PSY 145 Study Guide - Summer 2018, Comprehensive Midterm Notes - Uterus, Sexual Arousal, Orgasm
PSY 145
MIDTERM EXAM
STUDY GUIDE
Fall 2018
An Overview of Human Sexuality
Sexuality is…
As central aspect of being human
Biological sex, gender identity, gender roles
Sexual orientation
Eroticism, pleasure, and intimacy
Reproduction
Sexuality is expressed through…
Thoughts, fantasies, and desires
Beliefs, values, and attitudes
Behaviors, roles, and relationships.
Where do we learn about Human Sexuality?
In the US, most say they’ve learned through friends and the media – rather than
parents, sex education, or other sources.
On US television, 2/3 of shows contain sexual content, with only one instance of
preventative behavior for every 9 instances of sexual behavior.
Then of course, there’s the internet…
Where have you learned about Human Sexuality?
Study of sexuality (sexology) is only a fairly recent phenomena in the US, but has existed
in other cultures and earlier times
Knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors vary by culture – culture teaches us about human
sexuality.
Re-Cap
Most learned about human sexuality from our peers, personal experience, and the
internet
Some learn from sex education or “health education” classes.
Very few learn from our parents, books, or professionals.
oNot all books are textbooks!
Science of Sexuality
Got off to a slow start in the US, due to a lot of cultural repression.
Tremendous backlash for studying sex
Still at the descriptive stage, regarding a lot of the variance in human sexuality
behavior… but it’s all normal.
Human Sexuality and the Disease Model of Health
There has been a historic tendency to see sexual health as the absence of disease, and
the absence of dysfunction (and the absence of abnormality).
There is a growing base of practitioners who focus on sexual health that celebrates
sexuality and sensual pleasure, though.
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Sex hasn’t always been associated with sin and guilt. Pre-Christian religions often regarded sex
as a celebration and as a form of worship. Sex was seen as mirroring the sensual power of Gods.
Sex toys came before the wheel. What is primarily interesting is that since nearly the beginning
of time there have been ancient phallic stones that were found that were used for what it
seems during special occasions other than masturbation.
History of Human Sexuality…
Human Sexuality has been around for a long time
Different cultural perspectives have had different perspectives about attractiveness,
purity, monogamy, and various sexual behaviors.
Only in recent history has sexuality gotten so simultaneously permissive and repressed…
Early Sex Research
Henry Havelock Ellis (1859-1939)
Case histories and cross cultural studies
Published seven volumes of Studies in the Psychology of Sex – Argued masturbation,
Homosexuality were normal.
Robert Latou Dickinson (1861-1950)
Gynecologist, took sexual histories of Patients, also proponent of masturbation being
normal, woman-on-top position.
Inspired Kinsey, years later.
Alfred Kinsey (1894-1956)
Conducted TONS of pioneering research
Has an Institute of Sex Research named after him
>10,000 interviews
His work documented that most people masturbated, that many engaged in oral sex,
that women were capable of multiple orgasms, and that many men were MSM (men
having sex with men).
Public backlash, lost funding, and died within 2 years…
Masters (1915-2001) and Johnson (1925-2013)
The largest laboratory studies of sexual activity to date.
>700 men and women observed, >10,000 sexual activities.
Opened a sexual therapy clinic, and trained many other therapists.
Fundamental physiology of sex, arousal, and orgasm.
FOR NEXT CLASS: fact check how long the average male/female orgasm lasts
STOP END OF DAY 1
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
In the us, most say they"ve learned through friends and the media rather than parents, sex education, or other sources. On us television, 2/3 of shows contain sexual content, with only one instance of preventative behavior for every 9 instances of sexual behavior. Study of sexuality (sexology) is only a fairly recent phenomena in the us, but has existed in other cultures and earlier times. Knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors vary by culture culture teaches us about human sexuality. Most learned about human sexuality from our peers, personal experience, and the internet. Some learn from sex education or health education classes. Very few learn from our parents, books, or professionals: not all books are textbooks! Got off to a slow start in the us, due to a lot of cultural repression. Still at the descriptive stage, regarding a lot of the variance in human sexuality behavior but it"s all normal. Human sexuality and the disease model of health.
