PSY353 Chapter Notes - Chapter 10: Paraphilia, Gender Dysphoria, Sexually Transmitted Infection
CHAPTER 10: Sexual Dysfunctions, Paraphilic Disorders, and Gender Dysphoria
WHAT IS NORMAL SEXUALITY?
Magazine and online surveys reporting sensational information on sexual practices:
• claim to reveal sexual norms → BUT report mostly distorted half-truths
• the facts they present typically are not based on any scientific methodology that would make them reliable
• examples:
• men can reach orgasm 15 or more times a day → in reality, such ability is rare
• women fantasize about being raped → do have idealized fantasies of submission in the context of being desired → far from
imagining an actual rape
What is normal sexual behaviour? When is sexual behaviour that is somewhat different from the norm a disorder? It depends
• Current views tend to be tolerant of a variety of sexual expressions, even if they are unusual → unless behaviour:
- is associated with a substantial impairment in functioning
- involves non-consenting individuals such as children
• 2 kinds of sexual behaviour meet this definition: paraphilic disorders and gender dysphoria
• individuals with sexual dysfunction find it difficult to function adequately while having sex → may not become aroused or achieve
orgasm
Paraphilic disorders – new term for sexual deviation → philia – a stog attatio o likig; paa – attraction is abnormal
• sexual arousal occurs primarily in the context of inappropriate objects or individuals
• paraphilic arousal patterns tend to be focused rather narrowly → often precluding mutually consenting adult partners, even if
desired
• paraphilic disorders have little to do with sexual dysfunctions → except that they both involve sexual behaviour
• so paraphilic disorders now comprise a separate category of disorders in DSM-5
Gender dysphoria – another condition that has been separated from sexual disorders altogether
• there is incongruence and psychological distress and dissatisfaction with the gender one has been assigned at birth
• disode is ot seual ut athe a distuae i the peso’s sense of being a male or a female
Many misconceptions exist egadig the oept of oal seual ehaiou → determining the prevalence of sexual practices accurately
→ requires careful surveys that randomly sample the population
National Survey of Family Growth by CDC → 12,571 US men and women ages 15 to 44
• participants were interviewed → more reliable than having them fill out a questionnaire
• purpose of this survey was to ascertain risk factors for sexually transmitted infections, including AIDS, among adults and teenagers
• most recent survey was reported in 2011→ more than 13,000 men and women participated → provides updated data
• BUT the areas of sexual behaviour sampled were more limited
• virtually all men and women studied were sexually experienced
• vaginal intercourse was nearly a universal experience → even for those who had never been married
• by age 15 → over a quarter of males and females have engaged in vaginal intercourse
• prevalence rate increases steadily with the age of individuals
• 81.3% of men and 80.1% of women engaged in oral sex
• 35.8% of men and 30.7% of women had ever engaged in anal sex → high-risk behaviour for AIDS transmission
• 70% had had only 1 sexual partner
• 21.4% of men having sex with 15 or more partners during their lifetime (8.3% of women)
• 6.0% of men and 2.9% of women reported 4 or more partners during the past year
• study had engaged exclusively in heterosexual behaviour
• 6.5% of adult men having ever engaged in any homosexual behaviour
• 92% of men reported being attracted only to females, 3.9% mostly to females, 1.0% to both males and females, and 2.2% were
attracted only to males
• similar numbers reported by women
23.3% of men had had sex with 20 or more partners → another high risk behaviour
• more than 70% had had only 1 sexual partner during the previous year
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• fewer than 10% had had 4 or more partners during the same period
Nearly 9% of women and 10% of men reported some homosexual attractions or behaviour
• for adolescents → 5% of male teenagers and 11% of female teenagers report some homosexual behaviour → mostly in addition to
heterosexual behaviour
• most of these teenagers identify as heterosexual
When give the optio of soethig else → 1% of men and women reported that they were neither heterosexual, homosexual, nor bisexual
• indicates that current categories may not fully capture the true range of sexual orientations
• recent descriptors used by some people include:
- asexual: having a lack or low levels of sexual attraction to others or desire for sex
- pansexual: experiencing sexual, romantic, physical, and/or spiritual attraction for members of all gender identities/expressions
Study from Britain and France surveying sexual behaviour and practices among more than 20,000 men and women in each country
• results were similar to those reported for U.S. men
• more than 70% from all age groups reported no more than one sexual partner during the past year
• women were more likely than men to have had fewer than two partners
• 4.1% of French men and 3.6% of British men reported ever having had a male sexual partner
• figure drops to 1.5% for British men if we consider only the past 5 years
• percentage of males engaging exclusively in homosexual behaviour would be considerably lower
The consistency of these data across three countries suggests strongly that the results represent something close to the norm, at least for
Western countries
• has been confirmed in similar surveys
• sexual practices and the determinants of sexual satisfaction are now remarkably similar around the world → demonstrated in a large
survey of Chinese urban adults
An update of the British survey
• small increase in number of partners over 5 years
• increase in condom use
• more than 53% of males and 62% of females of all ages reported no more than one sexual partner over the past 5 years
Another interesting set of data counters the many views we have of sexuality among older adults
• sexual behaviour can continue well into old age → even past 80 for some people
38.5% of men and 16.7% of women aged 75 to 85 were sexually active
• reasons for the discrepancy between men and women are not clear
• given the earlier mortality of men, many older women lack a suitable partner
• also possible that some women are married to men in an older age bracket
• ma olde oe also idiated that se as ot at all ipotat
• generally reported less interest in sex than their male counterparts
• decreases in sexual activity are mostly correlated with:
- decreases in general mobility
- various disease processes
- consequent medication, which may reduce arousal
- speed and intensity of various vasocongestive responses decrease with age
Study of older individuals around the world, aged 40 to 80
• men were generally more satisfied with their sexuality than women, particularly in non-Western countries
• best predictors of sexual wellbeing:
- good physical and mental health
- good relationship with a partner
GENDER DIFFERENCES
Although both men and women tend toward a monogamous pattern of sexual relationships, gender differences in sexual behaviour do exist,
and some of them are quite dramatic
One common finding among sexual surveys is a much higher percentage of men than women report that they masturbate
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Australian adults: 72% of men versus only 42% of women reported masturbating in the past year
Masturbation was not related to later sexual functioning
• whether individuals masturbated or not during adolescence had no influence on:
- whether they had experienced intercourse
- the frequency of intercourse
- the number of partners
- or other factors reflecting sexual adjustment
• Why women masturbate less frequently than men puzzles sex researchers, particularly when other long-standing gender differences
in sexual behaviour, such as the probability of engaging in premarital intercourse, have virtually disappeared
• One traditional view accounting for differences in masturbatory behaviour:
• women have been taught to associate sex with romance and emotional intimacy
• whereas men are more interested in physical gratification
• But the discrepancy continues despite decreases in gender-specific attitudes toward sexuality → more likely reason is anatomical
• Because of the nature of the erectile response in men and their relative ease in providing sufficient stimulation to reach orgasm,
masturbation may simply be more convenient for men than for women
• may explain why gender differences in masturbation are also evident in primates and other animals
• In any case, incidence of masturbation continues to be the largest gender difference in sexuality
Another continuing gender difference is reflected in the incidence of casual sex, attitudes toward casual premarital sex, and pornography use,
with men expressing more permissive attitudes and behaviours than women
• hooking up – refers specifically to a range of physically intimate behaviours outside of a committed relationship → most current
term for casual sex, particularly among college students
• studies of hookig up deostate siila fidigs to older studies of casual sex → it is often precipitated by alcohol, and women
are less likely to consider it a positive experience than men
greater alcohol use leads to greater engagement in fieds ith beefits elatioships (tpe of hookig up that ioles a
ongoing non-romantic relationship)
• especially true for women
• even when women deliberately engage in casual sex → having a greater number of partners is associated with greater worry and
vulnerability → opposite for men
• despite the high prevalence of hooking up, with 40% of the female students engaging in it during their first year at college →
• se ithi a oati elatioship as still tie as oo as hook-up se fo oug oe
• no association between the number of sex partners and later anxiety or depression
• there is an association with increased risk for substance abuse
There are no gender differences in:
- attitudes about homosexuality (generally acceptable)
- the experience of sexual satisfaction (important for both)
- attitudes toward masturbation (generally accepting)
Small-to-moderate gender differences were evident in:
- attitudes toward premarital intercourse when the couple was engaged or in a committed relationship (with men more approving
than women)
- attitudes toward extramarital sex (sex outside of the marital relationship, which men also approved of more than women)
British and French studies: the number of sexual partners and the frequency of intercourse were slightly greater for men, and men
were slightly younger at age of first sexual intercourse
Trends from 1943 to 1999 → almost all existing gender differences became smaller over time, especially in regard to attitudes toward
premarital sex
• in women: 12% approved of premarital sex in 1943 and 73% in 1999
• in men: 40% approved of premarital sex in 1943 and 79% in 1999
Late 1990s and after 2000 → decrease in number of sexual partners and a tendency to delay sexual intercourse among adolescent boys
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Document Summary
Chapter 10: sexual dysfunctions, paraphilic disorders, and gender dysphoria. Current views tend to be tolerant of a variety of sexual expressions, even if they are unusual unless behaviour: is associated with a substantial impairment in functioning involves non-consenting individuals such as children. 2 kinds of sexual behaviour meet this definition: paraphilic disorders and gender dysphoria individuals with sexual dysfunction find it difficult to function adequately while having sex may not become aroused or achieve orgasm. Many misconceptions exist (cid:396)ega(cid:396)di(cid:374)g the (cid:272)o(cid:374)(cid:272)ept of (cid:862)(cid:374)o(cid:396)(cid:373)al se(cid:454)ual (cid:271)eha(cid:448)iou(cid:396)(cid:863) determining the prevalence of sexual practices accurately. National survey of family growth by cdc 12,571 us men and women ages 15 to 44: most recent survey was reported in 2011 more than 13,000 men and women participated provides updated data. 81. 3% of men and 80. 1% of women engaged in oral sex. 35. 8% of men and 30. 7% of women had ever engaged in anal sex high-risk behaviour for aids transmission.
