Lectures – Youth & Sexuality
Lecture 1a: Sexuality research in the past century and now
Content
• Part 1: Short introduction to the course
• Part 2: Concepts, definitions
• Part 3: Historical overview of sexuality research
• Part 4: In pursuit of pleasure
Part 1: Short introduction to the course
Content of the course
- Lecture 1:
o Into & historical overview
o Youth & sexuality – gender differences
- Lecture 2:
o Psychosexual development
o Biology & sexuality
- Lecture 3:
o Impact of social environment (parents, peers, school, media)
- Lecture 4:
o Sexual health: risks & interventions
o Sexual problems & therapy
- Lecture 5:
o Sexual coercion & consent
o Masculinity norms & men’s sexuality
- Lecture 6:
o LGBT youth and sexuality
o Why intersectionality matters for LGBT+ health
Part 2: Concepts & definitions
There is no clear definition of ‘Youth’, it could include both children (0-18), adolescents (12-
21) or young adults (18-30). This course will focus mostly on the age group adolescents, from
12 to 25.
What concepts are we talking about?
Youth – fluid concept, it includes children to adolescents to young adults. Focus will be on
the whole spectrum, but mostly adolescence and young adulthood.
Sex or sexuality – smallest definition is the act of sex, heterosexual penetrative sex, this
excludes a lot. But also encompasses more broad topics, like sexual experiences, sexual health
(abortion, pregnancies, STD’s, pleasure based perspectives, sexual violence).
Sex (‘sekse’) and gender – set of biological characteristics associated with male, female or
intersex.
Sexual health – more sexology
,WHO working definition of sexuality (2006):
Many different ways of defining the terms that are used in this course.
“…a central aspect of being human throughout life encompasses sex, gender identities and
roles, sexual orientation, eroticism, pleasure, intimacy and reproduction.
Sexuality is experienced and expressed in thoughts, fantasies, desires, beliefs, attitudes,
values, behaviors, practices, roles and relationships.
While sexuality can include all of these dimensions, not all of them are always experienced or
expressed. Sexuality is influenced by the interaction of biological, psychological, social,
economic, political, cultural, legal, historical, religious and spiritual factors.”
Part 3: Sexuality research in the past century
The modern study of sexuality – an (ultrashort) overview)
- 1900-1940
o First period of large growth of scientific interest, sexology research and
societal influence
o Dominated by (German) physicians, which was a divergence from the past (in
which sexuality was mostly a moral issue)
- Post-WW2
o More interdisciplinary (also biology, psychology, sociology)
o US leading in sexology (Kinsey, Money)
o Europe: first feminist wave e.g. Simone de Beauvoir (La deuxieme sexe, 1949)
- Sexual liberation (60s)
o Sexual revolution, second feminist wave, oral contraceptives
o Masters & Johnson, “discovery” human sexual response
- 1973-2000
o Social-constructionist versus medicalization/ evolutionary perspective
o Simon & Gagnon: The social sources of human sexuality
o 1974: Homosexuality removed from DSM (no longer considered a mental
disorder)
o More attention for sexual violence and inequality (Shere Hite, susan
Brownmiller)
- Recent developments
o Professionalization sexology
o “discovery” of the full anatomy of the clitoris
o More attention for sexual pleasure and inequality, e.g., orgasm gap
Alfred Kinsey (US, 1894-1956) Pioneer of sex research
Biologist, zoologist, sexologist
“The Kinsey Reports” (1948, 1953 – post WW2) based on 5000 and 6000 interviews – first
time that so many people were interviewed about sexuality.
Revolutionary: he moved the field from medical to interdisciplinary
,Taxonomy of human sexual behaviors (including pedophilia) – just describing different
sexual experiences, not about morality, not about what was right or not right.
Controversial in his time: revelations about masturbation, orgasm, premarital sex,
homosexuality (37% of all men have had homosexual orgasm – he saw homosexuality as a
scale and showed that a lot of people have homosexual thoughts / orgasms / etc.), differences
and similarities between men and women, and more
John Money (New Zealand, 1921-2006)
psychologist, sexologist
Groundbreaking clinical empirical studies on gender identity development among intersex
children – believed that gender is fully based on nurture, not nature.
Introduced the term ‘gender’ (1955 – post WW2): all those things that a person says or does
to disclose himself or herself as having the status of man or woman. It includes, but is not
restricted to, sexuality in the sense of eroticism.
Criticized for e.g. David Reimer sex reassignment study – he had an accident as a child which
forced him to live as a girl, but he changed his gender to male again when he was about 14.
He was very unhappy as a girl and both him and his twin brother committed suicide in the
end. Very tragic story, but important for the understanding that gender is not the same as
biological sex.
William Masters & Virginia Johnson
1966 – sexual liberation (60s): ‘discovery’ of the human sexual response cycle
• Stage 1: Excitement
• Stage 2: Plateau
• Stage 3: Orgasm
• Stage 4: Resolution / relaxation
A natural physiological process, can be blocked by psychological inhibitions
Controversial methods: observing people having sex – hard to find respondents so they also
used sex workers
Laid foundations for behavioral therapy of sexual dysfunctions
The 70’s
Henry Foucault, Jonh Gagnon, William Simon Shere Hite, Susan Brownmiller
1973 – 2000
Emergence of social-constructivist perspectives – sex seen as the product of social norms,
seen as a social construct.
Dismissed the Freudian idea of ‘sexual instinct’
Growing attention for sexual violence, sexual equality (m/f) – first time the orgasm gap was
noted.
, Sexuality = product of societal regulation, norms, meaning, and the freedom/ right to express
themselves
Sexual behavior = social behavior
➔ Sensitive for interpersonal and intra-psychological cultural scripts
1974: removal of homosexuality from the DSM
1973-2000
After heated debate, 58% of 10.000 APA psychiatrists voted that homosexuality is no longer
a ‘ mental disorder’
Increased awareness:
• What is normal and abnormal?
• What is sexual ‘deviance’ or ‘variation’? – can we distinguish these from each other?
1998/2005: ‘discovery’ of the full anatomy of the clitoris - Helen O’Connell, US urologist
Recent developments
Part 4: In pursuit of pleasure
Ellen Laan (1962-2021)
Groundbreaking research into female sexual arousal
Psychologist/ sexologist/ professor
Myths maintain sexual inequalities:
• Men have a biological need for sex → “libido does not exist” – a phenomenon that has
been made up to keep inequality in place
• Penis and vagina are important for reproduction and therefore for sex → “Only
heterosexual men have vaginal orgasms” – female orgasms are basically always
clitoral orgasms
• Sex differences lead to sexual gender differences → “The capacity for sexual pleasure
is similar in men and women”
Sexual inequality observation #1: Orgasm gap
In heterosexual relationships, women have fewer orgasms than the men with whom they have
sex (65% vs 95%; Frederick et al. 2018)
(women in lesbian relationships have more orgasms)
Sexual inequality observation #2: Sexual pain
About 10% of women always have pain during intercourse, in men this is rare
Pain during intercourse is prevalent in young women (>50% in NL, De Graaf et al., 2005)
The expectation of pain impairs arousal -- > more pain (Brauer et al., 2007)
Sexual inequality observation #3: Sexual coercion & sexual violence
Lecture 1a: Sexuality research in the past century and now
Content
• Part 1: Short introduction to the course
• Part 2: Concepts, definitions
• Part 3: Historical overview of sexuality research
• Part 4: In pursuit of pleasure
Part 1: Short introduction to the course
Content of the course
- Lecture 1:
o Into & historical overview
o Youth & sexuality – gender differences
- Lecture 2:
o Psychosexual development
o Biology & sexuality
- Lecture 3:
o Impact of social environment (parents, peers, school, media)
- Lecture 4:
o Sexual health: risks & interventions
o Sexual problems & therapy
- Lecture 5:
o Sexual coercion & consent
o Masculinity norms & men’s sexuality
- Lecture 6:
o LGBT youth and sexuality
o Why intersectionality matters for LGBT+ health
Part 2: Concepts & definitions
There is no clear definition of ‘Youth’, it could include both children (0-18), adolescents (12-
21) or young adults (18-30). This course will focus mostly on the age group adolescents, from
12 to 25.
What concepts are we talking about?
Youth – fluid concept, it includes children to adolescents to young adults. Focus will be on
the whole spectrum, but mostly adolescence and young adulthood.
Sex or sexuality – smallest definition is the act of sex, heterosexual penetrative sex, this
excludes a lot. But also encompasses more broad topics, like sexual experiences, sexual health
(abortion, pregnancies, STD’s, pleasure based perspectives, sexual violence).
Sex (‘sekse’) and gender – set of biological characteristics associated with male, female or
intersex.
Sexual health – more sexology
,WHO working definition of sexuality (2006):
Many different ways of defining the terms that are used in this course.
“…a central aspect of being human throughout life encompasses sex, gender identities and
roles, sexual orientation, eroticism, pleasure, intimacy and reproduction.
Sexuality is experienced and expressed in thoughts, fantasies, desires, beliefs, attitudes,
values, behaviors, practices, roles and relationships.
While sexuality can include all of these dimensions, not all of them are always experienced or
expressed. Sexuality is influenced by the interaction of biological, psychological, social,
economic, political, cultural, legal, historical, religious and spiritual factors.”
Part 3: Sexuality research in the past century
The modern study of sexuality – an (ultrashort) overview)
- 1900-1940
o First period of large growth of scientific interest, sexology research and
societal influence
o Dominated by (German) physicians, which was a divergence from the past (in
which sexuality was mostly a moral issue)
- Post-WW2
o More interdisciplinary (also biology, psychology, sociology)
o US leading in sexology (Kinsey, Money)
o Europe: first feminist wave e.g. Simone de Beauvoir (La deuxieme sexe, 1949)
- Sexual liberation (60s)
o Sexual revolution, second feminist wave, oral contraceptives
o Masters & Johnson, “discovery” human sexual response
- 1973-2000
o Social-constructionist versus medicalization/ evolutionary perspective
o Simon & Gagnon: The social sources of human sexuality
o 1974: Homosexuality removed from DSM (no longer considered a mental
disorder)
o More attention for sexual violence and inequality (Shere Hite, susan
Brownmiller)
- Recent developments
o Professionalization sexology
o “discovery” of the full anatomy of the clitoris
o More attention for sexual pleasure and inequality, e.g., orgasm gap
Alfred Kinsey (US, 1894-1956) Pioneer of sex research
Biologist, zoologist, sexologist
“The Kinsey Reports” (1948, 1953 – post WW2) based on 5000 and 6000 interviews – first
time that so many people were interviewed about sexuality.
Revolutionary: he moved the field from medical to interdisciplinary
,Taxonomy of human sexual behaviors (including pedophilia) – just describing different
sexual experiences, not about morality, not about what was right or not right.
Controversial in his time: revelations about masturbation, orgasm, premarital sex,
homosexuality (37% of all men have had homosexual orgasm – he saw homosexuality as a
scale and showed that a lot of people have homosexual thoughts / orgasms / etc.), differences
and similarities between men and women, and more
John Money (New Zealand, 1921-2006)
psychologist, sexologist
Groundbreaking clinical empirical studies on gender identity development among intersex
children – believed that gender is fully based on nurture, not nature.
Introduced the term ‘gender’ (1955 – post WW2): all those things that a person says or does
to disclose himself or herself as having the status of man or woman. It includes, but is not
restricted to, sexuality in the sense of eroticism.
Criticized for e.g. David Reimer sex reassignment study – he had an accident as a child which
forced him to live as a girl, but he changed his gender to male again when he was about 14.
He was very unhappy as a girl and both him and his twin brother committed suicide in the
end. Very tragic story, but important for the understanding that gender is not the same as
biological sex.
William Masters & Virginia Johnson
1966 – sexual liberation (60s): ‘discovery’ of the human sexual response cycle
• Stage 1: Excitement
• Stage 2: Plateau
• Stage 3: Orgasm
• Stage 4: Resolution / relaxation
A natural physiological process, can be blocked by psychological inhibitions
Controversial methods: observing people having sex – hard to find respondents so they also
used sex workers
Laid foundations for behavioral therapy of sexual dysfunctions
The 70’s
Henry Foucault, Jonh Gagnon, William Simon Shere Hite, Susan Brownmiller
1973 – 2000
Emergence of social-constructivist perspectives – sex seen as the product of social norms,
seen as a social construct.
Dismissed the Freudian idea of ‘sexual instinct’
Growing attention for sexual violence, sexual equality (m/f) – first time the orgasm gap was
noted.
, Sexuality = product of societal regulation, norms, meaning, and the freedom/ right to express
themselves
Sexual behavior = social behavior
➔ Sensitive for interpersonal and intra-psychological cultural scripts
1974: removal of homosexuality from the DSM
1973-2000
After heated debate, 58% of 10.000 APA psychiatrists voted that homosexuality is no longer
a ‘ mental disorder’
Increased awareness:
• What is normal and abnormal?
• What is sexual ‘deviance’ or ‘variation’? – can we distinguish these from each other?
1998/2005: ‘discovery’ of the full anatomy of the clitoris - Helen O’Connell, US urologist
Recent developments
Part 4: In pursuit of pleasure
Ellen Laan (1962-2021)
Groundbreaking research into female sexual arousal
Psychologist/ sexologist/ professor
Myths maintain sexual inequalities:
• Men have a biological need for sex → “libido does not exist” – a phenomenon that has
been made up to keep inequality in place
• Penis and vagina are important for reproduction and therefore for sex → “Only
heterosexual men have vaginal orgasms” – female orgasms are basically always
clitoral orgasms
• Sex differences lead to sexual gender differences → “The capacity for sexual pleasure
is similar in men and women”
Sexual inequality observation #1: Orgasm gap
In heterosexual relationships, women have fewer orgasms than the men with whom they have
sex (65% vs 95%; Frederick et al. 2018)
(women in lesbian relationships have more orgasms)
Sexual inequality observation #2: Sexual pain
About 10% of women always have pain during intercourse, in men this is rare
Pain during intercourse is prevalent in young women (>50% in NL, De Graaf et al., 2005)
The expectation of pain impairs arousal -- > more pain (Brauer et al., 2007)
Sexual inequality observation #3: Sexual coercion & sexual violence
