Sex and Sexuality

12 Key excerpts on "Sex and Sexuality"

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  Our Sexuality

  • Robert Crooks, Karla Baur, Laura Widman, , Robert Crooks, Karla Baur, Laura Widman, (Authors)
  • 2020(Publication Date)
  • Cengage Learning EMEA

    (Publisher)

  Our Sexuality also covers the crucial biological foundations of human sexuality, including the roles of hormones and the nervous system, the biological components of sexual orientation, theories about the role of genetic selection through thousands of years of human evolution, and the impact of specific genetic variables on an individual. The term biopsychosocial describes the integration of these three dimensions (biological, psychological, and social). We may not always be aware of the extent to which our sexual attitudes and behaviors are shaped by society in general and by the particular social and cultural groups to which we belong (Twenge et al., 2015). The subtle ways we learn society’s expectations regarding sexuality often lead us to assume that our behaviors or feelings are biologically innate, or natural. However, an examination of sexuality in other periods of Western history or in other societies (or even in different ethnic, socioeconomic, and age groups within our own society) reveals a broad range of acceptable behavior. What we regard as natural is clearly relative. “Aspects of sexuality that are influenced by culture include values, such as decisions regarding appropriate sexual behaviors, suitable partner or partners, appropriate age of consent, as well as who is to decide what is appropriate. Sociocultural beliefs across the globe influence the answers to each of these questions and in many cases these characteristics are seen as integral to culture” (Heinemann et al., 2016, p. 144). While there is a great diversity of sexual expression throughout the world, all societies have rules regulating the conduct of sexual behavior. “Every soci- ety shapes, structures, and constrains the development and expression of sexu- ality in all of its members” (Beach, 1978, p. 116). Knowledge about the impact of culture and individual experience can make it easier to understand and make decisions about sexuality.

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  Our Sexuality

  • Crooks/Baur, Robert Crooks, Karla Baur(Authors)
  • 2016(Publication Date)
  • Cengage Learning EMEA

    (Publisher)

  Our Sexuality also covers the crucial biological foundations of human sexuality, including the roles of hormones and the nervous system, the biological components of sexual orienta-tion, theories about the role of genetic selection through thousands of years of human evolution, and the impact of specific genetic variables on an individual. The term biopsy-chosocial describes the integration of the three dimensions. We may not always be aware of the extent to which our sexual attitudes and behaviors are strongly shaped by our society in general and by the particular social and cultural groups to which we belong (Laumann et al., 1994). The subtle ways we learn society’s expectations regarding sexuality often lead us to assume that our behaviors or feelings are biologically innate, or natural. However, an examination of sexuality in other periods of Western history or in other societies (or even in different ethnic, socioeconomic, and age groups within our own society) reveals a broad range of acceptable behavior. What we regard as natural is clearly relative. For example, Margaret Mead’s studies of Pacific Islanders from 1928 to 1949 found that Islander parents encouraged adolescents to be sexually active, demonstrating that expectations in the United States for adolescents to be chaste were by no means universal (Correa et al., 2008). The diversity of sexual expression throughout the world tends to mask a funda-mental generalization that can be applied without exception to all social orders: All societies have rules regulating the conduct of sexual behavior. “Every society shapes, structures, and constrains the development and expression of sexuality in all of its members” (Beach, 1978, p. 116). Knowledge about the impact of culture and individual experience can make it easier to understand and make decisions about our own sexual-ity. Therefore, the major emphasis in Our Sexuality will be on the psychosocial aspects of human sexuality.

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  Critical Issues in Mental Health

  • Robert Tummey, Tim Turner(Authors)
  • 2008(Publication Date)
  • Red Globe Press

    (Publisher)

  It determined that: ■ Sexuality is a central aspect of being human throughout life and encompass- es sex, gender identities and roles, sexual orientation, eroticism, pleasure, intimacy and reproduction. ■ Sexuality is experienced and expressed in thoughts, fantasies, desires, beliefs, attitudes, values, behaviours, practices, roles and relationships. ■ Sexuality is influenced by the interaction of biological, psychological, social, economic, political, cultural, ethical, legal, historical, religious and spiritual factors. (WHO, Gender and Reproductive Rights: http://www.who.int/reproductive-health/ gender/sexual_health.html) [accessed 03/02/08] For the purpose of this chapter, the WHO working definition will form the structure through which the subject will be explored. By no means will this chapter be a definitive guide on sexuality for the mental health practitioner. It will, however, provide some insight into the difficulties, stigma, shame and confusion experienced by people regarding their sexuality and how that influ- ences their mental health. Also, to explore how mental health care influences the opportunity, expression and attitude to sexuality, through the institution and treatment offered. Throughout this chapter a candid view will determine 74 CRITICAL ISSUES IN MENTAL HEALTH the current situation, the influences and the provocative. Sexuality in mental health care will be explored, and consideration for the diversity of sexual need, orientation and gratification. The subject of sexual abuse has been purposefully avoided.

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  Engendering Psychology

  Women and Gender Revisited

  • Florence Denmark, Vita Carulli Rabinowitz, Jeri A. Sechzer(Authors)
  • 2016(Publication Date)
  • Psychology Press

    (Publisher)

  It is hard to imagine a topic in which gender matters more than sexuality. Gender surely influences people’s patterns of sexual desire and arousal, their responses to sexual imagery, and their sexual attitudes and practices. As we will see in this chapter, sexual behavior is a response to a complex mix of sociocultural, psychological, and biological forces and cannot be adequately understood in terms of any one force alone.

  In this chapter, we consider physical aspects of sexuality, research on the nature and extent of various sexual behaviors, sexual orientation, sexual fantasy, responses to sexual imagery, sexuality among those with disabilities, sexual dysfunction, and contraceptive use. But we begin with a discussion of how female sexuality has been socially constructed—how social realities affect how we identify, describe, classify, and ultimately experience sexuality.

  SEXUALITY IN A SOCIAL CONTEXT

  We take a social constructionist perspective on sexuality that focuses on the historical and cultural contexts in which sexuality is learned and practiced. This view suggests that all societies organize sexual desires, behaviors, and identities into approved or encouraged, tolerated, and tabooed patterns (Lorber, 1994). These patterns are internalized by individual members of societies, who often come to view them as natural and inevitable, even biological, in origin.

  Both female and male sexuality are shaped by society and culture. To be sure, societal messages to males about sex are value laden and conflicting, and may pose many emotional and sexual difficulties for them (Kilmartin, 1994). But in most societies throughout history, sexuality is made problematic for females in ways that it is not for males (Gagnon, 1977; Gagnon & Simon, 1973). Some of these problems are due to the biological fact that sexual intercourse is far more consequential for females than males, because females alone bear children. But others result from the social reality that, throughout history, males have defined sexuality, including female sexuality, from their own perspective. Because of their historically greater physical, social, and economic power, men have been in positions to define when, how, with whom, and under what circumstances sex is appropriate, and they have often done so in ways that are disadvantageous to women. For example, the very definition of what constitutes “having sex” reveals a deeply androcentric (male-centered) and heterosexist bias (see Box 8.1 ). In Western societies, having sex usually refers exclusively to vaginal intercourse, involving male penetration and ejaculation. Hugging, touching, and kissing (which for some women are more stimulating than vaginal intercourse) do not count as having sex in this formulation. If they are considered at all, it is as foreplay

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  Theological Anthropology: A Guide for the Perplexed

  • Marc Cortez(Author)
  • 2010(Publication Date)
  • T&T Clark

    (Publisher)

  41 CHAPTER 3 SEXUALITY Thus sex remains a profound and baffling enigma of personal existence, the mystery of which can never be dispelled by excogitation—and certainly not by studying what is now both popularly and scientifically called “sex.” D. S. Bailey 1 Children have a remarkable aptitude for pointing out those areas in which we do not know as much as we think we do. “Daddy, what is a ‘boy’?” How exactly should I respond to my four-year old daughter? Had she asked me more generically whether I knew what the term “boy” meant, I would have confidently asserted that I did. This ques-tion, however, asks for a specific definition of “boy” and reveals more ambiguity in my understanding than I might have realized at first. What does it mean to be “boy”? Should I offer a biological answer to the question (ignoring the fact that she’s only four and would have a hard time understanding what chromosomes and hormones have to do with being a boy)? Maybe it would be better to go with a more behavioral answer, focusing on the stereotypical behaviors we often use to distinguish boys from girls (which, according to my daughter, mostly involves the boys getting into trouble a lot). Or, maybe I should just stick with the purely superficial issues of appearance (dress, hair style, etc.) that my daughter seems most concerned about. (She was particularly concerned that getting her hair cut would turn her into a boy.) Each of these demonstrates that my earlier confidence in my ability to define “boy” was rather naïve. As we move through this chapter and reflect more deeply on what terms like “male,” “female,” “gender,” and “sexuality” mean when applied to human persons, we THEOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 42 will come to realize that these are complex terms that involve more than their face value might suggest. We think we know what they mean until someone asks us to define them.

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  Sociology

  The Essentials

  • Margaret Andersen, Margaret Andersen, Howard Taylor(Authors)
  • 2019(Publication Date)
  • Cengage Learning EMEA

    (Publisher)

  Sexuality is learned through socialization, is channeled and directed by social institutions, and reflects the race, class, and gender relations in society. What evidence is there of contemporary sexual attitudes and behavior? Contemporary sexual attitudes vary considerably by social factors such as age, gender, race, and religion. Sexual behavior has also changed in recent years, with mixed trends in both liberal and conservative sexual values. In general, attitudes on issues of premarital sex and gay and lesbian rights have become more liberal, though this depends on social characteristics such as age, gender, and degree of religiosity, among others. How is sexuality related to other social inequalities? Sexuality intertwines with gender, race, and class inequality. This is especially revealed in the sexual ste- reotypes of different groups, as well as in the double standard applied to men’s and women’s sexual behav- iors, such as in the hooking up culture. What does sociological theory have to say about sexual behavior? Functionalist theory depicts sexuality in terms of its contribution to the stability of social institutions. Conflict theorists see sexuality as part of the power relations and economic inequality in society. Symbolic Copyright 2020 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s). Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it. CHAPTER 12 Sexuality 324 interaction focuses on the social construction of sexual identity. Feminist theory uncovers the power relationships that frame different sexual identities and behaviors, as well as linking sexuality to other forms of inequality.

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  Sexuality

  A Biopsychosocial Approach

  • Chess Denman(Author)
  • 2017(Publication Date)
  • Red Globe Press

    (Publisher)

  Approaches I: biology and sociobiology Biological processes in sexuality An acknowledgement of bodily and biological processes in condi-tioning experience is central to the biopsychosocial model. Our biological nature was developed as a result of evolutionary processes and expresses itself in physiology and anatomy. Thus the two disciplines which deal with these aspects of human sexual experience are sexual anatomy and physiology, and evolutionary theory. Scientific sexologists have defined a range of descriptive terms to serve as labels for different aspects of sexual anatomy and behaviour. A review of these terms provides a useful introduction to the complexities and contradictions of biological sex. Definitions Generally sexologists reserve the terms sex or gender to describe the quality of being biologically male or female, but to describe an individual this way first requires assigning them to a category. This is not a simple task. Categorising an individual’s sex using biological characteristics can be done in a range of ways which can give conflicting results. Biological sex has several subcategories which include chromosomal sex, hormonal status, internal sexual organs, external sexual organs, and ‘brain sex’. Chromosomal sex Almost all individuals are born with either two X chromosomes or with an X and a Y chromosome in the nuclear material of their cells and this genetic patterning determines chromosomal sex. 10 1 Chromosomes determine sex by changing a biological default position which is largely female. Maleness develops only if a Y chromosome is present. We know this because some individuals are born with different chromosomal arrangements including XO, XXX, XYY and XXY. In these people the presence of a Y chromo-some in any arrangement produces a male individual. That said, some of these genetic variations produce a range of difficulties in sexual development and other areas.

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  Homosexuality

  Research Implications for Public Policy

  • John C. Gonsiorek, James D. Weinrich, John C. Gonsiorek, James D. Weinrich(Authors)
  • 1991(Publication Date)
  • SAGE Publications, Inc

    (Publisher)

  1 The Definition and Scope of Sexual Orientation John C. Gonsiorek James D. Weinrich The question of precisely who is and who is not homosexual is itself controversial. Various behaviors and individual life-styles have been confused with sexual orientation. Shively and De Cecco (1977) devel-oped a useful distinction in dividing sexual identity into four parts. The first is biological sex, the genetic material encoded in chromosomes. The next is gender identity, the psychological sense of being male or female. Social sex role is adherence to the culturally created behaviors and atti-tudes that are deemed appropriate for males or females. Finally, sexual orientation is erotic and/or affectional disposition to the same and/or opposite sex. It is important to note that the first three bear no necessary relation-ship to sexual orientation in any given individual. Each, however, has been confused with sexual orientation. Variations on these parameters (e.g., cross-dressing, sadomasochism, and fetishism) are not discussed here because they occur among both heterosexuals and homosexuals and are not specific to sexual orientation. Gay and lesbian are popular terms for people who define themselves as homosexual in contrast to the term straight used by gay people to describe heterosexuals, but also widely used by heterosexuals in other contexts. It is also important to note that a person's sexual behavior can be homosexual yet that person may not self-identify as gay. The process of coming out and defining oneself as gay, together with the additional act of coming out publicly as gay, can create pro-found events in the lives of homosexual men and women living in a disparaging society, as described by Gonsiorek and Rudolph in this volume. Perhaps because of this, the term sexual preference is sometimes used. It might appear to outsiders that individuals going through this process have chosen their homosexuality. We suggest that the term 1

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  Sex In Question

  French Feminism

  • Lisa Adkins, Diana Leonard(Authors)
  • 2004(Publication Date)
  • Taylor & Francis

    (Publisher)

  Chapter 4 Sexual, Sexed and Sex-Class Identities: Three Ways of Conceptualising the Relationship Between Sex and Gender

  Nicole-Claude Mathieu1

  This contribution began as a paper to the 10th World Congress of Sociology in 1982. The general theme was ‘Sociological Theory and Social Practice’. In reaction to what appeared an implicit presupposition of the title (that social actors do not have a theory of their own practice—but that happily sociology is there to provide one), my paper was entitled The conceptualisation of sex in social science practice and women’s movement theories’.2

  At the time, only the women’s movements and certain sections of the gay male movements had, in fact, furnished any sociological theorisation of the concept of sex—through their political questioning of relationships between the sexes, and hence of current notions of ‘man’ and ‘woman’. Such ideas certainly did not exist, or at least were not explicit, in 1970s social sciences (see, Mathieu, 1971, 1973 and 1977).

  The concept of sex involves the mental organisation of ideas (representations, myths, utopias, etc: ‘thought’ sex) and practices (social relations between the sexes: ‘acted’ sex), which are often contradictory. Whether the contradictions are emphasised or hidden, certain logics are set in place which this article will try to encompass.

  The ambiguity of the idea of sex, as manifest in commonsense, social science and women’s movements’ analyses, comes mainly from a required overlying of biological and social sex, at least in western societies. This is as central to the political polemics of feminist analyses and strategies as to the omissions and distortions of ‘scientific’ analysis.

  We therefore need to be aware of the type of problematic

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  Philosophy And Homosexuality

  • Noretta Koertge(Author)
  • 2014(Publication Date)
  • Routledge

    (Publisher)

  In most instances the chromosomal sex and the morphological sex are congruent. When they are not, doctors have been known to be mistaken, as in the case of hermaphrodites. Gender identity refers to the individual's basic conviction of being female or male. This conviction is not necessarily contingent upon the individual's biological sex. In the case of post-operative transsexuals, gender identity is congruent with morphological but not with chromosomal sex. Gender identity is usually present by the time the child begins to talk. Social sex-role identifies the physical and psychological characteristics that are culturally associated with females or males. Social sex-role stereotypes are cultural expectations of appropriate physical and psychological characteristics of females and males. These characteristics are perceived as feminine or masculine. Six aspects of social sex-roles have been identified (Shively, Rudolph, & De Cecco, 1978): physical appearance, personality, mannerisms, speech, interests, and habits. Sexual orientation refers to the individual's physical sexual activity with, interpersonal affection for, and erotic fantasies about members of the same or opposite biological sex. Physical sexual activity designates the individual's erotic body contact with one or more persons; this may or may not include genital contact. Interpersonal affection refers to associations, involving varying degrees of love or trust, with coworkers, friends, lovers, and marital partners. These relationships do not necessarily include or exclude physical sexual activity. Erotic fantasies are the individual's mental images of one or more persons engaged in physical sexual activity or involved in idealized affectional (i.e., romantic) relationships. In the current research at C.H.E.E.R., social sex-role and sexual orientation are conceived along several independent continua

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  Sociology

  The Essentials

  • Margaret L. Andersen; Howard F. Taylor, Margaret Andersen, Howard Taylor(Authors)
  • 2016(Publication Date)
  • Cengage Learning EMEA

    (Publisher)

  In the United States, teen sexuality is discouraged and seen as risky. In the Netherlands, to the contrary, cultural morals see sexuality as part of developing self-determination, and it is treated with frank discussion, a strong place in public policy for sex education, and an idea that mutual respect is part of healthy sexual relationships (Schalet 2010). Likewise, tolerance for gay and lesbian relation-ships varies significantly in different societies around the world. Germany has legalized gay and lesbian relation-ships, allowing them to register same-sex partnerships and have the same inheritance rights as heterosexual couples. The new law does not, however, give them the same tax advantages, nor can same-sex couples adopt children. Cross-cultural studies can make someone more sensitive to the varying cultural norms and expectations that apply to sexuality in different contexts. Different cultures simply view sexuality differently. In Islamic cul-ture, for example, women and men are viewed as equally sexual, although women’s sexuality is seen as potentially disruptive and needing regulation (Mernissi 2011). Sex is also big business, and it is deeply tied to the world economic order. As the world has become more globally connected, an international sex trade has flourished—one that is linked to economic develop-ment, world poverty, tourism, and the subordinate sta-tus of women in many nations. Sex trafficking refers to the use of women and girls worldwide as sex workers in an institutional context in which sex itself is a commodity. Sex is marketed in an international marketplace. As sex workers, women are used to promote tourism, cater to business and mili-tary men, and support a huge industry of nightclubs, massage parlors, and teahouses (Bales 2010; Sara 2010; Shelley 2010). Through sex trafficking, women—usually very young women—are forced by fraud or coercion into commercial sex acts.

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  Sexuality Now

  Embracing Diversity

  • Janell Carroll(Author)
  • 2018(Publication Date)
  • Cengage Learning EMEA

    (Publisher)

  REAL RESEARCH Numerous assumptions having to do with privilege, educational status, and power norms are embedded in the process of collecting qualitative research on sexuality (FAHS, 2016). 1 What is a theory? 2 How does a theory help guide research? 3 Describe the influence of Freud’s theories on sexuality. 4 Compare and contrast behavioral, social learning, cognitive, humanistic, biological, evolutionary, and sociological theories. 5 Explain how feminist and queer theories have asked a different set of questions about sexuality. Review Questions Copyright 2019 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s). Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it. Understanding Human Sexuality: Theory and Research 35 Recent Studies on Sexuality Early sexuality research set the stage for sexuality researchers. We will talk about their specific contributions later in this chapter, but as we take a look at the whole picture of sexuality research, it’s interesting to note that the majority of research into human sexu- ality has been problem driven, meaning that most of the research that has been done has focused on a specific problem. Focusing on problems doesn’t allow researchers to obtain funding for research on healthy sexuality and answer questions such as, “How does sexual development progress in children?” or “How is sexuality expressed in loving, long-term relationships?” Many individuals and groups are opposed to sexuality research today, and some believe that the mystery surrounding sexuality will be taken away by increasing scientific knowledge.

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