safer sex behavioral skills
Sexual abuse of children
- psychological exploitation or infliction of unwanted sexual contact on one person
- occurs in all types of homes
- occurs hundreds of times per day in US
- real prevalence unknown
- females more at risk
- men perpetrate most sexual abuse & sex crimes
Sexual harassment
- unwanted sexual behavior that interferes with the student’s life
- statistics vary by study, but sexual harassment is part of everyday life in middle & high schools
- girls more likely than boys to be sexually harassed
- impacts
Common bond between friendship & love
- nurturance
- enhancement of personal well-being
- mutual regard
- mutual trust
- security
Theories about love
Greek philosophers: Eros, agape, storge, ludus & mania
Types of love: Sternberg’s types (phases) of love
Nonlove, liking, infatuation, empty love, romantic love, companionate love, fatuous love, consummate love
Characteristics of romantic love
Romantic love does not necessarily fade over time
- marital satisfaction, mental health & overall well-being
Hormonal and chemical aspects of love
- pheromones and endorphins
- parts of the brain respond strongly when people are around those they love romantically
Love problems
rejection, jealousy, and falling out of love
What causes attraction?
- someone with same sociocultural background
- similar race/ethnicity, religion, age, and social class
- desirable traits in a partner
Picking partners
proximity
similarities
reciprocity
attraction
Everyone has a _ , a primary way of expressing & interpreting love
“love language”
People are usually drawn to those who speak what?
a different love language than their own
Love languages
five key categories proved to be universal & we all identify primarily with one
Words of affirmation
actions don’t always speak louder than words. If this is your love language, unsolicited compliments mean the world to you. Hearing the words, “I love you,” are important - hearing the reasons behind that love even better. Insults are extremely painful and not easily forgotten
Quality time
to you, nothing says “I love you” like full, undivided attention. Really being there for you is critical, w/ the TV off, & all chores and tasks on standby - makes you feel truly special and loved. Distractions, postponed dates, or the failure to listen can be especially hurtful
Receiving Gifts
This is NOT materialism; the receiver of gifts thrives on the love, thoughtfulness, and effort behind the gift. The perfect gift or gesture shows that you are known, you are cared for, and you are prized above whatever was sacrificed to bring the gift to you. A missed birthday, anniversary, or a hasty, thoughtless gift would be disastrous - so would the absence of everyday gestures
Acts of service
can vacuuming the floors really be an expression of love? Absolutely! anything you do to ease the burden of responsibilities weighing on an “Acts of Service” person will speak volumes. The words he or she most want to hear: “let me do that for you”. Laziness, broken commitments, and making more work for them tell speakers of this language their feelings don’t matter
Physical touch
you want hugs, pats on the back, hand holding, & thoughtful touches on the arm, shoulder or face - they can all be ways to show excitement, concern, care, and love. Physical presence and accessibility are crucial, while physical neglect can be unforgivable and destructive. This language isn’t all about the bedroom.
How can you and your partner benefit from love language?
The secret to making the other person feel loved is learning to do or say what’s appropriate based on the language that speaks to them
what plays a significant role in many different dimensions of health?
Intimate relationships
- Families: ability to sustain genuine intimacy is largely developed in the family origin
- Friendships
- Significant others
Forming intimate relationships
- behavioral interdependence: mutual impact
- Need fulfillment: social approval & reassurance
- Emotional attachment: feelings of love
- Emotional availability: ability to give & receive
- Accountability: accepting responsibility for personal decisions, choices, actions
- Self-nurturance: developing individual potential through a balanced and realistic appreciation of self-worth & ability; love yourself
The components of love: Ten signs of intimacy
- wanting to promote your partner’s welfare
- feeling happiness with your partner
- holding your partner in high regard
- being able to count on your partner in time of need
- being able to understand each other
- sharing yourself and your possessions with your partner
- receiving emotional support from your partner
- giving emotional support to your partner
- being able to communicate with your partner about intimate things
- Valuing partner’s presence in your life
Sternberg’s triangular theory of love
intimacy, passion, commitment - each can be enhanced or diminished over course of relationship
- affects quality
- each combination produces different type of love
Fatuous love
this is commitment and passion. You can parallel this type to Hollywood romances. You are committed for a short period of time with a lot of passion but it quickly turns to nothing. : Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries
- hollywood love
Romantic love
Romeo and Juliet or youthful relationships without longer term commitment
- intimacy + passion
Companionate love
older relationships with lots of history but little passion
- intimacy + commitment
Types of love
- liking (intimacy only)
- Infatuations (passion only)
- Empty love (commitment only)
- Romantic love (intimacy & passion)
- Companionate (intimacy & commitment)
- Fatuous love (passion & commitment)
- Consummate love (intimacy, passion & commitment)
- Non-love: attachment for other reasons
Liking (intimacy only)
Forms the basis of close friendships but is not passionate or committed
-Enduring friendships
Infatuation (passion only)
“Love at first sight.” Idealizes object of love
- Rarely see the real person
- Sudden passion
- High degree of physical and emotional arousal
- Obsessive, all consuming
- Person no time or energy for anything but other person
- Not reciprocal
- Distressing
Romantic Love (intimacy & passion)
Similar to liking except more intense b/c physical and emotional attraction
- May be immediate
- May begin with friendship that develops into passion or passion develops into intimacy
- Commitment not essential but may develop
Companionate (Intimacy and Commitment)
Essential to committed friendship
- Can begin as romantic love but as passion decreases and intimacy increases, it turns companionate
- Some satisfied, some not
- Extra-relational partners (cheating, affairs)
- May end relationship
Fatuous Love (passion and commitment)
Begins quickly (whirlwind), often cohabitation/marriage
- Passion fades all that is left is commitment
Consummate Love (intimacy, passion & commitment)
Ideal
- May be hard to sustain over time
- All components must be attended to
Empty love (commitment only)
Lacks passion and intimacy
- Staying together for children
Non-love
Attachment for other reasons
- Financial
- Fear
- Fulfillment of neurotic needs
What is most variable in love?
passion
Styles of Love-Lee
Eros: love of beauty
Ludus: playful love
Storge: companionate love
Pragma: practical love
Mania: obsessive love
Agape: altruistic love
Eros
love of beauty
Ludus
playful love
Storge
companionate love
Pragma
practical love
Mania
obsessive love
Agape
altruistic love
Reasons why relationships end
Illness, Finances, Ineffective communication, Isolation (overdependence), Lying, cheating, failing to keep promises, Child-rearing, Power imbalance, Excessive jealousy, Control issues, Violence , Low self-esteem, insecurity, or lack of self-confidence, Unmet expectations, Lack of self-knowledge, Sex
Relationship Barriers
- Dysfunctional families: inhibits psychological growth and/or self-love
- Jealousy in relationships: One of the most frequent causes cited for break-ups in college
- Breakdown in communication
Triangle of relations; Jealousy (green-eyed monster)
- generally involves a third person, but not always (team, club, time = other examples)
- involve: the beloved, the jealous, the rival
Four criteria needed to be satisfied for the emotion of jealousy to be obtained:
1) Triangle of relations (3 people)
2) Relationship between the beloved and the jealous must be valued as a close relationship
3) Triggered by real or perceived loss of this relationship to a rival
4) The jealous feels loss of attention from beloved to a rival
Romantic jealousy
Often rooted in past relationships in which the individual experienced deception and loss
Jealousy increases what?
- Overdependence on the relationship
- High value placed on sexual exclusivity
- Severity of the threat
- Low self-esteem
- Fear of losing control
People experience greater jealousy when what?
- comparing themselves with an attractive rival in terms of similarities
- comparing themselves with an unattractive rival in terms of weaknesses
Jealousy does not prove the existence of what?
love
Jealousy and love are not necessarily what?
companions
Jealousy is what?
painful
Jealousy can _ or _ a relationship?
destroy or cement
Jealousy is linked to what?
violence
Jealousy
- Aversive response to a real or imagined involvement with a third person
- Painful experience
- Absence may indicate relationship problems
- Occurs where there are commitments in a relationship
- Men and women differ in reported attempts to make their partner jealous
How to control your jealousy
- Receiving in: Don’t enable behavior
- Jealous person: work on it
How to break up with someone you care about
Do it in person, unless they are abusive; Be careful and conscientious; think about how you’d like to be broken up with & don’t do it sporadically and multiple times
What are some healthy ways to cope after break-ups?
- Cut off contact for 30 days
- Avoid ex’s social media (& subtweeting, please)
- Journal
- Get outside
- Exercise
- Try something new (& healthy)
- Learn from it
- Keep. Yourself. Busy.
Coping with failed relationships
- Recognize and acknowledge your feelings
- Find healthful ways to express your emotions
- Spend time with friends, both old and new
- Don’t rush into a “rebound” relationship
Casual sex
- young adult sex outside of marriage is now the norm
- values in America have shifted
What has caused the casual sex shift in America?
- contraception & abortion
- redefined gender roles
- alterations in demographics
Men separate sex and love _ than women?
more
Women value _ in the context of a relationship
sex
The singles world
- Ages 25-40
- Emphasize recreation and entertainment
- Challenge to meet potential partners
- Sexual experimentation
- Ethnic and religion expectations can pose special challenges
- Widespread acceptance of cohabitation
Stealthing
willful removal of a condom without the consent of the sexual partner
Stealthing is sexual assault, why?
person consented to sex with protection, but did not consent to sex without protection
Cohabitation
the situation in which people who live together and share a sexual relationship are not married.
Cohabitation: advantages
- financial
- egalitarian roles
- affirmation of relationship
- domestic partner benefits
Cohabitation: disadvantages
- Parental non-acceptance
- Financial issues tied to parental support or credit
- Extra relational sex
- Increased likelihood of divorce after marriage
- Unmarried couples may experience discrimination
- Increased pressure from friends and family to marry
Sexuality in established relationships
Reduces with age
- early couples: 3 times a week
- couples in 50’s: 1 time a week
Attraction of marriage
1) Companionship
2) Emotional security
3) Sexual outlet
4) Improve your self-esteem
5) Financial security
6) Legitimize reproduction
Types of marriage
- Common-law marriage
- Nuclear family
- Peer marriage
- Stepfamily or blended family
Sexual behavior in marriage
Both men and women tend to believe that sexual activity is integral to a good marriage.
what influences divorce rates?
Education level & age married
- lower rates among those with high education levels who marry later in life
Reasons for increase in divorce?
1) women have greater economic independence
2) decrease stigma attached to divorce
3) decrease toxicity
4) easier to get divorced
Reasons for decrease in divorce among millennials?
1) age of first marriage is later in life; avg. W:27 & M:29
2) education level
Consequences of divorce
- Stigmatization
- Change of income
- Higher incidence of physical and emotional problems
- Significantly more problems with children
- Children of one parent families may have special issues
- Other
Nuclear family
husband, wife & biological children
Stepparent family
one biological parent plus one stepparent
blended family
parents plus children born to several families
Cohabitation before marriage increases what?
the risk of divorce
- unless couple already has plans of marriage together
Asexuality
- Lack of sexual attraction to others, or low or absent interest in or desire for sexual activity
- 1% of population
Celibacy
- A purposeful choice to remain abstinent
- 4% men and 14% women
Divorce most common in what year of marriage?
4th
Intimate love
Each person knows they can count on the other
Commitment
Based on conscious choices rather than transitory feelings
Caring
Involves making another person’s needs as important as your own
Self-disclosure
Revealing ourselves—our hopes, our fears, our everyday thoughts to deepen understanding and intimacy
Stereotypes of aging
- Thought of as a lonely and depressing time
- Sexuality of older Americans tends to be invisible
- Sexuality is defined by activities of younger participants
- Emotional, sensual, and relational aspects is not readily recognized
Male climacteric
“male menopause” or time during which men may experience midlife crisis (age 40-60)
Menopause
the time when a woman’s menstrual cycle ceases; usually between 40 & 50 years
Women’s issues
- Change in fertility
- Menstruation loss
- Menopausal symptoms
– Hot flashes
– Loss of bone mass (can lead to osteoporosis)
– Changes in vagina
Sexuality in early adulthood: developmental concerns
Developmental concerns
- Establishing sexual orientation
- Integrating love and sex
- Forging intimacy and making commitments
- Making fertility/childbearing decisions
- Practicing safer sex to protect against STIs
- Evolving a sexual philosophy
Sexuality in adulthood: developmental concerns
- Mature sexual expression
- Sexual orientation is typically determined
- Integrate sexuality and relationships
- Establish personal sexual philosophy
- Changes occur as we age
- Health issues change
Sexuality in Middle adulthood: developmental concerns
- Redefining sex in marital or other long-term relationships
- Reevaluating one’s sexuality
- Accepting the biological aging process
Sexuality in late adulthood: developmental concerns
- Biological changes
– Changing with physical abilities
– Changes in sexual response - Availability of a partner
– Spousal loss
– Monotony
-Psychological influences
