Week 1 Flashcards
Describe each of the 3 dimensions of human sexuality, giving examples of each influencing factor.
Biological: The biological dimension of our sexuality involves our physical appearance, especially the development of physical sexual characteristics; our responses to sexual stimulation; our ability to reproduce or to control fertility; and our growth and development in general. Examples: Sex Genetics Reproduction Fertility control Sexual arousal and response Physiological cycles and changes Physical appearance Growth and development
Sociocultural: The socio- cultural dimension of sexuality is the sum of the cultural and social influences that affect our thoughts and actions. Examples: • Socioeconomic status Laws Religion Culture Ethnic heritage Media and ad information Family, neighbors, and friends Ethics
Psychological: The psychological dimension centers on factors that influence our sense of being, thought processes and beliefs, both innate and acquired. Examples: Emotions Experience Self-concept Motivation Expressiveness Learned attitudes and behaviors Body image
Trace the historical aspects of human sexuality, including the sexual revolution and the changing roles of sex and culture.
The sexual revolution can be traced to before the advent of the pill and the free love 60’s. Some say it can be traced to the early 20th century. Cultural intermingling, more widespread and faster transportation, helped change entrenched attitudes towards sex.
Before that, sexual expression was verboten. Religious influences suppressed all forms of sexual expression and behavior. Homosexuality was outlawed. Women’s sexual expression and pleasure was suppressed, especially in the middle ages (Witch Trials). 17th Century Puritans prohibited dancing, singing, theater, women wearing makeup and long hair, etc.
This carried on for most of the 18th and 19th centuries.
List some of the social changes the lead to the sexual revolution in particular.
Contraception. The Women’s Movement. Roe V Wade. Shifting sex/gender roles. Greater scientific knowledge of human biology and reproduction.
What are the guidelines for critical thinking?
- Keep an open mind; do not let your existing views blind you to information or new conclusions.
- Always ask “How?” as in “How was this evidence gathered?”
- Be skeptical; always wonder about why someone is making an argument, offering a conclusion, or trying to persuade you.
- Never be stampeded into accepting some view or position by your own emotions—or by arguments and appeals designed to play on your emotions.
- Never jump to conclusions; gather as much information as you can before making up your mind about any issue.
Identify reasons to support the study of human sexuality.
To acquire a sound foundation of sexual knowledge. The greater your knowledge, the more likely you are to take responsibility for your sexual health. Learning more about sexuality can often increase your sense of personal worth, or self-esteem. To clarify your personal sexual values and and gain greater understanding of them, where they come from as well as those of others. To improve your sexual decision-making skills. Sexual education can contribute to safer sexual behavior.
Describe the concepts in the decision-making process.
- Recognition.Only with the recognition of an issue can a decision be made. The best decision making requires defining the issue as precisely as possible.
- Evaluation.Gather relevant information, analyze the possible choices, and decide on the best alternative.
- Implementation.When a decision has been reached, the plan needs to be put into action.
- Review.After putting the decision into practice, there should be a periodic review. Are the desired results being achieved, or should another alternative be tried? Perhaps after making the decision, something new is learned about the issues that raises questions about the choice.
List the steps in the scientific method.
As we will explain, the scientific method involves the following steps:
Identifying a research question (which could be based on personal interest or experience, on social concerns, or on the interests of those funding the research, such as government agencies or private industry)
Reviewing the literature
Formulating a hypothesis (or two or more hypotheses)
Operationalizing variables
Collecting data
Analyzing the data to test the hypotheses
Compare and contrast the different methods of scientific research: survey, case studies, experimental research, direct observation, & focus groups; include advantages & disadvantages of each.
Survey - Much information about human sexuality has been obtained by surveys asking people about sexual attitudes and experiences. This kind of data can be obtained orally (face-to-face interviews) or in written form (pencil- and-paper questionnaires).
Pros: Researchers use surveys when information from a large number of people is desired.
Cons: Participants may misreport out of reluctance and/or misremembering. Can be expensive depending on the method used (face to face interview vs questionnaire).
Case studies are in-depth studies of individuals or small, select groups of individuals. Those under study are generally followed over a period of months or years. Case studies provide a chance to look at specific behaviors or characteristics in great depth. Also, because case studies generally cover a relatively long period, the researcher is able to explore cause-and-effect relationships in detail.
Pros: Provides opportunity for deeper analysis of behavior.
Cons: There is no way to use proper sampling techniques, making it difficult to generalize case-study results to the rest of the population. For instance, how do we know that sex offenders or those receiving treatment for sexual-response problems are like the rest of the population?
In an experiment, behavior can be studied under controlled conditions. A common experimental design is one in which two groups are matched and compared. The groups are identical but for one important difference— the experimental group is subjected to a particular event or condition, whereas the control group is not. Both groups are observed, and the results are compared to determine whether the experimental condition had an effect.
Pros: Allows control over variables thought to influence responses or behavior.
Cons: The somewhat artificial setting may influence behavior or response. Merely knowing you are in a study or being in a laboratory might alter your reaction.
Observation is a method in which subjects are watched in a laboratory, a class, a natural setting, or the workplace.
Pros: It can be an accurate way to collect sexual information—particularly if the researcher controls the setting. A prime example of observational research has been the human sexual-response research of Masters and Johnson.
Cons: The major drawback of direct observation is the required expenditure of time and money. In addition, people are likely to be reluctant to perform sexual activity in a laboratory where they are being observed. Difficult to generalize the data gathered since it is hard to determine if those who would participate represent the behaviors of those who would not. In addition, can the responses recorded in a lab be an accurate representation of what the participants experience in their every day lives?
A focus group is a form of research where a group of approximately 6 to 10 people are asked about their 90 feelings or attitudes toward a topic and then discuss related issues. For example, the participants might be asked what they think about equal rights for people with various sexual orientations.
Pros: Some experts believe they are valuable ways to get important information from a group of people in a relatively inexpensive way.
Cons: Other experts think they can be very time-consuming, the group cannot possibly be large enough to be a representative sample of the population, and the group can be unduly influenced by the researcher.
Discuss the ethical issues within sexuality research.
An ethical issue of particular concern is obtaining the informed consent of participants; subjects of research studies must agree in writing to participate after the purposes, risks, and benefits of the study have been explained to them. Consent is obtained to ensure that subjects both understand what the project entails and agree to undergo the experience as described. This requirement protects subjects against physical and psychological abuse by irresponsible researchers and protects researchers against claims that subjects were taken advantage of. Investigators are now required by law to obtain an individual’s consent to be subjected to the project as described; those testing minors must also obtain parental or guardian permission.
Participant privacy and confidentiality.
Additional ethical questions arise in studies of the sexual behaviors and attitudes of various racial groups. Some people argue that such research is important to better understanding of diverse feelings and practices. In contrast, others believe that describing sexual behaviors and attitudes according to racial groups contributes to stereotypical thinking.
Another interesting ethical issue arises from the ways that have been developed to measure physiological changes in the vagina or the penis due to sexual stimulation.
List the achievement(s) and relevance to sexuality of the following:
Richard von Krafft-Ebing:
Von Krafft-Ebing’s writings had a tremendous influence on many physicians as well as the public. Even though he seemed to be biased and made some false assumptions, his writings convinced some physicians and researchers that the study of sexuality was legitimate. This helped prepare the way for Ellis and Freud.
Henry Havelock Ellis:
Between 1896 and 1910 Ellis published a six-volume series entitled Studies in the Psychology of Sex, which included the following beliefs: 1. Masturbation is common for both sexes. 2. Orgasm in males and females is very much the same. 3. Homosexuality and heterosexuality are a matter of degree. 4. Women do have sexual desire, contrary to Victorian thought. 5. There is no one norm for human sexuality. Thoughts and acts vary among individuals and cultures. 6. There should be sexuality education for both sexes starting at early ages. 7. There should not be laws against contraception or private sexual behavior. It is clear that Ellis’s ideas were controversial and ahead of their time, particularly his support of sexuality education. In fact, some people today still have difficulty accepting his beliefs. Ellis’s work influenced the later pursuits of many sexuality researchers and writers.
Sigmund Freud:
One of Freud’s important contributions was his suggestion that early childhood experiences had strong consequences for adult functioning. Largely because of Freud’s work, sexual thoughts and behaviors are still considered to be major influences on contemporary life in general. Freud’s theories have influenced thinking about sexuality for more than 100 years.
Magnus Hirschfeld:
He believed that sexual orientation was a naturally occurring trait worthy of scientific study rather than social hostility. He urged homosexuals from all walks of life to come out and get involved in a growing campaign for emancipation. He promoted the idea that sexual honesty was necessary for healthy living. Hirschfeld produced many books and papers concerning sexuality and succeeded in bringing the discussion of homosexuality into the halls of government as well as the homes of everyday people.
Katherine Davis:
She taught high school science for 10 years, then went on to earn a Ph.D. degree in economics in 1900. In 1901 she began working in the field of corrections, and in 1914 became the commissioner of corrections for New York City. She quickly moved to improve conditions in the penal institutions, then became interested in topics related to the well-being of women. From 1918 to 1928 she was general secretary of the New York Bureau of Social Hygiene board of directors, where she directed research on many topics related to public health. In 1929 she published Factors in the Sex Life of Twenty-Two Hundred Women. In addition, she was the author of many articles in professional and popular journals (Women in American history, 2005).
Clelia Mosher:
She was educated at Stanford University, where in her master’s thesis she debunked a widespread myth of that time: the belief that women breathed differently than men, and were therefore unfit for exercise. Mosher completed medical school at Johns Hopkins in 1899. In 1923 she wrote a book entitled Women’s Physical Freedom. Over a period of 30 years, she surveyed Victorian women, most of whom were born about the time of the Civil War, about their sexual lives. This was probably the first known survey of sexual attitudes and behaviors. Mosher was able to accomplish her research at the height of the Victorian era.
Alfred Kinsey:
Kinsey eventually gathered the largest amount of information on human sexuality ever collected. Americans had little knowledge about sexual behavior in this culture until Kinsey presented his findings. Kinsey’s work was hailed as the first large-scale study of sexual behavior. His diverse inquiries include topics like: Masturbation, Nocturnal Dreams About Sex, Premarital Intercourse and Homosexual Activity. In 2004 Kinsey’s life was the subject of a popular movie.
William Masters & Virginia Johnson:
The research efforts and studies of Masters and Johnson are probably the most widely known and cited of all sex-related data. These researchers were the first to observe people’s sexual behaviors in a laboratory setting and to identify physiological changes during sexual arousal. Through direct observation, filming, and monitoring with instruments, Masters and Johnson recorded a variety of changes in the physiology of the body in general and in the genitals and reproductive organs in particular. Their major finding was the existence of a cycle of physiological events in response to sexual stimulation. This research showed that males and females have many similar responses, as well as responses specific to the physiology of each sex. The research of Masters and Johnson now serves as the basis for modern therapy, education, and counseling; cross-disciplinary research; and general information about sexual functioning.
What is the National Health and Social Life Survey?
The National Health and Social Life Survey (NHSLS) was designed to assess the incidence and prevalence of a broad range of sexual practices and attitudes within the U.S. population. It was originally funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Sexual intercourse for the purpose of reproduction.
procreation
A relationship between two events; a statistical measure that shows how variables are naturally related to each other.
correlation
A relationship in which one event causes another event to occur.
causation
The likelihood that a study’s results are due to the relationship uncovered between the study’s variable as opposed to chance.
statistical significance
Document required to participate in a research study after the purposes, risks, and benefits of the study have been explained.
Informed consent
Demonstration that tests measure what they are designed to measure.
validity
A part of your total personality. It involves the interrelationship of biological, psychological, and sociocultural dimensions.
human sexuality
Belief that once the cultural and historical aspects are taken away, the essence of sexuality is biological.
essentialism
The belief that sexual identities are acquired from and influenced and modified by an ever-changing social environment.
social constructionism
The degree of identification an individual feels with a particular ethnic group.
ethnicity
Sexual intercourse for the purpose of reproduction.
procreation
(wet dreams, or nocturnal emissions) Emission of semen during sleep.
spermatorrhea
Adherent to the 17th-century belief that the preformed baby was contained within the female body and that the male’s sperm simply activated its development.
ovist
