The Psychology of Human Sexuality

Anal sex

Penetration of the anus by an animate or inanimate object.

Androgyny

Having both feminine and masculine characteristics.

Bisexual

Attraction to two sexes.

Case study

An in-depth and objective examination of the details of a single person or entity.

Cisgender

When a person's birth sex corresponds with his/her gender identity and gender role.

Coital sex

Vaginal-penile intercourse.

Cunnilingus

Oral stimulation of the female's external sex organs.

Dizygotic twins

Twins conceived from two ova and two sperm.

Fellatio

Oral stimulation of the male's external sex organs.

Five stages of psychosexual development

Oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital

Gender

The psychological and sociological representations of one's biological sex.

Gender identity

Personal depictions of masculinity and femininity.

Gender roles

Societal expectations of masculinity and femininity.

Heterosexual

Opposite-sex attraction.

Homosexual

Same-sex attraction.

Intersex

Born with either an absence or some combination of male and female reproductive organs,

sex hormones, or sex chromosomes.

Masochism

Receiving pain from another person to experience pleasure for one's self.

Masturbation

Tactile stimulation of the body for sexual pleasure.

Monozygotic twins

Twins conceived from a single ovum and a single sperm, therefore genetically identical.

Oral sex

Cunnilingus or fellatio.

Paraphilic disorders

Sexual behaviors that cause harm to others or one's self.

Replacement fantasy

Fantasizing about someone other than one's current partner.

Sadism

Inflicting pain upon another person to experience pleasure for one's self.

Safer-sex practices

Doing anything that may decrease the probability of sexual assault, sexually transmitted

infections, or unwanted pregnancy; this may include using condoms, honesty, and

communication.

Sexual attraction

The capacity a person has to elicit or feel sexual interest.

Sex

An organism's means of biological reproduction.

Sexual consent

Permission that is voluntary, conscious, and able to be withdrawn at any time.

Sexual fluidity

Personal sexual attributes changing due to psychosocial circumstances.

Sexual literacy

The lifelong pursuit of accurate human sexuality knowledge, and recognition of its various

multicultural, historical, and societal contexts; the ability to critically evaluate sources and

discern empirical evidence from unreliable and inaccurate information; the acknowledgment

of humans as sexual beings; and an appreciation of sexuality's contribution to enhancing

one's well-being and pleasure in life.

Sexual orientation

A person's sexual attraction to other people.

Survey method

One method of research that uses a predetermined and methodical list of questions,

systematically given to samples of individuals, to predict behaviors within the population.

Transgender

A person whose gender identity or gender role does not correspond with his/her birth sex.

Transgender female (TGF)

A transgender person whose birth sex was male.

Transgender male (TGM)

A transgender person whose birth sex was female.

Vanilla sex

A description of what a culture regards as standard or conventional sexual practice.