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Psych of Close Relationships > Week 9: Sexuality > Flashcards

Week 9: Sexuality Flashcards

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1
Q

What are the prevalent attitudes toward casual sex?

A

Most believe that sex among unmarried people is acceptable as long as it occurs in an affectionate committed r/s

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2
Q

How much do people approve of: a) premarital sex, b) same sex, and 3) extramarital sex?

A

Premarital and same sex: More people approve today than in the past

Extramarital sex: Ppl do not approve much across time

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3
Q

How do sexual attitudes differ across gender?

A

Men are more permissive than women
Men are more accepting of casual, uncommitted sex
– i.e. men have less restricted sociosexuality

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4
Q

What is a sexual double standard?

A

Judges permissive women more harshly than permissive men

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5
Q

What are the two key points regarding sexual behaviours?

A

1) Enormous variability in behaviour from person to person

2) Sexual behaviour that is common is not necessarily more desirable or appropriate than less typical behaviour

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6
Q

How do sexual behaviours differ from couples and singles?

A

Spouses and cohabiting partners have sex more often than singles do

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7
Q

What is the sex recession?

A

Around 2000, Americans have been having sex less frequently

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8
Q

How do men and women differ on feelings of sexual jealousy?

A

Men: More distressed by sexual infidelity
Women: More distressed by emotional infidelity

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9
Q

What are the explanations for differences in men and women’s sexual jealousy?

A

1) Evolutionary explanation: Paternity uncertainty

2) Cultural explanation: Social gender theory

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10
Q

What is the evolutionary explanation for differences in men and women’s sexual jealousy?

A

In contrast to women men can never be completely sure they are the genetic father of their children (i.e. paternity uncertainty)

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11
Q

What is the cultural explanation for differences in men and women’s sexual jealousy?

A

Social gender theory: When people think about hypothetical mate infidelities, men and women base their judgments on STEREOTYPES ABOUT GENDER DIFFERENCES

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12
Q

How does the evolutionary explanation and the cultural explanation for differences in men and women’s sexual jealousy complement each other?

A

Sex diffs in mating strategies –> Stereotypes form based on behaviour –> Stereotypes trigger sexual jealousy differently for men and women

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13
Q

How often do husbands and wives have extradyadic sex?

A

1/5 wives and 1/3 husbands

– Men are more likely to have extramarital affairs than women

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14
Q

Why are husbands more likely to have extradyadic sex than wives?

A

Men are more likely to have extramarital affairs than women

– Because men are more permissive towards casual sex

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15
Q

What is consensual nonmonogamy (CNM)?

A

A relational arrangement in which partners agree that it’s acceptable to have more than one sexual and/or romantic partnership at the same time

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16
Q

What are the 3 types of CNM?

A
  1. Open r/s
  2. Swinging
  3. Polyamory
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17
Q

What is an open relationship?

A

Partners pursue independent sexual r/s outside of their primary dyad

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18
Q

What is swinging?

A

Partners engage in extradyadic sex, usually at social events where both of them are in attendance

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19
Q

What is polyamory?

A

Partners have consensual loving and romantic r/s with more than one partner

20
Q

How do monogamous r/s and CNM r/s differ on r/s outcomes?

A
  • Both are relatively equal on satisfaction, commitment and passion
  • Mono couples and CNM couples do not differ on jealousy
21
Q

How do people communicate desire?

A

People often never tell their partners that they’re interested in sex - they signal their desire and consent through INDIRECT, NONVERBAL MEANS

22
Q

How does sexual communication relate to satisfaction?

A

Partners who talk candidly about sex have more fulfilling sexual interactions with each other than those who do not

23
Q

How does sexual communication and satisfaction differ by sexual orientation?

A

Gays and lesbians routinely enjoy better sex than heterosexual couples do

24
Q

What are some prevailing patterns in sexual coercion?

A
  • Men are more likely to engage in sexually aggressive behaviour than women
  • Women are more often victims than perpetrators
  • Perpetrators underestimate the force they use and the harm they do
25
Q

How does complication arise in the context of sexual coercion?

A
  • Some women offer token resistance to sex by initially saying “no” when they really mean “yes”
  • Sometimes, men get rewarded if they ignore a partner’s apparent reluctance and persist in their pursuit of sex
26
Q

What is the culture surrounding sex and sexual communication?

A

As long as we support a culture that:

  • regards male sexual activity as a form of conquest
  • encourages women to ‘play’ hard-to-get
  • trains us to be embarrassed by honest talk with a sexual partner
27
Q

How does culture affect sexual communication and responsibility?

A

As long as we support the culture, it will be difficult to disentangle power and violence from issues of sexual communication and responsibility

28
Q

What are the characteristics of consent?

A

Consent is clear, coherent, willing and ongoing

29
Q

How does sex relate to r/s satisfaction?

A

Couples who are happy with their sex lives tend to be happy with their r/s as well

30
Q

What is the feedback loop involving sex and r/s satisfaction?

A

Feedback loop:

  • Good sex probably makes a partnership more gratifying
  • But a happy, loving r/s makes the sex better too
31
Q

What are the norms regarding sexual fantasies?

A

Many of us feel ashamed about our fantasies

Problematic for sexual fulfillment and also mental health

32
Q

What do people tend to fantasise about?

A

Almost everybody fantasies, at least occasionally, about: 1) group sex; 2) power, control, and rough sex (BDSM); 3) novelty, adventure and variety

33
Q

How does sex relate to well-being?

A
  • The frequency and quality of sex predict psychological and physical well-being
  • Sex is our most pleasurable daily experience, by a lot
34
Q

How does sexual frequency relate to well-being?

A
  • More frequent sex is linked to greater happiness with life in general
  • BUT: More frequent than weekly isn’t better
35
Q

What is sexual afterglow?

A

A short-term surge in r/s satisfaction following sex

36
Q

How does the intensity of sexual afterglow affect relationship satisfaction?

A

Spouses who experience esp. strong afterglow during a 2-week period were buffered against reductions in satisfactions over the ensuing six months
– i.e. attenuated decline

37
Q

How does frequent sex buffer our r/s against other risk factors?

A

Highly neurotic partners tend to have less satisfying marriages, but that effect disappears among couples who have frequent sex

38
Q

How do men and women differ on sexual desire?

A

Men tend to have higher sex drives than women do

39
Q

What are the characteristics of sexual desire for men?

A
  • Men exp more frequent and more intense sexual desires than women do
  • Men are routinely more motivated to engage in sexual activity than women are
40
Q

How does the difference in sexual desire for men and women affect relationships?

A
  • Frustration and annoyance may result as heterosexual couples negotiate their sexual interactions
  • Women are usually the ‘gatekeepers’ who decide when sex occurs
  • And they may find men willing to offer various concessions in exchange for sex
41
Q

How do men estimate a woman’s interest in sex within a long-term relationship?

A
  • Underestimation of woman’s sexual interest as a self-protective motive
  • More adaptive to protect feelings and avoid feeling hurt from rejection; gene propagation is certain in r/s
42
Q

What are destiny and growth beliefs in sexual context?

A

Sexual chemistry vs. sexual growth

43
Q

What is objectification theory?

A
  • In general, we do not want to be objectified
  • But: If women are objectified in their r/s, it may not be bad for their well-being as it attaches a value to them for sex
44
Q

What is the general trajectory for sexual desire in a r/s?

A

Sexual desires tends to decline as the longevity of a r/s increases

45
Q

Why does sexual desire decrease over time in a r/s?

A
  • There’s an inherent tension at the heart of romantic r/s
  • Intimacy thrives on familiarity and security
  • But passion thrives on novelty and risk

Psych of Close Relationships (5 decks)

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