The Sexual Self Flashcards
Being related, connected, kinship, a state of affairs existing between those having relations or dealings (Merriam-Webster dictionary)
Relationships
Being comfortable with another person and necessary for a close relationship to develop
Research shows that people like to associate with others who share with them the same attitudes, behavior patterns, personal characteristics, taste in fashion to clothes, intelligence personality, and the like
Familiarity
Leads to deeper relationships
Social psychologists have traditionally used the term attraction to refer to the affinity that draws together friends and romantic partners
Attraction
An intense feeling of deep or constant affection and emotion in which a person always sees to the good, happiness, and welfare of the other
The word love can refer to a variety of different feelings, states, and attitudes, ranging from generic pleasure (“I loved that meal”) to intense interpersonal attraction (“I love my partner”). This diversity of uses and meanings, combined with the complexity of the feelings involved, makes the concept of love unusually difficult to consistently define, even compared to other emotional states.
As an abstract concept, love usually refers to a deep, ineffable feeling of tenderly caring for another person. Even this limited conception of love, however, encompasses a wealth of different feelings, from the passionate desire and intimacy of romantic love to the nonsexual emotional closeness of familial and platonic love to the profound oneness or devotion of religious love.
Love in its various forms acts as a major facilitator of interpersonal relationships and, owing to its central psychological importance, is one of the most common themes in the creative arts.
Love
Triangular theory of love - Psychologist Robert Sternberg (1985) postulated that love is made up of three components:
Intimacy, Passion, Commitment
which involves feelings of warmth, closeness, and sharing of the relationship
Intimacy
which involves feelings and desires that lead to physical attraction, romance, and sexual consummation
Passion
cognitive appraisal of the relationship and the intent to maintain it even in the face of problems
Commitment
Defined as an individual’s evaluation of his or her own sexual feelings and actions.
refers to the totality of oneself as a sexual being, including positive and negative concepts and feelings.
Sexual Self – Concept
Refers to the ways by which humans experience and express themselves as sexual beings.
Maleness or femaleness, capacity to experience sexual pleasure, identification of our selves in view of biological sexual characteristics—these are only among the basic components of sexuality.
Sexuality
PHYSIOLOGY OF HUMAN SEXUAL RESPONSE:
Excitement phase, Plateau stage, Sexual climax, and Resolution phase
Stage of arousal; increased pulse and blood pressure
Excitement phase
stimulation is maintained
Plateau stage
marked by abrupt, intense, pleasure, rapid increase in pulse rate and blood pressure, muscle spasms
Sexual climax
return to the normal or subnormal physiologic state.
Resolution phase
the cyclical bleeding that stems from the shedding of the uterine lining that is regulated by estrogen & progesterone;
The first few years of menstruation may be anovulatory (no ovulation); and during the years that menstruation occurs, ovulation does not happen all the time
Menstruation
First menstruation is called the
Menarche
the cessation of menstruation
commonly occurs between the ages of 45 & 50 and lasts 2 years
estrogen levels drop producing many unpleasant side effects (ex. night sweats, hot flashes)
- When menstruation no longer occurs.
Menopause
mild to severe pain or discomfort during menstruation
pelvic cramps, nausea, headaches, backaches, bloating
Dysmenorrhea
symptoms that regularly afflict many women during the four to six days prior to menstruation each month
combination physical & psychological ex. anxiety, depression, irritability, weight gain, abdominal pain
Premenstrual syndrome (pms)
the enlargement and stiffening of the penis as a consequence of filling with blood (a spinal reflex)
can double in length and become firm in a matter of 10-15 seconds
bladder closes off during arousal
Erection
expulsion of semen from tip of penis
a spinal reflex triggered when sexual stimulation reaches the threshold
often, but not always, occurs together with orgasm (subjective sensations)
Ejaculation
a substance that arouses or increases one’s capacity for sexual pleasure
no foods have been shown to be sexually stimulating
basic fuel of desire = testosterone
Aphrodisiac
chemical substances
secreted externally which are odorless
detected through a “sixth sense” triggering sexual behavior in many organisms
contained in vaginal secretions & urine
Pheromones
sexual self-stimulation either manual or with the aid of an artificial device such as a vibrator
physically & psychologically harmless
negative attitudes may be associated
reasons: relieve sexual tension, for physical pleasure, to relax, partner unavailable, to get to sleep
Masturbation
Defined by reproductive organs and chromosomes.
Refers to physical or physiological differences between males and females, including the primary sex characteristics (the reproductive system) and secondary sex characteristics (height and muscularity)
As a verb, any activity that induces sexual arousal.
Sex
How a person chooses or describes their sexuality.
Sexual identity
____ brings about physical changes as a result of sexual maturity through the signals sent by the brain to the gonads or sex glands.
biological characteristic based on the female chromosome (XX) and male chromosome (XY)
Sex
Most women hit the highest point of their reproductive abilities in their ______ and ends at menopause
late 20s
There is no counterpart of menopause in men. Although testosterone production declines as men age, their reproductive capability continues into ______
80s and beyond
Are infections transmitted from an infected person to an uninfected person through sexual contact
Can be caused by either bacteria, viruses, or parasites.
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Methods of contraception
Natural method and artificial method
Does not involve any chemical or foreign body introduction into the human body
Natural method
Use of chemeicals or devices to prevent conception
Artificial method
refraining from sexual intercourse
Abstinence
(also known as Rhythm method) = withholding coitus during the days the woman is fertile
Calendar Method
bserving the woman’s body temperature as an indication of her fertility
Basal Body Temperature (BBT
observing the woman’s cervical mucus during ovulation – if mucus is copious and watery, the woman is fertile and therefore must avoid coitus
Cervical mucus method
combination of BBT and Cervical mucus method
Symptothermal Method
uses an over-the-counter kit; requires a sample of the urine of the woman to determine ovulation.
Ovulation detection
the man withdraws at the moment of ejaculation
Coitus interruptus
decreases the permeability of the cervical mucus to limit the sperm’s access to the ova
Oral contraceptives
contains estrogen and progesterone
Transdermal patch
releases a combination of estrogen and progesterone
Vaginal ring
implants inserted under the skin of the female during her menses to prevent her from getting pregnant.
Subdermal implants
T-shaped object containing progesterone inserted into the uterus
Intrauterine device (IUD)
later rubber sheath that prevents fertilization, available for males and females
Condoms
Vasectomy for males (vas deferens is cut or cauterized to prevent passage of the sperm); Ligation for females (fallopian tube is cut or cauterized to prevent passage of both sperm and the ova)
Surgical methods
Defined as any activity – solitary, between two persons, or in a group – that induces sexual arousal (Gebhard, P.H. 2017).
HUMAN SEXUAL BEHAVIOR
2 Factors that determine human sexual behavior
The inherited sexual response patterns that have evolved as means of ensuring reproduction; part of each individual’s generic inheritance
The degree of restraint or other types of influence exerted on the individual by society in the expression of his sexuality
Self-gratification
Begins at or before puberty; more common in males than in females
The challenge is to develop self-control in order to develop balanced suppression and free expression
Solitary behavior
Divided into heterosexual (male with female), homosexual behavior (male with male, female with female, and simultaneous heterosexual and homosexual activity (3 or more individuals)
Also called sexual identity
Sociosexual behavior
sociological concept pertaining to the femininity or masculinity of the individual
Gender
Describes how someone prefers to express his or her gender.
Gender expression
3 gender variations
Cisgender, transgender, gender fluid
The extent to which one identifies as being either masculine or feminine or how someone feels on the inside
Gender identity
