Psych Unit 10 Flashcards
Never Married
People who intend to marry someday and those who have decided to remain single
- Among 30-34, 43% of men and 38% of women are never married
- By age 40, 24% of men and 19% of women are never married
Single-Hood
After college: new ways to meet people given that you don’t have the same structure (no classes, activities, co-housing with large groups of people who are around the same age)
- People go to bars, join activities, and use dating apps to try to meet potential partners
Cohabitation
When people are living together long-term but not married
- 42% of people aged 25-29 have cohabitated once or more
- 60% of cohabitaters marry
Cohabitation effect: cohabitation predicts a higher divorce rate in marriage
- This is because some people go through these stages of life because they think it’s normative (they might not think about what marriage means and what they want in a partner)
- Also, some research has reported that it may leave you in an uncertain commitment → negative feelings toward the other person
- Cohabitating after engagement doesn’t predict a higher divorce rate
**there may be other effects that contribute to divorce
Married
Most adults in the US get married
- Increase in average age of first marriage
- 28 for women
- 30 for men
- Less pressure for people to get married earlier on now
94% of Americans, age 54 or younger are married or have been married (data only on straight people)
*The frequency of marital sex has remained the same since the Kinsey Report
- People still have sex about 1x per week in old couples
- Happens because people are busy, physical health, people become less interested in having sex with their partner (gets boring)
Sexual Satisfaction
an important predictor for marital satisfaction
- We have to take into account how much they’re having sex and how sexually satisfied they are
- 51% of married men and 40% of married women said they were very satisfied physically
- 48% of the husbands and 42% of the wives said they were extremely satisfied emotionally
*the combination of physical and emotional satisfaction are related
Parenthood and Relationship Satisfaction:
They experience high relationship satisfaction before they have kids, and then it drops
- Once kids get to school age, the relationship satisfaction increases a lot, especially when kids leave for college
Factors that contribute to this decline:
- Kids need a lot of care, parents are really tired, caring for a kid is stressful
- Financial burdens, restrictions of freedom, no sleep, balancing work and being a parent
Nonconsensual Nonmonogomy
21% of married men, 13% of married women engage in extramarital sex (men 2x more likely to do this than women)
8 common motives: Sexual desire, anger, lack of love, feeling neglected, lack of self-esteem
Also, sense of power (people with more of a sense of power were more likely to cheat on their partners - presidents, politicians?)
In the US, 76% of Americans believe extramarital sex is always wrong
*most cultures disaprove of extramarital sex
Equity Theory and Extramarital Sex
The theory argues that people in relationships calculate the costs and benefits for themselves in their relationships
- People will feel that it is inequitable if they feel they’re putting more into the relationship than what they are getting out
- If people feel inequity, they will try to restore equity (one way might be to cheat)
Consensual Nonmonogomy
Includes swinging, open relationships, polyamory
- Outcomes for monogamous and consensually nonmonogomous relationships tend to be the same
- Despite stigma, heterosexuals in consensual, open relationships report high levels of satisfaction and trust
- Also low levels of jealousy
Sex and Seniors
Testosterone gradually lowers as males age
- Estrogen lowers for females (usually during menopause)
**HIV and STIs are increasing in seniors
Climacteric period of Menopause
Climacteric period: gradual biological changes in women 45-60
- Can last a while (up to 20 years)
ovaries age:
- Leads to a decline in the production of sex hormones (estrogen and progesterone)
- Decline in egg production
- Decline in testosterone production
Menopause
Monopause: cessation of menstruation (age 50-52)
phsyical symptoms:
- Hot flashes
- Osteoporosis (brittle bones)
- Not all women experience symptoms
- Vagina becomes less elastic, less lubrication (Because of low estrogen)
No evidence of increased depression from menopause
Approaches to treating Menopause:
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
- Combined estrogen and progesterone or just estrogen
- Controversial and has health risks for some people
**The current recommendation is to use the lowest levels of hormones and the shortest time for the treatment
Medicalization = when people think that discomfort or uncomfortable symptoms need to seek treatment
Male Menopause
Andropause – men enter the phase where their testosterone levels start to decline
- Older men tend to experience slower erections but can control them more
- Produce less ejaculation and less force
Viagra – medicine (medicalization of male menopause)
Low T industry has emerged (giving men treatment for low testosterone)
- Not FDA approved
Is low testosterone a medical problem or a normal part of aging?
- Another example of medicalization
Sex and Seniors: men
men: 75-80
- we have negative views on aging in the US
- Older people still have sex: men
- 40% of men had sexual thoughts frequently
- 30% masturbated (last 12 months)
- 45% intercourse (last 12 months)
Sex and Seniors: women
75-80 - lack sexual partner
- Socialized to take care of ourselves more
- They may be widowed
- Men tend to prefer a younger partner
- 10% had frequent sexual thoughts
- 18% masturbated (last year)
- 20% had intercourse (last year)
Serial Monogomy
Serial monogomy = they are involved in 2 or more sexual relationships prior to marriage
Virginity
Can be predicted using the textbook’s wave theory
- Male virginity was more likely among Asian people
- Female virginity was predicted by being overweight, low test scores, attending religious services frequently
2 Reasons why People Stay Single
1) Either they have an insecure attachment style and have a hard time forming romantic relationships
2) Or, they have a secure attachment style and choose to remain single
Sex Frequency
Married women are more likely to have frequent sex than single women
Single men are more likely to have frequent sex than married men
Cohabitating couples have sex more often than married couples on average
Incels
Incels: heterosexual man who is celibate not by choice
- He wants to have sex with a woman but can’t find a partner
- They don’t like alpha men (men who have attractive female partners)
- They blame their situation on women and feminists
Incel movement – they can turn violent
Serial Cohabitation
Serial cohabitation = cohabitating with a sequence of people and not marrying any of them
Marital Sexuality
Recently, remarriage rates have declines but cohabitating after divorce has increased (people are more likely to cohabitate after divorce than to get remarried)
Satisfaction with Marital Sex
2 parts:
1) Satisfaction with sexual activity
2) Emotional satisfaction
- Low frequency of sexual activity could lead to divorce
