Thereisno1 definitionofhumansexuality
• Verybroad definition
Slide5:
Sixdimensionsmodel of sexuality:
• Biological
○ Biological sex : male/female
Genitals, xy / xx
genetics
Reproduction:Conception- contraception
Sexualfunctioningand disorders
Sexualresponse:all physical responsesof body to sexual stimulation,how body respondsto sexual
stimulation
Hormones:estrogen,testosterone,progesterone
○ Brain chemistry
○ STI's(changedfrom disease,becausediseaseshave symptoms and usually make you feel sick. But most
infectionsand asymptomaticdespiteinfection. Infection if more accurate)
• Psychologicaldimension
○ Orientation:debatabledue to biological
○ Thoughts+desires = fantasy
○ SexualIdentity
Broad general identity,or alt. ones feeling of gender
○ Fetishes/preferences
○ Trauma
○ Eroticism: all the thoughts,feelings,stuffin the brain maintaining or trigerring sexual arousal and
interest.Uniqueto each person, like fingerprints.Can be modelled from media and soceity(telling you
whatyou should be turnedon by) affectingto certain degree...
Verypsychological,pedo'seroticise some aspectof children
○ Bodyimage - self esteem(way you see yourself when you close your eyes)
• Socio-culturaldimensions
○ Genderrole
rulesaround masculinity and femininity
○ Norms/taboos
○ Fashion-> trends
○ Media-> stereotypes
Expectationsareaboutstereotypes,going beyondgender roles. Stereotypesgroundedinto our ideas
of whatit is to be a woman or a man
○ Peer pressure
• Moral, spiritual, and religious
○ Rulesof conductand consequences
Who how why when of sexual behaviour
□ Meaning:of certain behaviours or facetsof sexuality,anchored into spirituality
□ Values:canbe adoptedthrough religion, determined by ones morality
Whatis importantto me? What do I value? What are my priorities in life? What is the right
thingto do (personal morality)
Ethicaldecisionsand choices
• Emotional dimension
○ Disappoint
○ Comfort
○ Love
○ Passion
○ Rejection
○ Confusion
○ Guilt
○ Disgust
○ Anger
○ Regret
○ Disobediant/obediant(leadtoguilt, regret)
○ Loyalty
• Cognitivedimension
○ Acquiredinformationabout sex (eg taking this course works on it)
Learning!
○ Perception/evaluation(canbe cognitiveprocess)
• Sociocultural sticksout as an influence on our sexuality
• There'smore to it than just the biological (genticals,eroticism, arousal response) • There'smore to it than just the biological (genticals,eroticism, arousal response)
Theoreticalperspectives
• Will guide ourwayof thinking ofsexuality; think of whos writingsomethingand fromwhat persepectibe, whichcomes fromtheir
understandingandconceptualisation
• Eachtheoretical perspectiveinterested in understandingdifferentthings.
• Mostwill answer"why?"eithera lot or to a limited degree
• Tells us the glasses we areusing wheninterpreting human sexuality
• Multi-disciplinaryapproachis important
• Note: feminist andqueer theories not in book.Newertheory.
• Evolutionaryperspective
○ Sociobiology:
Inanimals andhumans
Biobasis for behaviour;adaptation,natural selection, mate selection
Key:the language; e.g reproductivesuccess
Reproductivesuccess (egenetictransmission)=principal motivator ofall sexual behaviourin humans and other animals
□ Egmate selection: donald and his veryyoungwife: perfect sociobiomate selection- she gets resourcesecurityto
assureoffspringsurvival(longtermselection),hegets best female physically(goodgenes,birthing hips,health and
nutritionand feeding, etc. )
□ Whydomen have moreaffairs?Fertilize many; prematureejac adaptive (get in before the other guy);womenare
horniestwhenthey are ovulatingfits into this theory,humans wayof adaptive behaviour)(moreabusebystepfathers
thanbiologival; not as much investment when non-biologicaloffspring)
□ Hasn'treallybeen able to explain the adaptiveness ofhomosexual behaviour;sometheories that help bringup
offspringofsiblings viaresources?
• Psychoanalyticaltheories
□ Freud
Id,ego,superego
Oral,anal,phallic, latent, genital?? Psychostages ofdevelopement (double check it)
Oedipus concept:sexual desirefor parent ofthe other sex,to resolveboyhas to overcomecastrationanxiety, girl
penis envy,identify withparent of same gender
Accordingtofreud:Resolve normally,get normalheterosexual with correctgender roles.Ifsomethingnot
resolved properly,ge
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