ch 11.5 & 11.6- Sexual Motivation + Studying Sex

Evolution of Sexual Behaviours

many human sexual behaviours do not seem related to the biological purpose of sex

bonobos engage in sexual behaviour: missionary position, oral, masturbation, homosexual relations

Sex as a social communication tool: “nice to meet you, let’s have sex”

Sexual Behaviour

Libido: motivation for sexual activity/pleasure

Importance of confidentiality and anonymity makes people feel more likely to talk about things (still taboo)

Gender differences: females want more wealth than men, they need to be more selective due to reproductive systems (amount of eggs, cost of bearing children) men don’t biologically have the same ability in raising children

Beginnings of Sexology

Alfred Kinsley considered father of sexology, zoologist in 1930s

Kinsley Reports (1948, 1953): very conservative time period so he would document his research in his own attic, 1000s of people interviewed > sexual behaviour of the human male & female. Scandalous research, typically interviewed female sex workers. Overturned lots of myths (women not being sexual, homosexual encounters)

• Methods were poe by modern standards (bias samples, whoever was willing to talk ≠ general public, sometimes interviewed sexual predators breaching ethics)

• Kinsey Scale: sexual behaviour and orientation isn’t a binary choice, there’s a range of preferences

Physiological Measures of Sex

William Masters & Virginia Johnson (1966)

Sexual Response Cycle: the phases of physiological change during sexual activity 1) excitement: increase in heart rate and blood pressure 2) Plateau: heightened physiological arousal level off 3) Orgasm: another spike 4) Resolution: right down to base level

Motivations for Sex

College students identify a variety of motivations for sex (physical reasons, attaining a goal like a job or raise, emotional reasons like strengthening their relationship, alleviate insecurity like holding onto a partner who’s slipping away)

Physical, personal, and social factors emerged

other (non-college) populations listed:

Nurturant, stress relief, having children

Sexual behaviour persists into old age

Cultural Influences (3)

gender roles: accepted attitudes and behaviours of males and females in a given society

sexual scripts: set of rules and assumptions about the sexual behaviours of males and females

sex guilt: negative emotional feelings for having violated culturally accepted standards of appropriate sexual behaviour (not having sex before marriage > breaking that rule causes shame/guilt