Psych of Human Sexuality Quiz 2

Communication

builds emotional intimacy, understanding, love, increases couple satisfaction, increases the probability the relationship will last, can reduce anger and frustration

“Onion” Theory of Communication

early in a relationship people discuss non-personal issues, as time passes people take layers off and share personal information

Vanfassen goals in communication

Get the job done

Relational goal

Identity management goal 

“Get the job done” 

we have a message for someone and we want to communicate that message 

“Relational goal”

we want to maintain the relationship and not hurt or offend the person with out message

“Identity management goal”

we want our communication to project a certain image of ourselves

Enmeshed Family

boundaries do not allow for family members to be individuals, over sharing or smothering among family members 

Disengaged family 

rigid families, described as emotionally detached, little to no communication among members 

Nonverbal communication

refers to the process of conveying messages and meaning without using spoken or written language. It includes gestures, facial expressions, body language, eye contact, touch, posture, and even the tone of voice or silence. Nonverbal cues often provide insight into emotions, attitudes, and intentions, and can either reinforce, contradict, substitute, or regulate verbal communication.

Genderlects (Tannen)

fundamental differences in how men and women communicate. Report talk, rapport talk

Report-talk

imparts knowledge and helps to establish status, likely used by men. Men may see hierarchical world with need to maintain status, while interpreting comments as challenges to defend

Rapport-talk

establishes relationships and maintains intimacy likely used by women

Tag Questions

invites discussion to minimize disagreements

“It’s really cold in here isn’t it” 

Disclaimers

“I may be wrong but”

Hedge words

“Sort of, kind of, would you mind”

General question statements

“ami I off base here?”

Individualistic Culture

encourages members to have an independent sense of self, values individual needs/goals (USA, Canada, etc)

Collective Culture

encourages members to value group needs over individual needs (Asian, latin) 

Low-Context Communication 

use language ti express thoughts, feelings and ideas as directly as possible cultural examples given in textbook, (German, Swiss, North America) 

High Context Communication 

relies heavily on nonverbal cues, not as direct listener’s understanding depends on non-verbal behaviors, social cues and relationship history cultural examples given (Arab, Asian) 

Gay men utilize

increased adjective use, vowel length, abundent range of pitch of voice, overall lengthy verbal output 

Lesbians utilize 

more hedge words, narrower pitch range than gay men

Differences-in perceptions of texting for males and females 

females more likely than males to view texting as positive connection with others compared to males 

Texting advantages

express affection, communication can be easier, classification, reduce difficult face to face convos

Texting disadvantages

misunderstanding from lack of face to face contact, delay in response time, addictive

Self - Disclosure

can deepen intimacy, feelings of love, important to most healthy relationships too much disclosure too soon can jeopardize the relationship

Sexual Communication Obstacles and solutions

feelings of embarrassment are natural/normal. sexual partners can use sexual terminology to talk about needs and apprehensions

Message Interpretation

interpreting a message is dependent on nature of the relationship and the person’s mood at the time 

Criticism when used in the couple’s communication 

harsh words typically escalate a disagreement, soft words increase the likelihood of resolving a conflict and reduce defensiveness 

Happy couples

have 20 positive and negative interactions for every negative one

Conflicting couples 

have 5 positive interactions for every negative one 

Divorcing couples

have 0.8 positive interactions for every negative one

Gender

refers to behavioral, psychological, and social characteristics of being male, being female, or other gender

Biological sex

refers to the biological aspects of being male or female

Sex assigned at birth

a current way to medically discuss an infant’s sec identification, has replaced the term “biological sex” in most discussions

Chromosome

thread like structure of nucleic acids and protein found in the nucleus of most living cells, carrying genetic information in the form of genes

Gamete

a mature haploid male or female egg cell that is able to unite with another of the opposite sex in sexual reproduction 

Male

sperm ,X or Y

Female

egg/ovum, X

Hormones

chemical produced in the body and released into the blood that regulates the activity of certain cells or organs

Female hormones

estrogen and progesterone

Male hormones

androgen (testosterone) 

Klinefelter’s Syndrome

common condition that results when a person assigned male at birth has an extra copy of the X sex chromosome instead of the typical XY. Klinefelter syndrome is a genetic condition that occurs before birth, but it often isn't diagnosed until adulthood.

Gynecomastia

increased size of male breast tissue/fat

Turner Syndrome

only affects females, happens when an X chromosome is missing or incomplete, and shows up in about 1 in 2,000–5,000 live births. People with Turner syndrome often have short stature, heart defects, a webbed neck, and infertility—but with proper medical care, their life expectancy is usually normal.

XYY Syndrome and Triple X Syndrome

involves an extra Y chromosome (XYY) in males, often causing taller stature and potential developmental or behavioral issues, while Triple X Syndrome (Trisomy X) involves an extra X chromosome (XXX) in females, with varied and often mild symptoms including potential learning disabilities and physical differences

Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH)

an inherited genetic disorder where the adrenal glands don't produce enough cortisol and aldosterone, and consequently produce too much androgen

Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome

Individuals with CAIS may have: Female-like external genitalia, Absent or sparse pubic and underarm hair, No menstruation, Infertility, and Uterine absence. 

Gender Traits

biologically determined differences between males (XY) and females (XX)

Gender Roles

set of societal norms dictating the types of behaviors that are generally acceptable for people based on their actual or perceived sex 

Androgyny

a combination of high levels of both feminie and masculine characteristics 

Transgender 

umbrella term for a person whose gender identity or gender expression is incongruent with (or does not “match”) the sex they were assigned at birth

Misgender

the act of referring to someone using a word or pronoun that does not correctly reflect the gender with which they identify

Gender binary

a gender classification system that divides people into two groups: male and female

Gender spectum

a continum of the possibilites of gender 

Gender Fluid

a person whose gender identity shifts between masculine and feminie or moves across the gender spectum

Cisgender

a person whose gender identity is congruent or matches with the sex they were assigned at birth

Genderqueer

a gender identity label often used by people who do not identify with the gender binary

Agender

not having a gender identity

Bigender

identify as both a man and woman

Pangender

identifying as a person instead of a gender 

Disorders of Sex Development

conditions where a person's reproductive organs and genitals are “mismatched” at birth

Intersex 

a person born with a reproductive or sexual anatomy that doesn’t appear to fit the typical definition of male or female

Gender Dysphoria

a condition in which a person feels extreme confusion and/or discomfort between her/his/their biological sex and gender identify

Gender Affirmation or Confirmation Surgery

medical gender transitions used to be called sexual reassignment surgery. Includes a wide range of various surgical options to change the body and genitalia

Vaginoplasty

offers the opportunity for removal of masculine appearing genitalia and replacement with a gender-congruent appearance 

Phalloplasty

removal of feminine appearing genitalia and replacement with a gender congruent appearance 

Top surgery

a reconstructive surgery performed on the chest for those who wish to alter their chest size, shape, and overall appearance 

Two Spirit 

a person who adapts a variety of combinations of gender identity, duress, and social roles in some cultures 

Xani-th

a group of people from the Persian Gulf country of Oman. They are exempt from Islamic rules that restrict men’s interaction with women because they are not considered men. But they are not considered females either 

Hijra

Indian men who undergo ritual customs where their genitals are removed and they are believed to have special powers to curse or bless male children. They dress as women but they do not try to pass as women

Fa’afafine

are considered a third gender known for their hard work and dedication to the family. Mostly biological males but as a third gender. Have sexual relationships almost exclusively with men who do not identify and sometimes with women. Thid third gender is well-accepted in other communities in Samoa. follow the training of the women’s daily work in the Samoan family.

Passion

sexual desire and physical attraction, part of romantic love

Intimacy

connection and feelings, making an emotional investment

Commitiment

to attest to love in the short term, to maintain that love in the long term

Non-love

no passion, no intimacy, no commitment, most of our casual daily relationships

Liking

intimacy only, when there is intimacy without sexual passion and without strong personal commitment, people are friends, can separate for long periods of time and resume the relationships as if it had never ended

Infatuation

passion only, physiological arousal and a sexual desire for another person. Typically infatuation fades often to be replace by infatuation with another person. 

Romantic Love

passionate love that includes sex and physical attraction, ecstasy and elation

Companionate Love (Conjugal love)

deep affection, attachment, intimacy, trust, loyalty

Colors of Love

six basic ways to love being independent of one another

Eros: The Romantic Lover

erotic romantic love, immediate experiences of attraction, eros lovers picture on ideal partner for their pleasure, secure attachment style with their caregivers

Ludus: The Game-Playing Lover 

enjoy the act of seduction, commitment, dependency, and intimacy are not valued, often juggle several relationships at the same time, in childhood often have an avoidant attachment style with caregivers 

Storage: The Quiet, Calm Lover

quiet, calm love that builds over time, similar to companionate love, they don’t suddenly “fall in love” marriage, stability, and comfort within love are the goal, should the relationship end, they likely remain friends with ex-lover

Mania: The Crazy Lover

possessive and dependent, consumed by thoughts of the beloved, dramatic: each encouraging sign from the lover brings joy, each little problem brings heartache, fear separation, tend to wonder why their relationships tend to fail, in childhood, often had anxious/ambivalent attachment style with caregivers

Pragma: the practical lover

have a “check-list” of qualities they seek, practical, want deep lasting love, evaluating the romantic marketplace, planners 

Agape: The Selfless Lover

selfless, never demanding, patient, never jealous, do need reciprocity, relationships tend to be brief episodes, deferential to needs of other lovers

Birth - order

middle children have higher rates of ludic love styles, youngest children are more likely to have pragma, storage, or agape love styles, only child individuals have higher rates of eros and mania love styles

Empty Love 

commitment only, a couple that stays together even though their relationship long ago lost its passion and intimacy 

Romantic Love

intimacy and passion only, often the first phase of a relationship, often an intense joyful experience

Companionate Love

intimacy and commitment only, long-term, deeply committed friendships spanning into marriage or long - term couples that have experience a decrease in passion in love life 

Fatuous Love 

passion and commitment only, fatucus means “silly” or “foolish”, one does not really know the person to whom one is making a commitment 

Consummate Love

contains intimacy, passion, and commitment, consumate love is something most people strive to have

Measurement of Love 

scales have been developed to measure love 

Behavioral Reinforcement Theories

we love because another person reinforces positive feelings in ourselves, love is a result of many mutually reinforcing activities with a person

Cognitive Theories

behavior occurs and then we mentally interpret it as love, if we think someone likes us, we are more prone to find them attractive

Evolutionary Theories

humans have 3 basic instincts

1. need for protection

2. parent protects the child

3. sexual drive

we love in order to produce offspring

heterosexual women want men with resources to care for her and the offspring

Physiological arousal theory 

Physiological arousal is labeled with an emotion such as love we are more likely to experience love when we are physiologically aroused for any reason. 

Pheromones

odorless chemicals processed by brain influence choice of sexual partner. More likely to be attracted to someone with pheromones different from our own, and thus likely to be genetically different

Neurotransmitters

chemicals released from one nerve cell to another nerve cell can cause cravings to be with a partner