sexuality and theoretical perspectives Flashcards
definition of health
- physical, emotional, mental and social
- not just absence of disease, dysfunction, or illness
- requires positive approach
- pleasurable and safe sexual experiences
- free of coercion, discrimination, and violence
- sexual rights respected
sex
our genetic and/or biological femaleness, maleness, or intersex
gender
psychological and socio-cutura characteristics associated with sex
sexual behaviour/activity
behaviour or activity defines as sexual by individuals or groups
determinants of sexuality (5)
religion, culture, media, research, science/medicine
influences : religion
- difference religions hold difference understandings
- within religion there is variation on how sex s regarded and regulated
influences: science
- occurs with historical/social contexts
- 20th century held massive surveys on sexual behaviours
influences : the media
- cultivation (creating a mainstream)
- agenda setting ( determining value)
- social learning (providing role models)
- internet and tv
ethnocentrism
- influences our understanding of human sexual behaviour
- the notion that one’s own cultural values, norms, behaviours are ‘right’ or superior to others
incest taboos
- regulation prohibiting sexual interaction between blood relatives
- universal norms
culture
teaches traditional values and ideas
cross-cultural sexuality
incest taboos, sexual techniques, masturbation, pre & extra dyadic sex, same gender sexual orientation, attractiveness
masturbation
- found among many species of mammals
same sex behaviour
- also same-gender behaviour
- found in many species (mammals)
sexual signalling
- found in other species
instinctively controlled sexually behaviour
- more controlled among lower species & controlled by the brain in higher species
- human behaviour more brain controlled
define sexual health
- state of physical, emotional, mental and social well-being related to sexuality
sexual rights
- promoted by Health Canada
- the right to reproductive self-determination and sexual self-expression and freedom from sexual abuse and violence
theory
a coherent group of tested general propositions, a proposed explanation commonly regarded as correct
theories of sexuality attempt to explain
- sexual desire,
- subjective sexual experience,
- avoidance or inhibitions
- diversity of stimuli and intensity of sexual response
- orientation and behaviour
socio- biological theories
- applies evolutionary biology to sexual behaviour
- evolution occurs via natural selection
- sexual selection results from perceived reproduction potential/success
- sexual selection results from different traits affecting access
sexual selection
- typically defined as male competition and female preference
evolutionary psychology
- focuses on the psychological mechanisms shaped by natural selection rather than simply focusing on behaviour
sexual strategies
- females and males face difference adaptive problems in short and long-term sexual relationships
critiques of socio-biology
- biological deterministic
- assumes every sexual characteristic must have some adaptive significance
- focused on individuals
- central function of sex is reproduction
- does not explain same-sex behaviour
Freud’s libido theory - psychosexual
sexual drive is outside the realm of consciousness and is generated within the body and propels itself toward discharge
libido
‘the force by which the sexual instinct is represented in the mind’
id
present at birth and operates on the pleasure principle
ego
the rational part of the self which operates on the reality principle
superego
the conscience which operates on idealism
stages of psychosexual development
- oral, anal, phallic, oedipal, latent, genital
- each stage connected to a stage of biological development
- disturbances during any stage may result in adult challenges
critiques of freud
- male bias - womens seual maturity tied to vaginal orgasm
- is libido really an innate drive or instinct
- implies behaviour to be instinctual
- sexual drive might be instinctual but the route to satisfy it is learned
what is near-psychoanalysis
makes is possible to test some aspects of psychoanalytic theory
learning theories
classical conditioning, operant conditioning
classical conditioning
sexual behaviour is learned through pairing stimulus with response
operant conditioning
sexual behaviour is learned through reward and punishment
- timing of punishment is important
social learning theories
- based on operation conditioning, imitation and identification; explains self-efficacy and acquisition of gender role and identity
- once behaviour is learned, people must develop self-efficacy for it to continue
social exchange theory
- people choose actions that maximize rewards and minimize costs
- there are perceived comparison levels of outcomes, equity and sexual rewards and costs
- influence satisfaction, stability and changes in relationships
schema
a general knowledge framework about a particular topic
gender schema theory
a set of attributes that we associate with males and females
- predisposes us to process information on the basis of gender
3 sociological perspectives
- every society regulates the sexuality of its members
- basic institutions of society affect the rules governing sexuality in that society
- the in/appropriateness of a particular sexual behaviour depends on the culture in which is occurs
social institutions
- religion (procreational- shapes norms)
- economics (effects patterns of behaviour)
- family (relational- socializes children)
- medicine (therapeutic - defines sexual and reproductive health and disease)
- laws (determine norms and use social controls)
sexual scripts
describe sexual etiquette and the appropriate sequence and conventionality of sexual behaviour
reiss’ sociological theory
- sexuality is associated with pleasure
- sexual interactions are associated with personal self-disclosure of body, thoughts and feelings
