Chapter 7: Sexuality and Sexual Expression Throughout Life

Summary:

The book discusses sexuality and sexual expression through life in this chapter. It begins with a debate on sexuality and human development. The first topic mentioned is sexual identity. Sexual identity is :our awareness of ourselves as male or female and the ways in which we express our sexual values, attitudes, feelings, and beliefs.” The next topic discussed is sexual orientation. There are four main sexual orientations (preferences for sexual partners).

· Homosexuals è Sexually attracted to someone of the same sex.

o One major point to mention here is the term heterosexism, which is “the belief that heterosexuality is superior to and more natural than homosexuality.” This is important to note as this fact causes many homosexuals to attempt to hide their sexual orientation in an attempt to avoid feelings of inferiority, prejudice, and discrimination.

· Heterosexuals è Sexually attracted to someone of the opposite sex.

· Bisexuals è Sexually attracted to someone of either sex.

· Asexuals è Lack of sexual interest.

Another important aspect mentioned here was the topic of transgendered individuals. There are three main subsections of this group that are covered in this chapter.

· Transsexuals è Individuals born one gender but live their lives as the opposite gender.

o This can be achieved either through the process of cross dressing or surgical intervention.

· Intersexuals è Individuals whose “medical classification at birth is not clearly male or female.”

o This term replaced the use of the term hermaphrodites.

· Transvestites è Individuals who cross dress at certain times but do not consider themselves as a member of the opposite sex.

The next section discussed covers the topic of sexual scripts. To begin with, a sexual script essentially specifies a norm for what is considered appropriate/inappropriate sexual activity, appropriate/inappropriate sexual partners, and appropriate/inappropriate boundaries of sexual behavior. Gender and race/ethnicity play key roles in determining and shaping one’s sexual scripts (for example, men are supposed to be masculine and women are supposed to be feminine is an example of a very simple sexual script on gender).

The next topic is the double standard revisited. The sexual double standard discusses how sexual intercourse (outside of marriage) is considered acceptable for men but unacceptable for women. There are multiple aspects of this discussed.

· Some scholars believe the sexual revolution dismantled the old sexual double standard and made sexual intercourse outside of marriage more acceptable for men and women.

· Other scholars believe the sexual revolution pressured women to be more sexually liberated than ever before, causing them to become “free sexual agents.”

The next topic covers why individuals have sex. The first subsection of this is why people have sex for the first time. Interpersonal relations are one possible reason individuals have sex for the first time, showing how relationships with a romantic partner play an important role in why people have sex for the first time. Additionally, peer pressure can lead individuals to feel pressured in having sex for the first time. Parental input, especially with the mother, can play a role in deterring or potentially unintentionally promoting sex for the first time. Lastly, structural factors, such as family difficulties, can lead to first time sex. Sex in committed relationships, however, plays different role. In short-term relationships, it can be a sign of love and/or affection. This is similar in long-term relationships as well, fostering an environment of interdependence between the partners.

Lastly, there are some key influences of sexual behavior. These include one’s parents, peers/siblings, religion, media/popular culture, and sexual education.

New/Interesting/Unusual Items Learned:

I thought that the section discussing the double standard was an interesting. There seems to be a great deal of disagreement on the idea of how sexual revolution played a role in today’s society, however (primarily in the aspect of women rather than men). The two main viewpoints held by scholars oddly are not simply different, but are almost polar opposite views of the topic.

Discussion:

An interesting topic to discuss would be why people have sex for the first time. Though the book seems to cover the topic fairly exhaustively, which of these factors (or for that matter there could be some factors not discussed in the book) play the most important role in promoting/deterring sex for the first time.

Karl Wahlen