Psychology 2076

UWO, first exam

What is sexuality

Ambiguous: having sex, biological sex, gender identify

biological sex

features related to femaleness, maleness (X Y chromosomes, hormones, genitals)

sex (activity)

activity involving behaviours that are expression of sexual arousal/ desire that results in feelings of arousal/ desire

sexuality

sexual orientation

SIECCAN sexuality

knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, values, desires, pleasures, and behaviours broader than act or gender

SERC sexuality

our understanding of our own sexuality is ever-changing and unique, broader than SIECCAN definition

gender

socialized, cultural features related to femininity, masculinity, and gender diversity (van Anders, 2015)

binary notion

assigned male/ female at birth and will stay that way

gender/sex

no clear cut lines

-identities, whole people, some specific aspects of people can reflect gender and sex in ways that is sometimes entangled and sometimes not

gender/ sex majority vs gender/ sex minority

higher socioeconomic status vs lower socioeconomic status, not related to commonality

Ethnocentrism

judging other cultures solely by the values and standards of one's own culture

scientific theory

a framework that organizes knowledge from multiple observations and experimental evidence about phenomenon so it can be better understood

theoretical approach

can be challenged and modified based on new evidence, makes it possible for us to formally talk about sexuality, no single theory can encompass all of human sexuality they work together to provide a comprehensive understand

Operant Conditioning (Skinner)

a process through which an individual's behaviour is modified by its consequences or reinforcement

operant conditioning applied to sex

when new behaviour results in encouraging reinforcement, feeling of accomplishment for reinforcement changes

-rewards and punishments can share our experience

e.g., using lube increases pleasure, continue using lube to get the reward

social learning theory (rotter and bandura)

based on the idea that human behaviour is learned by observing and modelling other people's behaviour, attitudes, and outcomes

social learning theory applied to sex

applied when learning about safe sex so you practice safe sex

cognitive theories

theories that attempt to understand human behaviour by focusing on thought processes, recognizes out thoughts are subject to a number of misconceptions, distortions, false assumptions, and error in evaluating situations or info

cognitive theories applied to sex

useful in explaining sexual problems and patterns of behaviour and how to deal with them using CBT

CBT and sex

changing a thought, behaviour, feeling, changes the other, replace negative thoughts with healthy realistic thoughts

e.g., woman thinking she is inadequate for not orgasm from penetration but only believing she can though penetration therapist would point out misconceptions and try to change thoughts with new info

genetic theory

looks at roles genes play in influencing behaviours

how genetics influence sexuality

hormone production, reproductive cycles, sexual orientation, gender/ sex identity

genetic theory applied to sex

sexual orientation, how common both are homosexual:

-Identical twins 52%

-Siblings 15%

-Adoptive 6%

shows genes may play a role, need more research

concordance rate

chances one person has a trait given that another has it

-if rate is the same regardless of DNA relation, genetics do not play a role

social constructionist theories

we are influenced by environmental construction not just biology

includes social script theory, feminist theory, queer theory, motivational theory

social script theory

based on the idea that our social interactions tend to follow, or heavily influenced by, predefined, culturally recognizable sequences of behaviour

traditional sexual script (TSS)

suggests that there are specific sequences of behaviour that, based on societal beliefs and values, individuals consider appropriate for particular sexual situations

e.g., we know when a movie shows couple kissing and undressing in bedroom and fade out we know what is happening

cons of TSS

boredom, misconceptions

feminist theory of sexuality

mainstream: examines inequalities of women and women's relationships and their effects on women's and men's sexuality

recent: inequalities surrounding gender/ sex and intersecting identities

feminist theories on sexual scripts

argue that sexual scripts reflect privilege of cisgender heterosexual men

e.g., focus on vaginal intercourse, men's pleasure, and pathologizing women's low desire (desire discrepancy), until 1983 it was legal for a man to sexually assault wife

queer theory

emerged 1990s from feminist and queer studies

-challenges notions of gender, sexual orientation, and sexual behaviours as social constructs embedded within society and offers a framework to critically examine research and ideas by highlighting that identities and experiences are not fixed nor categorical

-tackles what is "normal"

motivational theory

asks why do people hav sex?

social determination theory

we have sex because

intrinsic- attraction to partner, psychological reasons, self-determined and autonomous reasons, satisfaction with behaviour and want to do it again

extrinsic- meeting expectations, rooted in motivation from others (society, partner, etc.)

why theories are important

help us study and understand human sexuality, one phenomenon can be explained different by diff theories

different theories on premature ejaculation

operant conditioning: focus on pleasure partner is enjoying rather than themselves

cognitive: examine thoughts that increase ejaculation, try to think of things to delay it e.g., sing national anthem

biological- linked to genetic function, neurotransmitter function, penile sensitivity, could provide serotonin inhibitor or numbing cream

feminist: explore if there is something about partner being a woman that affects performance

queer: why is premature ejaculation even a problem? does it define masculinity? challenge these ideas

federally legal gay marriage

-began in 2003 when PM asked SCC to legalize

-2005 legalized

-canada 4th

-US took until 2015

-1969 homosexuality was illegal

-shifted to gay allowed to serve in army

-to legalization of marriage

-against section 15 of charter of rights to deny protections that hetero couples have

homosexuality in DSM

-descriptions, symptoms, and material used for diagnoses

-DSM 1 published in 1952 and had same gender attraction and transition are a disorder

Kinsey report

-interviews with men and women

-collected sex histories with wide variety of people

-assumed people had done everything to get them to share without judgement

-non-random samples

results of Kinsey report

• 37% of men and 13% of women had at least some same gender/sex sexual experiences to orgasm

• 10% of men were exclusively gay

• For women, 2-6% for more or less exclusively same gender/sex experience and response

• 4% of men and 1-3% of women had been exclusively same gender/sex orientated after onset of adolescence up to the time of the interview

-challenged idea that women are uninterested in sex

Kinsey report- various techniques of female masturbation

stimulating clitoris or labia, thigh pressure or muscle tension, breast and genital stimulation, vaginal insertion, fantasy alone

Kinsey report- extramarital or premarital sexual activities

men: 23-37%

women- 26% by age of 40

masters and Johnson

first systematic, large-scale study of human sexual response

-observed and measured sexual response

-not ethnically diverse

-mens and women's cycles are similar but women have wider rage

-both made up of excitement, plateau, orgasm, resolution

-men have refractory period

portrays of diverse sexualities and gender in media

-first kiss between women happened in 1991, for men in 1960

-first trans superhero 2019

-some say portrays are stereotypical

portrays of racial/ ethnic diversity

-in 1996 80% of Hollywood roles were white

-black men given roles with sex without intimacy, music videos more sexualized, poses danger to black women who are likely to model what they see

safer-sex messages in the media

fantasy model of sex portrayed in media today

-can be good but idealizing unsafe sex behaviours can be dangerous

-youth with high frequency of viewing sexual content had higher probability of initiating sex at a one year follow up compared to those with low frequency

-also more sex education in media

toplessness in women

-illegal US

-illegal in Canada until 1996 when Jacobs won SCC case

-sexist for it too be illegal · because we have same parts as men the only difference is sexualization

Psychodynamic theory (Freud)

can help bring parts of an individual's personality to conscious awareness in order to examine, correct, and balance any disruptions

psychodynamic 3 parts of personality

id, ego, superego

Psychodynamic stages of first 6 years of life

explains personality formation as a result of transition through oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital

Oedipus complex

boy's falling in love with his mother and wanting to eliminate father to secure mother's attention