Chapter 1: theoretical perspectives on human sexuality
Three categories that influence our sexual behaviour:
psychological factors: distinction between stable (e.g. personality, learned
associations, attitudes) and transitory (mood, cognitive distraction) factors (all are
bidirectional)
cultural, societal, and environmental influences: more permanent, ‘normal’ vs
‘deviant’ standards in someone’s environment
o very few universal standards about sex, some are shared (promotion of
marriage, discouragement of incest), some are controversial (arranged
marriage)
o religion: huge differences
Greek and Roman: very tolerant of sex
pederasty: older men would mentor male adolescent who would
have sex with them in return
early christians: enforced strict rules
only permitted sex is heterosexual marriage, “natural position”
(missionary)
celibacy and chastity are idealised
punishment for those who do not abide by rules, both on earth
or Hereafter
dominant man, submissive woman
Islam: sex is a positive, religious deed that belongs within a marriage,
but very strict dominance difference
Taoism: balancing Yin (female energy) and Yang (male energy)
→ confucianism: very conservative view
o technology and media:
media has become more sexualised → has major influence on changes
in sexual attitudes and behaviours in society (e.g. television programs
that display sexual behaviour, interracial, gender couples)
past decade more access to internet, sexual content more accessible,
emergence of ‘cybersex’ and ‘sexting’
biological and evolutionary factors: genetic makeup and hormonal levels, reflected
in sex behaviour, determined by evolutionary factors
o homosexuality driven by hereditary factors
o gender roles influenced by sex hormones exposed in the womb
o someone with congenial adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) exposed to higher level of
male sex hormones in utero
women CAH more male-typical play as children and have more
masculine interests
male fetus that is insensitive to male hormones can adapt more
feminine gender identity later in life
o no sexual behaviour is unique to humans
Major theoretical perspectives on human sexuality
psychoanalytic theory
, o Sigmund Freud: behaviour is driven by libido (sexual and life instincts) and
Thanatos (death instinct)
o id (core, libido, pleasure principle), ego (controls id, reality principle),
superego (conscience, moral principle) → drive behaviour
o five phases of psychosexual development
oral
anal
phallic
latent
genital
→ sexual “abnormalities” when fixated during psychosexual stages of
development
oedipus complex: boys’ sexual desire for their moms
Electra complex: girls’ sexual desire for their dads
penis envy: psychological traumatisation due to lack of penis
cognitive-behavioural and learning theory
o classical conditioning: repeated pairing of neutral stimulus with one that
produces specific behaviour → neutral stimulus elicits same behaviour
o operant conditioning: reinforcement vs punishment → reparative or
conversion therapy (”fixing” homosexuality through physical punishment)
o social/observational learning: learned through observation of e.g. peers or
parents or through media exposure incl porn
exchange perspectives
o exchange of resources is fundamental in social relationships
o trades between partners → perceived costs and benefits → behaviour
e.g. high profits, low losses → maintain relationship, but low profits
high losses → terminate relationship
o female sexuality had more value than male sexuality (bc more men are
interested) → reflected in prostitution
o limitation: no room for altruism
personality theories
o stable individuals → consistent patterns of behaviour across situations
o big five:
openness to experience (high → lower sexual anxiety, fewer sexual
difficulties, more liberal sexual attitudes, wider range of sexual
fantasies, identifying outside of cis hetero)
conscientiousness (low → more frequent and casual sex, high → fewer
sexual difficulties, less aggression, more detail-oriented fantasies with
less taboos)
extraversion (high → more sexual partners and risk taking, and more
social sexual fantasies e.g. group sex)
agreeableness (low → less infidelity, less aggression and risk taking,
fewer fantasies about taboos)
neuroticism (high → more sexual difficulties and dissatisfaction, less
fantasies)
3. erotophilia (positive emotions and attitudes towards sex) & erotophobia
(negative “)
Three categories that influence our sexual behaviour:
psychological factors: distinction between stable (e.g. personality, learned
associations, attitudes) and transitory (mood, cognitive distraction) factors (all are
bidirectional)
cultural, societal, and environmental influences: more permanent, ‘normal’ vs
‘deviant’ standards in someone’s environment
o very few universal standards about sex, some are shared (promotion of
marriage, discouragement of incest), some are controversial (arranged
marriage)
o religion: huge differences
Greek and Roman: very tolerant of sex
pederasty: older men would mentor male adolescent who would
have sex with them in return
early christians: enforced strict rules
only permitted sex is heterosexual marriage, “natural position”
(missionary)
celibacy and chastity are idealised
punishment for those who do not abide by rules, both on earth
or Hereafter
dominant man, submissive woman
Islam: sex is a positive, religious deed that belongs within a marriage,
but very strict dominance difference
Taoism: balancing Yin (female energy) and Yang (male energy)
→ confucianism: very conservative view
o technology and media:
media has become more sexualised → has major influence on changes
in sexual attitudes and behaviours in society (e.g. television programs
that display sexual behaviour, interracial, gender couples)
past decade more access to internet, sexual content more accessible,
emergence of ‘cybersex’ and ‘sexting’
biological and evolutionary factors: genetic makeup and hormonal levels, reflected
in sex behaviour, determined by evolutionary factors
o homosexuality driven by hereditary factors
o gender roles influenced by sex hormones exposed in the womb
o someone with congenial adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) exposed to higher level of
male sex hormones in utero
women CAH more male-typical play as children and have more
masculine interests
male fetus that is insensitive to male hormones can adapt more
feminine gender identity later in life
o no sexual behaviour is unique to humans
Major theoretical perspectives on human sexuality
psychoanalytic theory
, o Sigmund Freud: behaviour is driven by libido (sexual and life instincts) and
Thanatos (death instinct)
o id (core, libido, pleasure principle), ego (controls id, reality principle),
superego (conscience, moral principle) → drive behaviour
o five phases of psychosexual development
oral
anal
phallic
latent
genital
→ sexual “abnormalities” when fixated during psychosexual stages of
development
oedipus complex: boys’ sexual desire for their moms
Electra complex: girls’ sexual desire for their dads
penis envy: psychological traumatisation due to lack of penis
cognitive-behavioural and learning theory
o classical conditioning: repeated pairing of neutral stimulus with one that
produces specific behaviour → neutral stimulus elicits same behaviour
o operant conditioning: reinforcement vs punishment → reparative or
conversion therapy (”fixing” homosexuality through physical punishment)
o social/observational learning: learned through observation of e.g. peers or
parents or through media exposure incl porn
exchange perspectives
o exchange of resources is fundamental in social relationships
o trades between partners → perceived costs and benefits → behaviour
e.g. high profits, low losses → maintain relationship, but low profits
high losses → terminate relationship
o female sexuality had more value than male sexuality (bc more men are
interested) → reflected in prostitution
o limitation: no room for altruism
personality theories
o stable individuals → consistent patterns of behaviour across situations
o big five:
openness to experience (high → lower sexual anxiety, fewer sexual
difficulties, more liberal sexual attitudes, wider range of sexual
fantasies, identifying outside of cis hetero)
conscientiousness (low → more frequent and casual sex, high → fewer
sexual difficulties, less aggression, more detail-oriented fantasies with
less taboos)
extraversion (high → more sexual partners and risk taking, and more
social sexual fantasies e.g. group sex)
agreeableness (low → less infidelity, less aggression and risk taking,
fewer fantasies about taboos)
neuroticism (high → more sexual difficulties and dissatisfaction, less
fantasies)
3. erotophilia (positive emotions and attitudes towards sex) & erotophobia
(negative “)
