PARTII: UNPACKING THE
SELF
LESSON 2: THE SEXUALSELF
This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-SA.
QUESTIONS •
TO PONDER:
•
WHAT WILL YOUR ATTITUDE BE?
SITUATIONS YOUR YOUR YOUR
THOUGHTS FEELINGS BEHAVIOR
A homosexual couple holding hands.
Two girls kissing in the public transit.
Your crush is having an argument with his/her love partner.
You have a sexually transmitted infection.
Your crush offered to accompany you home.
Discovering that your boyfriend/girlfriend is gay/lesbian.
Your boyfriend/girlfriend wants to be sexually intimate with you.
You discovered that you are pregnant/ your girlfriend is
pregnant.
Senior couple holding hands
Discovering nude pictures of other people in your
boyfriend's/girlfriend's phone.
PERSPECTIVE OF HUMAN SEXUALITY
• Sexual Selfhood – is defined as how one thinks about himself or
herself as a sexual individual.
1. Historical
- In Ancient Greece, it is the male that assumes the dominant
role. The male symbol, the penis, was viewed as the symbol of
fertility and how the male body was structured was greatly
admired. Their wives were considered as objects to be possessed
just like property. Women on the other hand was forbidden to
own property and had no legal and political rights. Women were
not allowed to even read and write. Her only function was to bear
children.
Gyne- greek word for woman which means bearer of children
PERSPECTIVE OF HUMAN SEXUALITY
- Middle Ages (476-1450), - strong influence of the church,
particularly in matters of sexuality. The church decreed that all sexual
acts that do not lead to procreation were considered evil. Women
were either labelled as a temptress (like Eve) or a woman of virtue
(like Virgin Mary)
Protestant Reformation of 16th century (1483-1546)
- Martin Luther, John Calvin and other Protestant leaders iniated
against the corruption of Roman Catholic Church. Protestantism
believed that sexuality is a natural part of life and that priests should
be able to marry and have families. Martin Luther and John Calvin,
asserted that the reason for sexual intimacy was to strengthen the
physical and emotional bond between husbands and wives and not
just for procreation.
PERSPECTIVE OF HUMAN SEXUALITY
17th and 18th century, - The Puritans, a group of people who were
discontented with the Church of England rallied for religious, moral
and societal reformation. They had positive views on marital sex and
did not condone sex outside of marriage. Premarital sex, therefore,
was considered immoral (Cate and Llyod 1992 in Rosenthal, 2013).
PERSPECTIVE OF HUMAN SEXUALITY
Victorian Era (1837-1901)
- homosexuality ans prostitution were rampant and considered to be threats
to social order. In this period the Psychoanalytic Theory of Sigmund Freud
became popular.
- People were not comfortable in discussing breast or buttocks, they used
other terms instead (like white meat or dark meat).
- Sex for women was just a marital duty and it was assumed that they were
pure and asexual. Women were told that they should not enjoy having sex, and if
they did, there was something wrong with them.
Other beliefs:
- ejaculating more than once a month would greatly weaken a man
-masturbation leads to blindness, insanity and death (Robinson, 2005 in Rosenthal,
2013)
* Prostitution still flourished in London
PERSPECTIVE OF HUMAN SEXUALITY
20th Century
- interest in sexuality became more evident and accepted in society.
-The separation of church and state reduced the influence the church
had over sexual mores.
-Pregnancy can be controlled by natural and artificial contraception.
-Increase incidence of sexually transmitted infections because of high
risk sexual activities.
-Rise of femisnism allowed for changes in employment, home life, and
sexual standards for women. Overtime, cultural diversity and social
norms offered varied views on what today may be considered as
sexually normal (Rosenthal, 2013)
-It is the brain that initiates and organizes
2. Biological sexual behavior.
3. Sociobiological/Evolutionary
❑ Sexual preference for females with big breast or for males with broad shoulders
and muscular torsos is instinctively more for survival than for pleasure or social
status.
❑ Big breasted females produce more milk to ensure the survival of the offspring
❑ Broad shouldered, muscled males ensures safety and security of the offspring.
❑
4. Psychological
•
•
4. Psychological
• Freud's psychosexual stages of development:
1. Oral Stage – the child's erogenous zone is the mouth which receives
gratification through eating and sucking.
2. Anal Stage – the erogenous zone is the anus in which sexual
gratification is derived from defacation.
3. Phallic Stage – erogenous zone is the genitals. Here the child
experiences sexual gratification towards the opposite sex parent.
Oedipus complex (sexual attraction of boy child towards mother) and
electra complex (sexual attraction of girl child towards father).
4. Latency Stage – sexual impulses lie dormant as the child is occupied
by social activities such as going to school and playing.
5. Genital Stage – where the erogenous zone is again the genitals. At
this time, the attraction is directed towards others, usually one of the
opposite sex.
4. Psychological •
•
5. Religious
Judaism - considered marital sex as blessed by God and pleasurable for both man and woman.
Sexual connection provides an opportunity for spirituality and transcendence.
Islam - family is considered of utmost importance, and celibacy within marriage is prohibited.
Muslim men are allowed to have up to 4 wives but Muslim women can only have one husband.
Sex is permitted only within marriage and extramarital sex is penalized.
Taoism - originated in China, sex is not only natural and healthy, but a sacred union necessary
to people's physical, mental and spiritual being. The sexual union is a way to balance male and
female energy.
Hinduism – sexuality is seen as spiritual force, and the act of ritual lovemaking is a means of
both celebrating and transcending the physical.
Roman Catholic Church – marriage is purely for procreation. Pope John Paul II confirmed the
idea that married couples should engage in intercourse only for the purpose of procreation as
late as 1995 in encyclical Evangelium Vitae. Believed that homsexual orientation in itself is not
sinful, but homosexual acts are immoral and sinful. The use of birth control is strongly opposed
but agree to natural family planning and prohibit abortion (Rosenthal, 2013)
CLARIFYING
SEXUAL
TERMINOLOGIES
CLARIFYING SEXUAL TERMINOLOGIES
• Sex – from the Latin word secare which means "to divide" while,
Sexuality – means to unite.
• Sexual arousal has emerged as new phenomenon in
adolescence and that it is important that sexuality be viewed as
normal aspect of adolescent development. - Shirley Feldman
• Adolescence is a period of sexual exploration and
experimentation which includes sexual fantasies and realities.
Thus, sexuality can be incorporated into the adolescent's
identity (Santrock, 2016).
• An adolescent's sexual identity includes sexual orientation (either
homosexual or heterosexual), his ability to manage sexual feelings
(such as sexual arousal, and attraction, activities, interest and style
of behaviour) and his capacity to regulate his sexual behavior to
avoid undesirable consequences
CLARIFYING SEXUAL TERMINOLOGIES
• Gender refers to the characteristics of people as males or females. It is the
lived role as boy or girl, man or woman.
• Gender role - A set of expectations that prescribes how females and males
should think, act and feels. (Santrock, 2014)
• In the DSM V (2013), the words sex and sexual refer to the
biological indicators of male and female or having the capacity to
reproduce.
• Gender assignment (natal gender) - refers to the initial assignment as male
or female (genitals)
• Gender reassignment - denotes an official and usually legal change of
gender.
• Gender Identity - is a category of social identity that refers to an
individual's identification as male, female or some category other than
male or female. It is a person's subjective sense of being a man or woman.
CLARIFYING SEXUAL TERMINOLOGIES
• Masculine –refers to the qualities and behaviors judge by a particular
culture to be ideally associated with or approved to men and boys.
• Feminine - can be described as the qualities and behaviors judge by a
particular culture to be ideally associated with or approved to women
and girls.
• Androgyny- those who have both masculine and feminine traits, feelings
and qualities.
• Asexuals – people who do not experience sexual drives or attraction
• Hypersexuals – people with excessive interest in sex to the point where it
can cause problems in one's life (Rosenthal, 2013)
THE PHASES OF HUMAN SEXUAL RESPONSE
Masters and Johnson's Human Stage Description
Sexual Response Cycle (HSRC): Excitement This is the body's initial physical
response to sexual arousal. It is
▪ Sexual response varies from
characterized by an increase in heart
person to person and sexual rate and blood pressure as well as
fulfillment can occur without the heigtened muscle tone.
completion of all phases described Plateau This is the period of excitement prior
by Master and Johnson to orgasm. It is characterized by
intensification of the changes begun
▪ Rosenthal (2013) included desire during excitement phase.
prior to excitement which is a drive
Orgasm This is characterized by waves of
or motivation to seek out sexual intense pleasure (climax) often
objects or engage in sexual associated with vaginal contraction in
activities. females and ejaculation in males.
Resolution In this phase, the body returns to its
non-excited state.
THE PHASES OF •
HUMAN SEXUAL
RESPONSE •
Wines and Lovers
(Adapted from Kokology 2)
In an elegant, fine dining restaurant, the head waiter
arrived with a bottle of fine red wine. After approving of
the wine and pouring it into the wine glasses, you are
ready to raise your glasses and share a toast between
lovers. But as you lift your glass, your arm jerks and you
spill the wine on the white tablecloth. From the list below,
describe the way the wine spilled.
a. Tablecloth is completely soaked in wine.
b.
c.
d. Fortunately, there's only one small spot on the
tablecloth.
Wines and Lovers
(Adapted from Kokology 2)
Wine and other alcoholic drinks are associated in the mind
with feelings of sexual desire (but not necessarily
performance). The way you imagined yourself spilling wine
shows how you perceive your own sexual desire and your
ability to keep it under control.
Tablecloth is completely soaked in wine. Your sex drive
is operating at 200% capacity. We'll let the people who
should know best answer as to whether that's a good or
bad thing, but you should really try a little harder to make
sure more of that wine of yours reaches its intended
target.
Wines and Lovers
(Adapted from Kokology 2)
There are several red splotches. Your answer suggests that you feel
strong sexual attraction to a number of different people. Attraction is
one thing, acting on it is another. Don't let your desire to sample every
bottle in the cellar intoxicate you. True copnnoisseurs have learned to
appreciate quality without needing to swallow a sip.
A few drops of wine spilled out here and there. You exhibit normal
curiosity, but do a good job of reigning in your sexual energies, which
helps you to avoid trouble and potential embarassment. If you're quick
with your napkin, there's no reason anyone even has to know about
those little stains
Fortunately, there's only one small spot on the tablecloth. Either
you have better than average reflexes when it comes to cutting off
embarassing faux pas or there wasn't much wine in your glass to begin
with. Either way, your sex drive is no match for your table manners.
