Chapter 7

Summary:

Chapter 7 discusses sexuality and sexual expression throughout life. This begins by covering the topics of sexuality and human development. Within this part of the chapter we define sexual identity as our awareness of ourselves as male or female and the ways in which we express our sexual values, attitudes, feelings, and beliefs. This then goes on to identify the different sexual orientations including homosexuals, heterosexuals, bisexuals, asexuals, transsexuals, intersexuals, and transvestites. In order to classify ourselves as one of these sexual orientations this section also talks about what determines sexual orientation such as biological theories and social constructionist theories. Benokraitis also defines sexual scripts in this section. Sexual scripts specify the formal or informal norms for legitimate or unacceptable sexual activity, the eligibility of sexual partners, and the boundaries of sexual behavior. Within this description she talks about both gender and sexual scripts and race ethnicity and sexual scripts. Chapter 7 also discusses the double standard where it talked about sexual revolution, sexual assaults, and sexual dysfunctions. The next major part of this chapter discusses why people have sex and includes topics such as why people have sex for the first time, sex involved in committed relationships, and how much we know about sex. This then segues into the different people who influence sexual behaviors such as parents, peers and siblings, religion, media and pop culture, and sex education. Also within this chapter is a discussion of sexual behaviors including flirting, kissing, autoeroticism (the arousal of sexual feeling without an external stimulus), oral and anal sex, and sexual intercourse. After that, the chapter also discusses sexuality throughout life such as virginity and abstinence, sex and adolescents, sex and singles, sex in marriage, sex during the middle years, and sex and the later life, which focuses on people around 57 and over. Chapter 7 concludes by discussing gay, lesbian, and bisexual sex and sexually transmitted infections, HIV, and AIDS.

What was interesting/what did I learn:

I found the statistics that dealt with how informed adolescents are about sexton be the most intriguing. By the age of 13 I had already taken a health class that had discussed topics of the most effective of pregnancy prevention, and how to obtain other preventative methods. It was the fact that only one-third could identify that birth control pills are the most effective, and beyond that it was even more of a shock that 50% believed that it was illegal for youth under 16 to buy condoms. Although I’m opposed to children at that young of an age being presented with this material, I’m more shocked that it seems like no one even tries to educate them. Personally I feel like it might be parents faults but it is also society’s because like the saying goes, “it takes a village to raise a child.”

Question:

How possible do you think it is that one of the main causes for the statistics being so high is from peers? I feel like if I used my peers as my primary source of knowledge, I would never know what is actually true and what is an educated guess.