Download Chapter 1 Why a course in Human Sexuality?

Chapter 1
Why a course in human sexuality?
For use with the text,
Human Sexuality Today,
5th edition.
Bruce M. King
Slides by Callista Lee
1
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e © 2005 by Prentice Hall
Sexuality is more than just “sex”
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Sexual attitudes, feelings and beliefs
Gender identity
Sexual behaviors, alone or partnered
Capacity for erotic response
Sexual orientation and attractions
Cultural definitions of masculinity/femininity
Social expectations and gender roles
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e © 2005 by Prentice Hall
Learning about sexuality
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36% of teens learned “a lot” from their parents.
74% of teens cite friends and TV as their major
source of information.
TV rarely models examples of preventive
behaviors regarding unwanted pregnancy and
sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
The majority of parents support sex education
in public high schools and even junior highs.
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e © 2005 by Prentice Hall
Consequences of sexual ignorance
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60% of US teens have had sexual intercourse
by the time they finish high school.
False beliefs about sexual behaviors and
sexual health are common.
860,000 pregnancies in US teens aged 15-19
each year – a rate much higher than other
modern nations.
Most young people do not know the symptoms
of STIs.
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e © 2005 by Prentice Hall
Personal Reflections
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From whom or what did you acquire most of
your information about sexuality?
Was this part of your preparation for adulthood
adequate? Why/why not?
From whom or what would you hope your
children will learn about sexuality?
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e © 2005 by Prentice Hall
True or False?
What you know and what you think you know.
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Erections in men result, in part, from a bone that
protrudes into the penis.
Sperm can be produced only in an environment
several degrees lower than normal body temperature.
The hymen is a reliable indicator of whether or not a
woman is a virgin.
The inner two thirds of the vagina is highly sensitive to
touch.
Many men experience nipple erection when they
become sexually aroused.
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e © 2005 by Prentice Hall
True or False?
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Continued, items 6 - 10
Most men and women are capable of multiple
orgasms.
Breast size in women is related to the number of
mammary glands.
Before puberty, boys can reach orgasm, but they do
not ejaculate.
During sexual intercourse, orgasm in women results
from direct stimulation of the clitoris by the penis.
Menstrual discharge consists of sloughed off uterine
tissue, blood, and cervical mucus.
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e © 2005 by Prentice Hall
True of False?
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Continued, items 11- 15
For hygiene reasons, you should avoid sex during
menstruation.
Ovulation generally occurs just before menstruation.
After a vasectomy, a man can reach orgasm but does
not ejaculate.
AIDS is the diagnosis for people who have human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
A girl can get pregnant as soon as she starts having
menstrual periods.
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e © 2005 by Prentice Hall
True or False? Continued, items 16 - 20
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The combination birth control pill works primarily by
preventing implantation of a fertilized egg.
Taking the oral contraceptive pill results in fewer
serious health problems than do pregnancy and
childbirth.
Women show their highest levels of sexual desire at
the time of ovulation.
There are about 12 million new cases of sexually
transmitted diseases in the US each year.
The major cause of AIDS is homosexuality.
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e © 2005 by Prentice Hall
True or False? Continued, items 21 - 25
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If gonorrhea is not treated, it can sometimes turn into
syphilis.
Most women do not show symptoms in the early
stages of gonorrhea and chlamydia.
Gonorrhea, syphilis, and herpes can be successfully
treated with antibiotics.
In vitro fertilization involves a process where part of
fetal development occurs in a test tube.
It is usually safe to have sexual intercourse during the
7th and 8th months of pregnancy.
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e © 2005 by Prentice Hall
True or False? Continued, items 26 - 30
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“Prepared childbirth” (e.g., Lamaze) refers to delivering
a baby without drugs.
Most healthy people in their 60’s or older continue to
engage in sexual behavior.
Men’s descriptions of orgasm are different from
women’s descriptions of orgasm.
Excessive masturbation can cause serious medical
problems.
The birth control pill gives women some protection
against sexually transmitted diseases.
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e © 2005 by Prentice Hall
True or False? Continued, items 31 - 35
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Women who masturbated to orgasm during
adolescence generally have less difficulty reaching
orgasm during intercourse than women who never
masturbated.
The frequency of sexual relations is highest for married
couples aged 25 to 35.
Adult male homosexuals have lower than normal levels
of male hormones.
Douching is an effective method of birth control.
Recent evidence indicates that environmental factors
are most important in determining one’s sexual
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e © 2005 by Prentice Hall
orientation.
True or False? Continued, items 36 - 40
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Prostitutes are generally hypersexual and have
pathological sexual needs.
Most convicted rapists committed their crimes because
of an uncontrollable sexual drive.
There is a demonstrated link between the availability of
pornography and sex crimes.
It is against the law in many states for a married couple
to engage in sexual behaviors other than penilevaginal intercourse.
Most cases of child molestation involve an
acquaintance or relative of the child.13
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e © 2005 by Prentice Hall
True or False? Continued, items 41 - 45
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A pregnant woman can transmit syphilis to the unborn
baby.
Exhibitionists and voyeurs often attempt to rape their
victims.
Nocturnal emissions (“wet dreams”) are often an
indication of a sexual problem.
Alcohol is a central nervous system excitant that
enhances sexual performance.
Humans can crossbreed with animals with the use of
artificial insemination techniques.
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e © 2005 by Prentice Hall
True or False? Continued, items 46 - 50
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Women’s sexual desire decreases sharply after
menopause.
Vaginal infections can be prevented by regular use of
feminine hygiene products.
A woman’s ability to have vaginal orgasms is related to
penis size.
Oral herpes can be transmitted to another person’s
genitals by oral-genital sexual relations.
Unless testosterone is present during embryonic
development, nature has programmed everyone to be
born a girl.
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e © 2005 by Prentice Hall
Cross-Cultural Comparisons
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“Missionary Position” – face-to-face with man
on top. Christian missionaries taught that other
positions were unnatural.
Ethnocentric – the attitude that behaviors and
customs of one’s own ethnic group or culture
are superior to others.
To strangers, OUR behavior appears
strange…it is all a matter of perspective.
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e © 2005 by Prentice Hall
Sexual Attractiveness
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Abkhazian men are aroused by seeing
women’s armpits.
Samoans consider the navel arousing.
Knees are erotic in New Guinea but women’s
breasts are not of sexual significance.
Polynesian men are fascinated with the size,
shape and consistency of female genitalia.
Penis piercing is “old-school” in Borneo.
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e © 2005 by Prentice Hall
Fit or Fat? Time and culture will tell
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Rubens’ The Three
Graces, painted in 1630,
epitomized feminine
beauty in a time when a
thin woman would have
been considered
unattractive.
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e © 2005 by Prentice Hall
Sexual behavior and attitudes
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Kissing seems essential to us but not by the
Japanese, Hindus of India or several groups in
Africa and South America.
Some Polynesian cultures encourage
teenagers to enjoy sexual pleasure with a
variety of partners; love comes later in life.
Oral-genital sex is common in Western cultures
but considered disgusting in many African
cultures.
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e © 2005 by Prentice Hall
Two extremes and a twist
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“Inis Baeg,” an Irish island culture is the most
restrictive in the world – no foreplay, no nudity,
no emphasis on pleasure.
South Pacific Mangaians are perhaps the most
permissive – many partners in adolescence,
adults teach young people sexual techniques
to please their partners.
Eastern Tantric cultures emphasize the value
of a spiritual union during sex.
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e © 2005 by Prentice Hall
Diversity within the United States
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Oral-genital sex less common among AfricanAmericans than European-Americans, and less
common among all ethnicities at lower
education and income groups.
Asian-Americans tend to be the least sexually
permissive compared to other US groups.
Acculturation, education and income levels
determine many differences.
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e © 2005 by Prentice Hall
Historical Perspectives
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Ancient Judaism
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Obligation for procreation
Legitimizing one’s offspring (property rights)
Sexual pleasure and emotional bonding in marriage
Physical and spiritual love on equal footing
Human bodies are made in God’s image and are
therefore not a source of shame
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e © 2005 by Prentice Hall
Historical Perspectives
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Ancient Greeks and Romans
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Procreation was the primary purpose of marriage
Sex outside of marriage was allowed
Bisexuality was accepted as normal
Dualism between physical beauty and
mental/spiritual development
Dualism gave rise to asceticism and platonic love
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e © 2005 by Prentice Hall
History: Sex, temptation, and sin
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Early Christians
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St. Paul – the inherently sinful body must be
controlled by the superior intellect. Spiritually, a
celibate life is superior to monogamous marriage.
St. Jerome – too much passion, even in marriage, is
sinful.
St. Augustine – “Between urine and feces we are
born.”
St. Thomas Aquinas – sex for purposes other than
procreation is sinful
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e © 2005 by Prentice Hall
History: Protestant Reformation
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16th Century religious leaders Martin Luther
and John Calvin opposed the Catholic
Church’s insistence that priests be celibate.
The Puritans brought a more positive view of
married sexuality to the “New World.”
Adultery, homosexuality and masturbation
were still severely punished.
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e © 2005 by Prentice Hall
History: Victorian Era
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No longer seen as temptresses, women were
believed to be without sexual desire.
Physicians taught that masturbation could lead
to a vast range of physical and mental ills.
Psychiatrists (Richard von Kraft-Ebing) also
focused on a link between sex and disease.
Kellogg and Graham developed foods thought
to decrease sexual desire.
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e © 2005 by Prentice Hall
Victorian anti-masturbation devices
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King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e © 2005 by Prentice Hall
History: Early 20th Century
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1920’s Women earn the right to vote
throughout the United States. Margaret Sanger
crusades to make birth control information
legally available to women.
1940’s development of penicillin offers a cure
for syphilis and gonorrhea.
1950’s peacetime, wealth and automobiles
allow for greater sexual expression.
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e © 2005 by Prentice Hall
History: Later 20th Century
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1960’s civil rights movement and “The Pill”
shake things up.
1970’s Feminists join the civil rights movement.
1980’s HIV/AIDS discovery is scary but doesn’t
change behaviors in the general population.
1990’s see a return to more conservative
attitudes about non-marital sex in the wake of
the AIDS toll.
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e © 2005 by Prentice Hall
Early Sexual Scientists
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Sigmund Freud (1856 – 1939) Victorian, antisex bias
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Henry Havelock Ellis (1859 – 1939) Voice of
enlightenment among the Victorians
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Penis envy in girls, Oedipal Complex in boys
Sex is not harmful to mental or physical health
Women are not asexual
Male and female orgasms are very similar
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e © 2005 by Prentice Hall
Founders of Modern Sexology
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Alfred C. Kinsey (1894 – 1956)
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“Shocking” discovery that a wide variety of sexual
behaviors, including oral-genital sex, masturbation
and homosexual encounters, were common and
apparently not harmful to mental or physical health
Pioneer of the interview method of sex research
Scorned by the public as well as his peers for his
“foul” research
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e © 2005 by Prentice Hall
New sexological techniques
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William Masters & Virginia Johnson
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1954: direct laboratory observations of humans
engaging in sexual activity began
1966: Human Sexual Response detailing
physiological and behavioral responses to sexual
stimulation was published…”scientific peeping
toms.”
1970: Human Sexual Inadequacy details their
approach to identifying and treating sexual
dysfunctions allows for the improvement of sexual
relations in adults.
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e © 2005 by Prentice Hall
National Health and Social Life Survey
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1989: Conservative politicians halt scientific
study of 20,000 Americans due to fears that it
might “legitimize homosexual lifestyles.”
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1992: A scaled-down survey of 3432 adults
results in the most comprehensive nationally
representative survey to date.
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e © 2005 by Prentice Hall
Scientific Methodology
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Samples and populations
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Random sample
Stratified random sample (representative sample
Descriptive Surveys – getting at the truth
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Phrasing the questions
-- Questionnaires vs. Interviews
-- “Truth items”
-- Volunteer Bias
-- Defining “sex” or “had sex”
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King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e © 2005 by Prentice Hall
Other Research Methods
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Correlations – relationships between variables
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Direct Observations – seeing is believing
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Positive or negative
Correlation is not causation
Naturalistic
Participant-Observer
Laboratory
Case Studies – in-depth studies of individuals or
small groups
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e © 2005 by Prentice Hall
The Experimental Method
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The only method that can establish a cause
and effect relationship between variables
Random assignment of the Independent
Variable (IV)
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Measurement of the Dependent Variable (DV)
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IV = the factors you control in the experiment
What effect did the IV have on the DV?
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e © 2005 by Prentice Hall
Some experimental results
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Comprehensive college sexuality education
increases the likelihood that students will
initiate discussions about sex with their
children (King, et.al., 1993).
Sex education programs do not increase
sexual experimentation or activity and they
may also result in teens postponing sexual
intercourse or initiating safer sex practices
(Grunseit et.al., 1997, and Shears, 2002).
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e © 2005 by Prentice Hall
So, why a course in sexuality?
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In the US, the federal government supports
only “abstinence-only” programs; shown to be
ineffective in preventing significant numbers of
unwanted pregnancy and new cases of STIs.
Teen pregnancies and STIs remain at
alarmingly high rates in comparison to many
northern European countries and Canada;
countries which introduce sexuality education
as early as elementary school.
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e © 2005 by Prentice Hall
Personal Reflection
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Do you believe that sexuality education should
be taught in school? If not, why?
If so, beginning at what grade level? Why?
What topics should be included? Why?
What do hope to learn in this course?
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e © 2005 by Prentice Hall