SOC 152A Chapter Notes - Chapter 10: Vaginal Lubrication, Sexual Intercourse, Age 13
Chapter 10
●Childhood expression
○Studying childhood expression is hard
■Infant monkeys engage in presenting and mounting pretty much as soon as they
begin to wander away from their mothers
○Before 19th century families often slept together and farming was most common work
so children observe their parents and animals mating, becoming pregnant, and giving
birth
○During 19th century a belief developed that children needed to be kept in a state of
sexual innocence
○Children, especially younger ones express a lot of curiosity about where babies come
from and other sexual matters
■Some parents are open some are evasive
○Some newborn babies have penile erections or vaginal lubrication. These continue
throughout infancy and childhood.
■These can be triggered by physical stimuli such at motions of a car or sitting in
warm sand, or playing exciting games or looking over the edge of a building.
●Less is known about stimulation in girls
○Infants commonly touch their genitals
■By age of 15-19 months some girls and boys rhythmically stimulate their genitals
by hand or by rubbing their genitals against an object
○Roughly 1 in 5 parents witness masturbation in child before the age of 6
■Higher in european countries
●Box 10.1 talking with children about sex
○Talk early and often
■Toddlers should learn names for genitals and body parts
○Use teachable moments
■Use moments when child sees something on tv or in art or sees siblings genitals
■Respond simply and accurately to questions
○Balance negatives with positives
■For example, if child is masturbating say yes that feels good but do it in alone
time
○Anticipate events
■Anticipate and talk about puberty
○Acknowledge diversity
■No normal size or shape or sexual orientation
○Communicate values
■Let child know when u think sex is okay
○Give practical advice
●Sex with others can occur during childhood
○Children's sexual behavior can involve others
○It is common for children to show genitals to adults and other children
○Children often kiss and hug each other
○Only a very small number of children engage in more adult like sexual behavior such as
coitus oral or anal sex, insertion of a finer or object into vagina or anus
●Adult-child contacts
○Most children who have sexual experiences with adults or adolescents have only one
such experience.
■If they have multiple it is normally with same partner
○Most likely age for a child of either sex to have sexual contact with a male is 7 to 10, but
about ⅓ of such contacts occur in the under 7 age bracket
○The most likely age for a boy to have contact with a female is 11-13
○In most cases the child knows the adult
○Girls are more likely to be molested by relatives; boys by family friends
■Less than 10% of contacts are with strangers
○Some kinds of adult-child sex are more harmful than others
■Sexual contacts that are repeated over a long period of time, that are with a
family member or caregiver, or that involve a very large age difference may also
be more likely to cause harm than isolated or nonincestious contacts that
involve sexual penetration are more harmful than those that do not
■Girls are more likely to suffer than boys
○Children are at risk of developing PTSD just as adult rape victims are
■One response is dissociation - tendency to distance oneself from the emotions
evoked by the trama
●Box 10.2 sex and suggestibility
○Peggy mcMartin buckey and her son raymond and four others faced over 200 counts of
child molestation that were alleged to have taken place at the McMartin preschool in
manhattan beach california.
■Longest trial in US history
○Charged with sexual assault and abuse but also satanic rituals involving animal
sacrifice.
Document Summary
I(cid:290)fa(cid:290)t (cid:289)o(cid:290)ke(cid:369)s e(cid:290)gage i(cid:290) p(cid:325)ese(cid:290)ti(cid:290)g a(cid:290)d (cid:289)ou(cid:290)ti(cid:290)g p(cid:325)ett(cid:369) (cid:289)uch as soo(cid:290) as the(cid:369) begi(cid:290) to (cid:363)a(cid:290)de(cid:325) a(cid:363)a(cid:369) f(cid:325)o(cid:289) thei(cid:325) (cid:289)othe(cid:325)s. Befo(cid:325)e (cid:799)(cid:807)th ce(cid:290)tu(cid:325)(cid:369) fa(cid:289)ilies ofte(cid:290) slept togethe(cid:325) a(cid:290)d fa(cid:325)(cid:289)i(cid:290)g (cid:363)as (cid:289)ost co(cid:289)(cid:289)o(cid:290) (cid:363)o(cid:325)k so child(cid:325)e(cid:290) obse(cid:325)(cid:362)e thei(cid:325) pa(cid:325)e(cid:290)ts a(cid:290)d a(cid:290)i(cid:289)als (cid:289)ati(cid:290)g, beco(cid:289)i(cid:290)g p(cid:325)eg(cid:290)a(cid:290)t, a(cid:290)d gi(cid:362)i(cid:290)g bi(cid:325)th. 5u(cid:325)i(cid:290)g (cid:799)(cid:807)th ce(cid:290)tu(cid:325)(cid:369) a belief de(cid:362)eloped that child(cid:325)e(cid:290) (cid:290)eeded to be kept i(cid:290) a state of se(cid:368)ual i(cid:290)(cid:290)oce(cid:290)ce. Child(cid:325)e(cid:290), especiall(cid:369) (cid:369)ou(cid:290)ge(cid:325) o(cid:290)es e(cid:368)p(cid:325)ess a lot of cu(cid:325)iosit(cid:369) about (cid:363)he(cid:325)e babies co(cid:289)e f(cid:325)o(cid:289) a(cid:290)d othe(cid:325) se(cid:368)ual (cid:289)atte(cid:325)s. So(cid:289)e pa(cid:325)e(cid:290)ts a(cid:325)e ope(cid:290) so(cid:289)e a(cid:325)e e(cid:362)asi(cid:362)e. So(cid:289)e (cid:290)e(cid:363)bo(cid:325)(cid:290) babies ha(cid:362)e pe(cid:290)ile e(cid:325)ectio(cid:290)s o(cid:325) (cid:362)agi(cid:290)al lub(cid:325)icatio(cid:290). These ca(cid:290) be t(cid:325)igge(cid:325)ed b(cid:369) ph(cid:369)sical sti(cid:289)uli such at (cid:289)otio(cid:290)s of a ca(cid:325) o(cid:325) sitti(cid:290)g i(cid:290) (cid:363)a(cid:325)(cid:289) sa(cid:290)d, o(cid:325) pla(cid:369)i(cid:290)g e(cid:368)citi(cid:290)g ga(cid:289)es o(cid:325) looki(cid:290)g o(cid:362)e(cid:325) the edge of a buildi(cid:290)g. Less is k(cid:290)o(cid:363)(cid:290) about sti(cid:289)ulatio(cid:290) i(cid:290) gi(cid:325)ls. B(cid:369) age of (cid:799)(cid:803)-(cid:799)(cid:807) (cid:289)o(cid:290)ths so(cid:289)e gi(cid:325)ls a(cid:290)d bo(cid:369)s (cid:325)h(cid:369)th(cid:289)icall(cid:369) sti(cid:289)ulate thei(cid:325) ge(cid:290)itals b(cid:369) ha(cid:290)d o(cid:325) b(cid:369) (cid:325)ubbi(cid:290)g thei(cid:325) ge(cid:290)itals agai(cid:290)st a(cid:290) object.