Sexuality Flashcards
Exploring Adolescent Sexuality
Adolescent sexuality becomes the essence of life for young people through fantasy, exploration, and identity development.
Sexuality represents an integral component of all the domains of adolescent development.
Sexual Scripts
A stereotyped pattern of role prescriptions.
Females and males have been socialised to follow different sexual scripts.
The following sexual scripts have been reported:Sex Drive:
Men are always ready for sex, women inhibit their sexual expression.
Physical and Emotional Sex:
Men have physical approach to sex, women have an emotional / relational approach to sex.
Sexual Performance:
Men and women should both be sexually skilled and knowledge. One new aspect of this script for women was agreement that women should especially have oral sex skills.
Initiation and Gateway Scripts:
Men initiate sex (most meant and some women agreed with this script). Women are gatekeepers (most men and women agreed that women set the sexual limits).
Sexual Evaluation:
Single women who appear sexual are judged negatively. Men are rewarded for being sexual. However there was a negative judgement of men who come across as too sexual and too often engage in casual sex, especially wiht different women.
Sexual Minority
Individuals who self identify as lesbian, gay, or bi-sexual.
Bisexual
Refers to someone who is attracted to people of both sexes.
Factors Associated with Sexual Minority Behaviour
The results of hormones studies have been inconsistent in their relationship to same sex behaviour.
If same sex attracted males are given androgens, their same sex attraction does not change, they merely become more sexually active.
Critical periods may influence same sex attraction.
The critical period hypothesis postulates that the amount of female hormones introduced to the foetus during the first second to fifth month might cause the baby to be attached to males, whether they are male or female.
Genes are likely to play a role, however they are not the only factor.
The classification of same sex minority status, is most likely a reflection of genetic, hormonal, cognitive, and environmental factors.
The weight of each factor might vary from one individual to the next.
Homophobia
Having irrational negative feelings against individuals who have same sex attractions, and those who are bisexual.
Stigmatisation and homophobia can lead to self-devaluation.One form of this is called passing
The hiding of ones real social identity.
Adolescent Pregnancy
Occurs in a variety of ethnic groups and places around the world.
The issues that young mothers deal with and the stress appear to be apparent across all walk of life.
Stigma
Lack of resources for parents and child.
Inability to cope.
Potential social isolation.
Trends show a decline in teenage pregnancy. Rather than a decrease in sexual activity, it has been suggested that such a drop in pregnancy rates might be explained by a greater awareness of sexually transmitted diseases in young people, education, and greater access to contraception and abortion.
Abortion
Young mothers have a higher complication rate during pregnancy and delivery due to biological and emotional immaturity.
Low birth weights.
Neurological problems.
Infant mortality.
In additions:
School drop out factors.
Social isolation.
Poor job prospects.
Financial stress.
Adolescent girls are more likely to delay the decision to have an abortion until after 15 weeks when the risks and complications increase.
Parental consent has been justified in many cases.
The high birth rate among adolescent girls is not necessarily causations. Many come from low SES backgrounds. It may not be therefore the experience of the baby itself with causes problems.
Many were poor students before they became pregnant.
Not all teenage mothers with have problems, be poorly educated, and struggle.
Adolescents as Parents
The children of adolescents are themselves subject to a number of setbacks.
Sexually Transmitted Infections
Are infections that are contracted primarily through sexual contact.
AIDS
Stands for acquired immune deficiency syndrome, a sexually transmitted infection that is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which destroys he body’s immune system. A vulnerability to germs that a normal immune system could destroy.
Genital Herpes
Is a sexually transmitted infection caused by a large family of viruses with many different strains, some of which produce nonsexually transmitted diseases such as cold sores, chicken pox, and mononucleosis.
Genital Warts
Are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), which is difficult to test for and does not always produce symptoms but is very contagious.
Linked to cervical cancer and other genital cancers.
Gonorrhea
Is an STI that is commonly called the drip or the clap. It is caused by a bacterium called Neisseria gonorrhoea, who thrives in the moist mucous membranes lining the mouth, throat, vagina, cervix, urethra, and anal tract. Infection is spread through contract of one infected membrane and contact with a non infected membrane of another.
Most likely to become more visible early on in males with a discharge from the penis and burning during urination.
Linked to many complications.
Syphillis
Is an STI caused by bacterium Treponema pallidum, a member of the spirochaete family.
The spirochete needs a nice warm, moist environment to survive, and it is transmitted by penile-vaginal, oral-genital, or anal contact. Also to a foetus after the fourth month of pregnancy.
Severe if left untreated, can lead to death.
Treated with penicillin.
Sexting Among Adolescents
Sexting uses a mobile phone
