Sexuality and human development -- The chapter begins by discussing the sexual identities (awareness of sex and expression of sexual values attitudes, feelings, and beliefs), orientations (preference for sexual partner), and scripts (norms for legitimate or unacceptable sexual activity), specifically with respect to psychology, biology, and sociology. It discusses the history of the double standard (whereby a husband is allowed to have extramarital affairs but a wife is not) in terms of the sexual revolution of the 1960's and 1970's.
Why we have sex -- This section shows that people have sex for a number of different reasons. People most often have sex for the first time for interpersonal reasons (communication of affection), but also because of peer pressure, parental inputs, and structural factors (e.g. family structure). In relationships, sex is about intimacy -- it is an expression of love.
Who influences our sexual behavior -- This section analyzes how we learn sexual norms differently from parents, peers, siblings, religions, the media and popular culture, and sex education programs in schools.
Sexual behaviors -- This section widens the domain of sex from sexual intercourse to other sexual behaviors such as flirting, kissing, autoeroticism, oral and anal sex.
Sexuality throughout life -- This section discusses experiences and perceptions of sex within certain groups, such as virgins, adolescents, single people, married people, middle-aged people, and older people, noting particular differences. For example, many adolescents who are having sex for the first time sex is not enjoyable, but for married couples who have sex it is enjoyable.
Sexual Infidelity -- This section discusses the different types of infidelities, showing that there is not just one type of being unfaithful. One can be unfaithful emotionally, such as meeting with someone without their partner knowing, or can occur online, such as online dating while in a relationship.
Gay, lesbian, and bisexual sex -- This section discusses who gays, lesbians and bisexuals are and how they behave sexually. It also discusses their acceptance and rejection (e.g. homophobia) within different countries, including their place in media.
STIs, Hiv, and Aids -- This section is an overview of Sexually Transmitted Infections, showing how they are contracted, how many people experience their symptoms, as well as how to prevent them.
What I learned
Before reading this chapter I thought that no sex norms exist. It is true that there are no norms that regulate when sex should and should not occur with respect to relationships, but I learned from this chapter that there are sex norms that exist around these issues -- for example, norms within certain groups that encourage individual's sexualization, or that sexual behaviors such as kissing are socially normal and not shared with all cultures.
Questions/Concerns
pg. 170 -- it is blatantly false that many people dismiss rape as merely masculine misbehavior rather than as a criminal assault.
The book's macro-level reasons for why there exists infidelity are not reasons for why people are unfaithful, they are reasons for why it is easier for people to chose to be unfaithful and they do not even affect society's sex norms. To understand macro-level impacts on sex behavior, it is most important to examine the changing of sex norms through the 1960-70's sexual revolution discussed in section one of the chapter.
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