SAMENVATTING SEXUALITY IN
PERSPECTIVE
INHOUDSOPGAVE
Introduction ........................................................................................................ 6
Chapter 1: What is sexuality? ............................................................................... 6
Definition of sexuality ................................................................................................. 6
What is human sexuality? ..............................................................................................................6
Sex: etymology .............................................................................................................................8
Sex: definition ...............................................................................................................................9
Sexuality: definition.......................................................................................................................9
Sex = sexual behaviour? .............................................................................................................. 10
Dimensions of sexuality .............................................................................................................. 11
Sexuality: definition(s) ................................................................................................................. 12
Sex defined by the media ......................................................................................................... 12
Sex defined by ‘psychiatrist’ ..................................................................................................... 12
Sex defined by ‘laws’ ............................................................................................................... 13
Sex defined by the ‘public health’ debate .................................................................................. 13
Sex defined by ‘moral standards’ .............................................................................................. 13
Sexuality is relational ............................................................................................................... 14
Sexuality is related to identidy .................................................................................................. 14
Definition(s) ............................................................................................................................ 14
Chapter 2: Anatomy and physiology ................................................................... 15
Sexual anatomy and physiology ................................................................................. 15
Sexual anatomy .......................................................................................................................... 16
Our (complex) relationship with our genitals ............................................................................. 16
Female genitals ................................................................................................................... 16
Male genitales ..................................................................................................................... 18
Sexual physiology ....................................................................................................................... 20
Woman ................................................................................................................................... 20
Orgasm in woman ................................................................................................................ 20
Man ........................................................................................................................................ 21
The veno-occlusive mechanism ............................................................................................ 21
Relaxation of the corpora cavernosa smooth muscle cells (NO) .............................................. 21
The 4 E’s of male sexual arousal ........................................................................................... 21
Sexual desire and sexual arousal ............................................................................... 22
Sexual response cycle ................................................................................................................. 22
Important conclusion .............................................................................................................. 22
Revised sexual response cycle ................................................................................................. 23
1
,Chapter 3: theories and models ......................................................................... 23
Theoretical perspectives........................................................................................... 23
Love and attraction ..................................................................................................................... 23
Ontology and epistemology ...................................................................................................... 23
Theories and models................................................................................................. 24
Bio-psycho-social approach ........................................................................................................ 24
Theories about sexuality .............................................................................................................. 24
Why do we have sex? .................................................................................................................. 24
Evolutionary perspectives ........................................................................................................ 24
Parentel investment ............................................................................................................. 25
Other theories and models....................................................................................................... 26
Freud’s psychoanalytic theory .............................................................................................. 26
Incentive motivation theory ...................................................................................................... 27
Push-pull model (incentive motivation) ................................................................................. 28
Chapter 4: Sex and the life cycle ........................................................................ 29
Questions ................................................................................................................ 29
Life course ............................................................................................................... 29
Sexual development ................................................................................................. 29
Theoretical models ................................................................................................... 30
Sexuality in childhood............................................................................................... 30
When does sexual development start? ......................................................................................... 31
Baby (0-1 year) ............................................................................................................................ 31
Toddler (1-3 years) ...................................................................................................................... 32
Children (3-6 years) ..................................................................................................................... 32
Primary school children (6-12 years) ............................................................................................ 33
Sexuality in the youth................................................................................................ 33
Adolescence and young adulthood (12-25 years) .......................................................................... 33
What is the mean age at which most adolescents have sexual intercourse for the first time? ....... 34
Sexpert enquete................................................................................................................... 34
Who ever in his/her life has had more than 1… sexual partner? ................................................... 35
Sexpert ................................................................................................................................ 36
Sex in adulthood ....................................................................................................... 36
Adulthood (25-50 years) .............................................................................................................. 36
Woman ................................................................................................................................... 37
How often do people (on average) have sex in a week?............................................................... 38
Sexpert ................................................................................................................................ 38
Sexual homeostasis ................................................................................................................ 39
How much people (%) have extramarital affairs? ....................................................................... 39
Satisfaction with sex life in long-term relationships ....................................................................... 39
Sexuality and elderly ................................................................................................ 40
The association between sexuality and age(ing) in some more detail .............................................. 40
Think and feel for a moment… ...................................................................................................... 41
Myths about sexuality and old age ................................................................................................ 41
2
, Some facts and figurs about sexuality in elderly ............................................................................ 41
What about the elderly themselves? ......................................................................................... 42
Age and sex ............................................................................................................................. 42
Men..................................................................................................................................... 42
Women ............................................................................................................................... 42
Couples .............................................................................................................................. 43
Chapter 5: Pornography ..................................................................................... 43
What is porn? ........................................................................................................... 43
Why do people use porn? .......................................................................................... 44
Porn comes in many forms, shapes and sizes. Where does it all come from? ................................. 44
‘Porn is used for masturbation’ .................................................................................................... 45
Who uses porn?........................................................................................................ 45
Mostly (but not only) men ............................................................................................................ 45
Sexpert....................................................................................................................................... 46
What are the effects of pron? .................................................................................... 46
Positive effects ........................................................................................................................... 46
Negative effects .......................................................................................................................... 47
Sexual agression/sexism/criminality (old days) ......................................................................... 47
So… what do we do know? And why do we care? .................................................................... 47
Porn/sex addiction and ED (= erectile dysfunction) (these days) ................................................. 48
Porn addiction ..................................................................................................................... 48
Negative effects on relationships and sexual function? .......................................................... 48
Chapter 6: (Ab)normal sexuality ......................................................................... 49
Case reports ............................................................................................................ 49
Normal VS abnormal ................................................................................................. 50
What is abnormal sexuality? ........................................................................................................ 50
Case ....................................................................................................................................... 50
Case ....................................................................................................................................... 51
Classification ............................................................................................................................. 51
Seto’s updated motivation-facilitation model............................................................................ 52
Difference between paraphilia’s, sexual violence and hypersexuality ......................................... 52
Where to draw the line (conceptually)? ..................................................................................... 52
Paraphilia versus paraphilic disorder .................................................................................... 53
What about pedophilia? ....................................................................................................... 54
Other controversy in (specific) paraphillic disorder ................................................................ 54
Paraphilia is a normal variation ................................................................................................ 55
Where to go with paraphilia? .................................................................................................... 55
Prevalence ................................................................................................................................. 55
More paraphilia among men than women, why? ........................................................................ 55
But how unusual are sexually deviant fantasies? ....................................................................... 56
Ethiology: what is the origin of paraphilic interest .......................................................................... 56
Psychological theories ............................................................................................................. 57
Courtship disorders (relationships) ....................................................................................... 57
Learning theory .................................................................................................................... 57
Disrupted lovemap development .......................................................................................... 58
3
, Biological theories ................................................................................................................... 58
Therapy ...................................................................................................................................... 59
Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 60
Chapter 7: Sexual aggression ............................................................................. 61
#MeToo .................................................................................................................... 61
Only in America? ......................................................................................................................... 62
Sexual violence occurs along a spectrum ..................................................................................... 62
Sexual harassment (example) .................................................................................................. 63
Sexual assault (example) ......................................................................................................... 63
Perpatrators ............................................................................................................................ 63
Victims ................................................................................................................................... 63
Consent .................................................................................................................................. 63
Wanted/unwanted experiences ................................................................................................ 63
Without (threat of) force ....................................................................................................... 64
Obstacles to identify sexual harrassment ................................................................................. 64
Hidden rape ............................................................................................................................ 64
Unacknowledged rape ............................................................................................................. 65
Prevalence ................................................................................................................................. 65
Sexpert ................................................................................................................................ 65
Unique to universities? ......................................................................................................... 65
What about the perpetrators? ...................................................................................................... 66
Dual control of sexual response ................................................................................................... 66
Belgium: new developments .................................................................................................... 67
#MeToo ...................................................................................................................................... 67
Chapter 8: Bioethics .......................................................................................... 67
IVF: what are the essentials? ..................................................................................... 67
Cloning or IVF ............................................................................................................................. 68
‘We want a healthy child’ .......................................................................................... 68
ART = assisted reproductive treatment....................................................................... 69
Superplus embryos ..................................................................................................................... 70
Ethical debate: will you do/allow research on… .......................................................... 70
Belgian law concerning research on embryos in vitro .................................................................... 71
Age limit? ................................................................................................................................... 71
IVF cost ...................................................................................................................................... 71
“Social freezing” (freezing eggs in anticipation of…) age related infertility ....................................... 72
Sex selection............................................................................................................ 72
Facts and figures ........................................................................................................................ 72
Desirable? Ambiguity sex selection .............................................................................................. 72
Pros and cons ............................................................................................................................. 73
Sex selection consensus? ........................................................................................................... 74
Human cloning ......................................................................................................... 74
Chapter 9: Sex and relationships ........................................................................ 75
Sexuality, relationships, love and health .................................................................... 75
4
PERSPECTIVE
INHOUDSOPGAVE
Introduction ........................................................................................................ 6
Chapter 1: What is sexuality? ............................................................................... 6
Definition of sexuality ................................................................................................. 6
What is human sexuality? ..............................................................................................................6
Sex: etymology .............................................................................................................................8
Sex: definition ...............................................................................................................................9
Sexuality: definition.......................................................................................................................9
Sex = sexual behaviour? .............................................................................................................. 10
Dimensions of sexuality .............................................................................................................. 11
Sexuality: definition(s) ................................................................................................................. 12
Sex defined by the media ......................................................................................................... 12
Sex defined by ‘psychiatrist’ ..................................................................................................... 12
Sex defined by ‘laws’ ............................................................................................................... 13
Sex defined by the ‘public health’ debate .................................................................................. 13
Sex defined by ‘moral standards’ .............................................................................................. 13
Sexuality is relational ............................................................................................................... 14
Sexuality is related to identidy .................................................................................................. 14
Definition(s) ............................................................................................................................ 14
Chapter 2: Anatomy and physiology ................................................................... 15
Sexual anatomy and physiology ................................................................................. 15
Sexual anatomy .......................................................................................................................... 16
Our (complex) relationship with our genitals ............................................................................. 16
Female genitals ................................................................................................................... 16
Male genitales ..................................................................................................................... 18
Sexual physiology ....................................................................................................................... 20
Woman ................................................................................................................................... 20
Orgasm in woman ................................................................................................................ 20
Man ........................................................................................................................................ 21
The veno-occlusive mechanism ............................................................................................ 21
Relaxation of the corpora cavernosa smooth muscle cells (NO) .............................................. 21
The 4 E’s of male sexual arousal ........................................................................................... 21
Sexual desire and sexual arousal ............................................................................... 22
Sexual response cycle ................................................................................................................. 22
Important conclusion .............................................................................................................. 22
Revised sexual response cycle ................................................................................................. 23
1
,Chapter 3: theories and models ......................................................................... 23
Theoretical perspectives........................................................................................... 23
Love and attraction ..................................................................................................................... 23
Ontology and epistemology ...................................................................................................... 23
Theories and models................................................................................................. 24
Bio-psycho-social approach ........................................................................................................ 24
Theories about sexuality .............................................................................................................. 24
Why do we have sex? .................................................................................................................. 24
Evolutionary perspectives ........................................................................................................ 24
Parentel investment ............................................................................................................. 25
Other theories and models....................................................................................................... 26
Freud’s psychoanalytic theory .............................................................................................. 26
Incentive motivation theory ...................................................................................................... 27
Push-pull model (incentive motivation) ................................................................................. 28
Chapter 4: Sex and the life cycle ........................................................................ 29
Questions ................................................................................................................ 29
Life course ............................................................................................................... 29
Sexual development ................................................................................................. 29
Theoretical models ................................................................................................... 30
Sexuality in childhood............................................................................................... 30
When does sexual development start? ......................................................................................... 31
Baby (0-1 year) ............................................................................................................................ 31
Toddler (1-3 years) ...................................................................................................................... 32
Children (3-6 years) ..................................................................................................................... 32
Primary school children (6-12 years) ............................................................................................ 33
Sexuality in the youth................................................................................................ 33
Adolescence and young adulthood (12-25 years) .......................................................................... 33
What is the mean age at which most adolescents have sexual intercourse for the first time? ....... 34
Sexpert enquete................................................................................................................... 34
Who ever in his/her life has had more than 1… sexual partner? ................................................... 35
Sexpert ................................................................................................................................ 36
Sex in adulthood ....................................................................................................... 36
Adulthood (25-50 years) .............................................................................................................. 36
Woman ................................................................................................................................... 37
How often do people (on average) have sex in a week?............................................................... 38
Sexpert ................................................................................................................................ 38
Sexual homeostasis ................................................................................................................ 39
How much people (%) have extramarital affairs? ....................................................................... 39
Satisfaction with sex life in long-term relationships ....................................................................... 39
Sexuality and elderly ................................................................................................ 40
The association between sexuality and age(ing) in some more detail .............................................. 40
Think and feel for a moment… ...................................................................................................... 41
Myths about sexuality and old age ................................................................................................ 41
2
, Some facts and figurs about sexuality in elderly ............................................................................ 41
What about the elderly themselves? ......................................................................................... 42
Age and sex ............................................................................................................................. 42
Men..................................................................................................................................... 42
Women ............................................................................................................................... 42
Couples .............................................................................................................................. 43
Chapter 5: Pornography ..................................................................................... 43
What is porn? ........................................................................................................... 43
Why do people use porn? .......................................................................................... 44
Porn comes in many forms, shapes and sizes. Where does it all come from? ................................. 44
‘Porn is used for masturbation’ .................................................................................................... 45
Who uses porn?........................................................................................................ 45
Mostly (but not only) men ............................................................................................................ 45
Sexpert....................................................................................................................................... 46
What are the effects of pron? .................................................................................... 46
Positive effects ........................................................................................................................... 46
Negative effects .......................................................................................................................... 47
Sexual agression/sexism/criminality (old days) ......................................................................... 47
So… what do we do know? And why do we care? .................................................................... 47
Porn/sex addiction and ED (= erectile dysfunction) (these days) ................................................. 48
Porn addiction ..................................................................................................................... 48
Negative effects on relationships and sexual function? .......................................................... 48
Chapter 6: (Ab)normal sexuality ......................................................................... 49
Case reports ............................................................................................................ 49
Normal VS abnormal ................................................................................................. 50
What is abnormal sexuality? ........................................................................................................ 50
Case ....................................................................................................................................... 50
Case ....................................................................................................................................... 51
Classification ............................................................................................................................. 51
Seto’s updated motivation-facilitation model............................................................................ 52
Difference between paraphilia’s, sexual violence and hypersexuality ......................................... 52
Where to draw the line (conceptually)? ..................................................................................... 52
Paraphilia versus paraphilic disorder .................................................................................... 53
What about pedophilia? ....................................................................................................... 54
Other controversy in (specific) paraphillic disorder ................................................................ 54
Paraphilia is a normal variation ................................................................................................ 55
Where to go with paraphilia? .................................................................................................... 55
Prevalence ................................................................................................................................. 55
More paraphilia among men than women, why? ........................................................................ 55
But how unusual are sexually deviant fantasies? ....................................................................... 56
Ethiology: what is the origin of paraphilic interest .......................................................................... 56
Psychological theories ............................................................................................................. 57
Courtship disorders (relationships) ....................................................................................... 57
Learning theory .................................................................................................................... 57
Disrupted lovemap development .......................................................................................... 58
3
, Biological theories ................................................................................................................... 58
Therapy ...................................................................................................................................... 59
Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 60
Chapter 7: Sexual aggression ............................................................................. 61
#MeToo .................................................................................................................... 61
Only in America? ......................................................................................................................... 62
Sexual violence occurs along a spectrum ..................................................................................... 62
Sexual harassment (example) .................................................................................................. 63
Sexual assault (example) ......................................................................................................... 63
Perpatrators ............................................................................................................................ 63
Victims ................................................................................................................................... 63
Consent .................................................................................................................................. 63
Wanted/unwanted experiences ................................................................................................ 63
Without (threat of) force ....................................................................................................... 64
Obstacles to identify sexual harrassment ................................................................................. 64
Hidden rape ............................................................................................................................ 64
Unacknowledged rape ............................................................................................................. 65
Prevalence ................................................................................................................................. 65
Sexpert ................................................................................................................................ 65
Unique to universities? ......................................................................................................... 65
What about the perpetrators? ...................................................................................................... 66
Dual control of sexual response ................................................................................................... 66
Belgium: new developments .................................................................................................... 67
#MeToo ...................................................................................................................................... 67
Chapter 8: Bioethics .......................................................................................... 67
IVF: what are the essentials? ..................................................................................... 67
Cloning or IVF ............................................................................................................................. 68
‘We want a healthy child’ .......................................................................................... 68
ART = assisted reproductive treatment....................................................................... 69
Superplus embryos ..................................................................................................................... 70
Ethical debate: will you do/allow research on… .......................................................... 70
Belgian law concerning research on embryos in vitro .................................................................... 71
Age limit? ................................................................................................................................... 71
IVF cost ...................................................................................................................................... 71
“Social freezing” (freezing eggs in anticipation of…) age related infertility ....................................... 72
Sex selection............................................................................................................ 72
Facts and figures ........................................................................................................................ 72
Desirable? Ambiguity sex selection .............................................................................................. 72
Pros and cons ............................................................................................................................. 73
Sex selection consensus? ........................................................................................................... 74
Human cloning ......................................................................................................... 74
Chapter 9: Sex and relationships ........................................................................ 75
Sexuality, relationships, love and health .................................................................... 75
4
