psy5240 exam 4

human sxuality

relationships and geography

relationships and geography

-you are more likely to meet someone who lives close by than across town (geography)

-study found more than half of participants met at school, work, church, or a party

-Mere-exposure effect – repeated exposure to any stimulus, including a person, leads to greater liking for that stimulus (time)

attractiveness and dating history

women: deemed more attractive have more dates

men: attractiveness is more based on their success than looks

• looks r important for men towards women then it is for women evaluating men

homophily

the tendency to have contact with people who are equal in social status.

• matching phenomenon

• race/ethnicity, education/SES, age, and religion [in that order]

  -  We get positive reinforcement from others agreeing with us

  -Others’ agreement bolsters our sense of rightness

  • We anticipate positive interactions with those people

interpersonal marketplace

choosing partners whose social worth matches our own.

• their attractiveness and success is highly coordinated with their partners

• women rated most attractive in high school were more likely to have husbands with high income and education.

reinforcement theory

Byrne’s law of attraction

• our attraction to another person is based on the reinforcements outweighing the punishments

• more simplified: we like people who are nice to us frequently more than people who are not.

-preferring people who are similar to us because the interaction is rewarding.

• we prefer people who are similar (race, education, age, religion) and are good looking

how intimacy affects relationships

• Involves commitment, feelings of closeness and trust, and self-disclosure

In intimate relationships the focus is often on closeness and sharing in three areas

• Affective: feelings

• Cognitive: thoughts

• Physical: touching (not necessarily sexual)

intimacy and self-disclosure

Self-disclosure – involves telling your partner some personal information about yourself

• leads to reciprocity

• couples that practice self-disclosure are more satisfied

• promotes intimacy

• self-disclosure of emotions are heavily related to intimacy

Components of triangular theory of love

Robert Sternberg

3 parts:

• Intimacy:

  The emotional component of love

• Passion:

The motivational component of love

• Decision or commitment:

The cognitive component of love

triangular theory of love cont.

-top point of triangle is intimacy, left is passion, right is decision

-shows how people can be well matched or mismatched

-when there is a good match between the partners love, they are more satisfied

• mismatched triangles show dissatisfaction in the relationship

attachment theory of love

• Based on research with infant attachment to parents

- These early bonds, whether secure and pleasant or insecure and unpleasant, profoundly affect us for the rest of our lives, particularly with regards to forming loving attachments to others as adults

3 styles of attachment:

• secure lovers

• fearful or avoidant lovers

• preoccupied or anxious-ambivalent lovers

secure lovers

-Find it easy to get close to others and are comfortable having others close to them

-Mutual dependency feels right to them

-Do not fear abandonment

• 53% of adults

fearful or avoidant lovers

• Are uncomfortable feeling close to another person or having that person feel close to them

• Find it difficult to trust or depend on a partner

- 26% of adults

preoccupied or anxious-ambivalent lovers

• Want desperately to get close to a partner but often find the partner does not reciprocate the feelings, perhaps A-A lovers scare others away

• Are insecure in relationships, worry that the partner does not love them

-20% of adults

intent vs impact

intent:

• what the speaker means

impact:

• what the other person thinks you mean

effect communication occurs when the speakers impact matches their intent.

intersectionality

Simultaneously considering the meaning and consequences of multiple categories of identity differences, and disadvantages

-race,gender, social class, sexuality

gender binary

concept of gender only having two categories , male and female.

how does one adopt the beliefs and customs of a new culture?

-acculturation

nonverbal cues

-ability to read body language

-women are better at this

-men and women differ verbally and nonverbally

which gender is more likely to want emotional involvement before premarital intercourse?

women

stereotype

a generalization about a group of people that distinguishes them from others

gender role

set of norms, or culturally defined expectations, that define how people of one gender ought to behave

socialization

• The ways in which society conveys to the individual its norms or expectations for his or her behavior

gender identity

the individual and psychological sense of maleness or femaleness

sexual identity

develops during adolescence and becomes fixed

-you sense of self in relation to you sexuality

-gender identity and sexual orientation

-straight, gay, bi, pan

sexual orientation

–        A person’s erotic and emotional orientation toward members of his or her own gender or members of the other gender

coming out

–        The process of acknowledging to oneself, and then to others, that one is gay or lesbian

homophobia

–        A strong, irrational fear of homosexuals; negative attitudes and reactions to homosexuals

anti-gay prejudice

–        Negative attitudes and behaviors toward gays and lesbians that do not rise to the level of homophobia

native american tribes and third gender

-two spirit: manly hearted women

• exceptionally independent and aggressively could take on

-beyond male and female

• women could express masculine traits and activities while dressing and living as a women.

how do men and women differ in aggressiveness?

• Men are generally more aggressive

• True for all types of aggression (physical, verbal, fantasy)

-True for all ages (most pronounced in preschool age children – gets less so in adulthood)

• -men are taught to take the lead

• -women are taught to be chaste and not engage in sex

how do men and women differ in communication style?

-they differ verbally and non-verbally

• -women are better at reading non-verbal cues

• -men tend to not communicate their needs verbally

how do men and women differ in masturbatory behavior and porn?

-men are more likely to masturbate

-men are more likely to use porn

• men and women respond similarly to erotic material, but sometimes women are unaware of their own arousal

how do researchers get the most honest answers from women in research?

in self reports men tend to exaggerate while women minimize their responses

• the bogus pipeline gave the most honest reporting from women and men

• the bogus pipeline hooks them up to a fake polygraph or lie detector machine.

what parts of the female gender role can interfere with their sexual functioning?

• our culture has tighter restrictions on a womens sexuality than men

• double standard

-female have a less obvious arousal response than men causing them to be less aware of their own arousal

-the word clitoris is missing from sex textbooks, talks from parents and teachings

-because women’s gentials are hidden they are less likely to masturbate and develop their full sexual potential.

LGB verbal abuse

55% report experiencing verbal harassment

28% are verbally harassed by family members

• -these incidents take a psychological toll

how gender stereotypes in the media affect young girls and boys

-shows male and females in stereotypical gender roles

• the messages reinforced childrens stereotyped ideas on gender

• toys are gendered in kids minds

• videos games show men are violent and women as hookers or sexual objects

sexual fluidity

changes that occur over time in sexual attraction, identity, and behavior

• bisexual to lesbian

how are gay and lesbian relationships different from straight?

they do not vary from heterosexual relationships

how have homosexuals been treated during different periods of time?

-discrimination was institutionalized

1980: some states laws were passed to prohibit housing discrimination

1990 congress passed hate crimes statistics act

• the federal gov. has not passed any laws banning discrimination

gay and lesbian parenting

-gay fathers better adjust with kids than straight

• many kids with gay parents grow up to be straight

• gay parents can develop healthy kids just the same as straight

stress of hiding ones sexuality

higher rates of depression and suicide attempts

how do prenatal hormones affect sexuality?

prenatal hormones (androgen) influences the brain and can reflect sexual orientation

-high levels of androgen cause an attraction to women (mostly males)

lower levels of androgen can cause an attraction to men(mostly females)

normal to paraphilia

A mild, or even a strong preference for an object is within the normal range of sexual behavior, but is abnormal if it becomes an extreme necessity

-abnormal behavior is rare and not practiced by many

paraphilia

sexual activities other than normal sex with consenting adults.

-unusual, unconventional sexual behavior

Effects:

• Injury to partner (sadism, pedophilia)

• Arrest/incarceration (job loss, divorce)

• Self-injury (masochism)

• Social/sexual relationships may suffer (unwilling partner)

• Unusual behavior may become major activity (exhibitionistic acts, fetish objects)

• Death

how individuals with fetishes behave and what they might collect

fixation on some object rather than a human, and attach great erotic significance to that item

collect:

• cross-dressing

• womens underwear, bras, stockings, shoes or other clothing items

• media materials

• or objects

behave:

• holding,rubbing, smelling an object

• asking partner to wear an item

• perfer or require item during sex

transexual

relating to a transgender person or someome who had. sex reassignment

transvestite

Simply involves dressing as a member of the other gender (NOT ABNORMAL)

• Transsexuals while in transition

• Drag queen

• Drag kings

• Female impersonators

• Perhaps adolescent boys expressing confusion and frustration

transvestic fetishism

the individual has recurrent and intense sexual arousal from cross-dressing, as manifested by fantasies, urges, or behavior

• cause significant distress or impairment in life

• masturbate while cross dressed

why is the term sexual addiction criticized?

the term addiction has very specific definitions among perfessionals and the term for sexual addiction to not meet the definition in some ways.

• no physical withdrawl symptoms

• addiction can come from illegal or destructive behavior

S & M behavior

• Dominance and submission

• An interaction that involves a consensual exchange of power – the dominant partner uses his or her power to control and sexually stimulate the passive partner

• Master/slave, naughty child

why do non-true sadist and masochists engage in SM behavior?

• Is rare as a sexual disorder

• More common in milder, nonparaphiliac forms

• Fantasies of behavior are more common than actual behavior

• Partners usually engage in both roles

• Men report being interested since childhood

• Women report being introduced to the behavior by their partner

why do people engage in masochist behavior?

• not precisely known

• learning theory: experiencing punishment as a child or whenever and gettin aroused from it reinforces the behavior

• learning to associate pain with sexual arousal

what is the suggested strategy for encounter an exhibitionist?

-exposes genitals to unsuspecting person or stranger

• remain calm and suggest they should seek professional help

• they get aroused off the shocked reaction from strangers

what is most likely for a voyeur to engage in and what turns him on?

• arousal from watching an unsuspecting person undressing themselves

hypersexuality

Refers to an excessive, insatiable sex drive in either a man or a woman; leads to compulsive sexual behavior; person is never satisfied by behavior

men: satyriasis

women: nymphomania

asphyxiophilia

• Involves creating or enhancing sexual arousal by cutting off one’s oxygen supply

-Strangulation by a rope around the neck

-Pillow against the face

-  Plastic bag over the head

- Is a very dangerous behavior

- Death rate of between 250 to 1000 per year in U.S.

frotteurist

the individual has recurrent and intense sexual arousal from touching or rubbing against a nonconsenting person, as manifested by fantasies, urges, or behavior

• Occurs in crowded places – subways, elevators, buses

• Perpetrator:

  • Rubs genitals against victim’s thighs/buttocks

  • Fantasizes about loving, caring relationship

  • Could fondle genitalia or breasts with hands (technically toucherism)

necrophiliac

sex with a dead body

exhibitionist

sexual arousal from the exposure of one’s genitals to an unsuspecting individual

• Sometimes masturbates while exposing himself

• Generally makes no attempt to have contact

• Accounts for most of the arrests for sex crimes

• May have desire to shock the victim

asexuality and textbook statements

–        The absence of a sexual orientation – a person whose sexual orientation is toward neither men nor women

• Defined as a lack of sexual attraction to a person of either sex

• Different from not engaging in sexual behavior

• Asexuals are also different from celibates

• May be a disorder rather than a paraphilia (2006)

•      the authors think of them as having a sexual variation

love as a story

• love is war

• garden story (love needs ongoing cultivation)

  • associated with high satisfaction

• business story (employer and employee)

• horror (terrorizer and victim)