Chapter 1 Why a Course in Human Sexuality?

Sexuality is more than “sex”! Sexual attitudes, feelings, and behaviors Dimension of personality Source of great physical and emotional pleasure

Learning about Sexuality

Consequences of Sexual Ignorance Early sexual behavior Teen pregnancy STDs

The Purpose of Sexuality Education Learning about reproduction and sexual health Feeling comfortable with personal sexuality Understanding own and partners’ bodies and emotions Increasing tolerance

Personal Reflections From whom (or from where) did you acquire most of your information about sex? Did your parents discuss sexuality with you? If not, why do you suppose they did not? From whom do you hope your children will learn about sexuality?

Sexual Knowledge Quiz Take a break to find out how well you do on the Sexual Knowledge Quiz The quiz is in your textbook as well as in the Chapter 1 Addendum presentation

Cross-cultural Comparisons What is normal? How is the answer to the above question influenced by ethnocentrism?

Sexual Attractiveness “Heads, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes” 9 Abkhazian men are aroused by seeing women’s armpits.Samoans consider the navel arousing. Knees are erotic in New Guinea but women’s breasts are not of sexual significance. Polynesian men are fascinated with the size, shape and consistency of female genitalia. Penis piercing is “old-school” in Borneo.

Fit or Fat? Time and Culture Decide  Rubens’ The Three Graces, painted in 1630, epitomized feminine beauty  How would the women be viewed by today’s standards?

Two Extremes and a Twist Inis Bae Eastern Tantric cultures South Pacific Mangaian s

Diversity Within the United States Acculturation, education and income levels determine many differences African-Americans European-Americans Asian-Americans

Personal Reflections Has your own cultural heritage affected your attitudes about sex? If so, how?

Historical Perspectives

Personal Reflections Christian views about sex were strongly influenced by Saint Augustine, who believed that the only legitimate reason to engage in sex was to have children. How do you feel about engaging in sex for pleasure?

History: Victorian Era Attitudes toward sex and masturbation; mixed messages about sexuality Psychiatrists (Richard von Kraft-Ebing) sex and disease link Kellogg and Graham development of foods to decrease sexual desire

Victorian Anti-masturbation Devices

The Sexual Revolution Women’s rights movement of the early 1900s Introduction of penicillin in 1940 to treat syphilis and gonorrhea Decreasing pregnancy concerns in 1960s related to birth control pill and IUD Changes in teen sexual activity and pregnancy by

New Pressures for a New Era Pressure to engage in premarital sex HIV/AIDS

Personal Reflections Did Saint Augustine’s and the Victorian’s views about sex seem strange or silly to you? Do you think people 100 years from now will think what we presently consider as “normal” to be strange?

What Influences Our Attitudes About Sex Today? Socialization Socializing agents What do you think are the most powerful socializing agents in today’s society?

The Media as Socializing Agent Magazine s and Tabloids MusicRadioMoviesInternet

Personal Reflections What effect have references to sex in music, and disc-jockey talk about sex had on your attitudes about sex? Have you ever wanted to be a rock star? Are rock stars sexier than other people? Why?

Television and the Internet Sexual content and prime time Day time television, sexual activity, and safe sex “Sex” searched term online

Personal Reflections How many of the movies and TV shows that you see contain sexual content (behaviors and talk about sex)? How many references a year do you think you see? What effect do you think this has had on your own sexual attitudes and behaviors?

Advertising  Many attempt to tell young adolescents that they are not ready for sex  Advertisements direct attitudes and beliefs of young people

Sexual Socialization: Cause and Effect?

Frequent sexual content on television has four major effects on viewers. Do you know what these are?

Balancing Sexual Messages European teens do not begin having sex earlier and their teen pregnancy rates are lower even though European television shows more nudity Europeans also advertise contraceptives and promote safer sex openly European parents talk more openly with their children about sex

Personal Reflections You have been bombarded with media messages about sexuality since early childhood. Do you suppose your attitudes about sex would be any different if you had been raised in a culture with no radio, movies, or television, or if the media presented a negative portrayal of sex?

Sex as Science: Researchers Sigmund Freud (1856 – 1939) Henry Havelock Ellis (1859 – 1939) Alfred C. Kinsey (1894 – 1956) Masters and Johnson (1954 – 1970s)

National Health and Social Life Survey 1989: Conservative politicians halt scientific study of 20,000 Americans 1992: Most comprehensive nationally representative survey to date 1990s: Similar studies in England and France provide cross-cultural comparisons

Scientific Methodology: Surveys and samples Survey Population Sample Random Sample Stratified Random Sample

Problems in Survey Studies

Personal Reflections Would you tell the truth on a survey about sexual behavior? What if you could answer anonymously? Why or why not?

More Research Methods Correlation is not the same as causation! Correlation Direct Observation Case Study

The Experimental Method Attempts to establish a cause-and-effect relationship Manipulates variable of interest (independent variable) while keeping all other factors same Randomly assigns Independent Variable (IV) Measures Dependent Variable (DV)

Sexuality Education Culturally dependent content  1900s – messages were moralistic and anti-sex, designed to repress sexual behavior and prevent STIs  1940s – normal, healthy sexuality should only be expressed in marriage

Sexuality Education How would you describe the message given today?

Battling over Curriculum Professional medical and public health organizations endorsements In 1996, Congress passed legislation to fund abstinence-only programs

Personal Reflections Do you believe that sexuality education should be taught in school? If not, why not? If so, at what level? Why?