human sexuality exam 3

Does sexuality begin at birth?

Yes. Sexuality has roots in infancy; researchers have observed physical sexual responses and curiosity even in very young children.

How does childhood sexual behavior differ from adults?

Motivation & Intent. Childhood behaviors (like "playing doctor") are driven by body curiosity and exploration rather than mature sexual scripts or intent

Define Puberty and its three timing categories.

Puberty is the stage of physical/hormonal maturation.

It is Typical (average age), Precocious (very early), or Delayed (late).

Define Menarche

Menarche: A person's first menstrual period.

Define Spermarche.

Spermarche: A male's first ejaculation

What are "Sexual Scripts"?

Social Blueprints. These are learned rules from culture, peers, and media that tell us how we are "supposed" to act in sexual situations.

How does society view older adult sexuality vs. reality?

The Asexual Myth. Society often stereoypes seniors as uninterested in sex, but many remain sexually active and interested throughout their lives.

What are the 3 main influences on aging sexuality?

1. Biological (hormones/illness), 2. Psychological (feeling "old"), and 3. Social (living environment/privacy).

What is Abstinence Only sex education?

Teaches that sex should only occur within marriage and often omits information on contraception or safer sex.

What is Abstinence Plus sex education?

Encourages waiting/abstinence as the best choice but provides information on contraception and STI prevention.

What is Comprehensive sex education?

A model covering a wide range of topics including relationships, consent, and health, aiming for well-rounded sexual development.

What is a Paraphilia?

A recurring sexual interest. This refers to intense sexual arousal toward nonhuman objects, suffering/humiliation, or nonconsenting persons.

Paraphilia vs. Paraphilic Disorder?

Harm and Distress. A paraphilia is an interest; it becomes a Disorder only if it causes distress/impairment to the person or involves harm to others.

What is Fetishism?

Object-based arousal. Sexual focus on nonliving objects (like shoes) or highly specific non-genital body parts.

What is Transvestic Disorder?

Cross-dressing for arousal. This involves recurrent sexual arousal from wearing clothes of another gender, causing significant distress or impairment

Exhibitionism vs. Strip Club Performers?

Consent. Exhibitionists seek arousal by exposing genitals to nonconsenting strangers; performers work in environments where exposure is expected.

What is Voyeurism?

Watching others. Observing an unsuspecting person who is naked, disrobing, or engaging in sexual activity for the purpose of arousal.

Define Frotteurism.

Touching without consent. Seeking sexual arousal by touching or rubbing against a nonconsenting person, often in crowded public places.

Sexual Masochism vs. Sadism?

Pain roles. Masochism is arousal from being humiliated/beaten; Sadism is arousal from the physical or psychological suffering of others

DSM Pedophilia vs. Legal Sex Abuse?

Fantasy vs. Action. The DSM defines pedophilia as the urge or fantasy involving prepubescent children; sex abuse is the legal act of harm.

What is Orgasmic Reconditioning?

Psychological treatment. A technique where a person switches their fantasy to a more "conventional" one right at the moment of orgasm to retrain arousal.

How is Sexual Dysfunction defined

A significant disturbance in a person's ability to respond sexually or to experience sexual pleasure.

What 2 conditions are needed for a diagnosis?

The symptoms must be persistent (lasting 6+ months) and cause significant distress.

What are the 4 specifiers for dysfunction?

Lifelong (always had it) vs. Acquired (started later); Situational (only sometimes) vs. Global (every time).

What is the Dual Control Model?

Brain has two systems: Excitatory (gas pedal) and Inhibitory (brakes). Dysfunction happens when brakes are too high or gas is too low.

What is "Spectatoring"

Mentally "stepping outside" oneself during sex to monitor performance, which kills arousal and focus.

Define Barlow's Model of Cognitive Interference.

A feedback loop where anxiety leads to focusing on nonsexual cues, which causes performance failure and more anxiety.

What is a "Sexual Desire Discrepancy"

When partners have different levels of desired frequency for sex; it's considered a couple-level problem, not an individual disorder

What is the PLISSIT Model?

A hierarchy of treatment: Permission, Limited Information, Specific Suggestions, and Intensive Therapy

What are Sensate Focus exercises?

A behavioral technique where partners touch each other to focus on sensation, strictly forbidding intercourse or orgasm at first.

What are the "StopStart" and "Squeeze" techniques?

Physical methods used to treat premature ejaculation by training the person to recognize and delay the point of "ejaculatory inevitability."

What is Vaginismus?

Involuntary contractions of the pelvic floor muscles that make penetration painful or impossible; often treated with dilators

What did Lawrence v. Texas (2003) establish?

Privacy Rights. It invalidated sodomy laws across the US, making same-sex sexual activity legal and protecting intimate consensual conduct under the 14th Amendment.

What are the 5 components of valid consent?

Consent must be: 1. Free/Voluntary, 2. Clear/Informed, 3. Affirmative/Communicated, 4. Ongoing/Mutual, and 5. Able/Capable (sober/awake)

Sexual Assault vs. "Forcible Rape"?

Sexual Assault is a broader term for any nonconsensual sexual contact; we avoid "forcible rape" because it wrongly implies that a victim must physically fight back for it to count.

What are the 5 motivations for sexual violence?

Identified by Beech et al. (2006): 1. Dangerous World, 2. Uncontrollable Male Drive, 3. Entitlement, 4. Women as Sex Objects, and 5. Women as Unknowable.

Quid Pro Quo vs. Hostile Environment?

Quid Pro Quo: "This for that" (a boss offering a promotion for sex). Hostile Environment: Pervasive, unwelcome conduct (like jokes or touching) that makes work unbearable.

Define Miller v. California (1973) 3- part test.

Determines Obscenity: 1. Appeals to "prurient" interest, 2. Shows "patently offensive" sexual conduct, and 3. Lacks serious Literary, Artistic, Political, or Scientific value.

Sex Trafficking vs. Prostitution?

Trafficking involves force, fraud, or coercion; Prostitution is the exchange of sexual services for money (though researchers note these often overlap).

The "Damaged Goods" Hypothesis?

The incorrect idea that people only enter the sex industry or porn because of past trauma; research shows motivations are often financial or related to autonomy.

Pornography's "undeniable" negative effect?

Unrealistic Expectations. It spreads misconceptions about body types, "perfect" performance, and the ease of achieving certain sexual outcomes.

Earnest vs. Hostile Harassment?

Earnest: Harasser thinks they are "wooing" the victim. Hostile: Openly misogynistic/aggressive. Paternalistic: Seeing women as fragile; Competitive: Seeing women as threats.