I. SIP
- Sexuality = relevant theme in society & personal experience
- Premise = the (behavioral) expression and experience of our sexuality are influenced and
regulated by biological factors as well as psychological, cultural and social processes, including
inter- and intra-personal norms and values
What is sexuality?
PSYCHOLOGY BEHAVIOR
- Relationship - Making love
- Intimacy - Sexual intercourse
- Love - Masturbation
- Trust - Experimentation
- Bonding - Sex toys
- Power
- Shame
BIOLOGY SOCIO-CULTURAL
- Physical body - Religion
- Sex - Education
- Reproduction - Law
- Birth control - Media
- Genitals - Norms and values
Bij ons is een liefdesrelatie belangrijk (partner 1e plaats), vb japan: op de 1e plaats werk, dan ouders,
dan kinderen en pas op de 4e plaats komt de partner
Etymology: Sex
Latin
o Sexus – group, part, sort, kind, form
o Secare – to cut, to divide
English – sex
o 1382: person with a certain sex
o 1526: characteristic of being women or men
o 1929: sexual intercourse (dirty word)
o 1950: gender – men and woman (gender role – gender identity)
Sex – sexual behavior and attraction to others
French – sexualité
o What is related to a certain sex
Sexuality = broader meaning (all that is related to sexual life)
o Refers to emotions and behavior(s)
o Ideas and desires
o Sexuality = an euphemism for sex (rougher)
// ‘elderly’ and ‘old people’
Definition: Sex =
1. [noun] (chiefly with reference to people) sexual activity, including specifically sexual intercourse
1. euphemistic [in singular] A person’s genitals
2. Either of the two main categories (male and female) into which humans and most other living things
are divided on the basis of their reproductive functions:
1. [noun] The fact of belonging to either the male or female sex:
2. The group of all members of either the male or female sex:
Alles wat seksueel is, biologische verschillen, seksueel leven, gedragingen en gevoelens gerelateerd
aan arousal en het hebben van seks, gedragingen waar genitaliën een rol spelen
Definition: Sexuality =
,1. [noun] Capacity for sexual feelings:
1. [noun] A person’s sexual orientation or preference:
2. Sexual activity
Hoe je iets ervaart en uit, emoties, ideeën, verlangens en gedragingen, alles wat gerelateerd is aan
iemands seks leven
All aspects of feeling and being sexual:
o Narrow definition = sexual acts (kissing, masturbation, intercourse)
o Broad definition = being flirtatious, seductive dressing, playboy reading, …
Behaviors that are defined as ‘sexual’ vary:
Over time
Between different groups
Between different cultures
‘sexual’ is dependent of:
Ideas of ‘normality’ about sex
Male and female role patterns
Social context
Culture
Vb Victorian tijdperk: hoge klasse = prostituees heel normaal ; werkvolk = zwijgen over seks
Sanders SA, Reinisch JM (1999) : ‘Would you say you had sex if …?’
Touching genitals : 15% says yes
Oral contact with genitals: 40% says yes
Penil-vaginal intercourse: 99,5% says yes
Good sex presuppose a balance between:
Lust, pleasure (recreation)
Relation
Reproduction (procreation)
Institutionalization
Dimensions of sexuality:
Biological dimension
o Controls sexual development
o Affects sexual desire, sexual functioning and sexual satisfaction
o Influence sex differences
Sexual turn-ons influence biological events (erection, lubrication, …)
Psychosocial dimension
o Psychological
Emotions, thoughts and personality
Interaction between people
o Social
Regulated by society through law, taboo, family and peer group pressures to
follow certain paths of sexual behavior
Behavioral dimension
o What people do
o Tendency to think in terms of ‘normal’ and ‘abnormal’ based on our own experiences
Cultural dimension
o Cultural attitudes towards sexuality are not universal
, o “There is no comprehensive sexual value system that is right for everyone and no single
moral code that is indisputably correct and universally applicable”
Clinical dimension
o Sexual problems (epidemiology, causes, treatments)
Sex as a ‘human’ and ‘natural’ behavior
Kinsey et al (1948, 1953)
o A legitimate study object
o Detailed description of human sexual behavior
o ‘normal’ and ‘abnormal’
Masters & Johnson (1966, 1970)
o Studied the biological/ physiological basis of sexuality
Sex defined by the ‘media’
Sex is everywhere and all over the place in our society
o Information, ideas, images, websites, movies, TV, glossies, newspapers, books, …
o A way to sell things (“sex sells”)
o Narrow picture of / message about sex(uality)
o Sex = sex between two young, heterosexual people with a good looking (muscles for
men; thin for women) body that always ends in a simultaneous, best-ever orgasm for
both partners based on penetration
Old ‘out’
Ill or disabled ‘asexual’
Sex defined by ‘psychiatrists’
‘healthy’ vs ‘unhealthy’ – ‘normal’ vs ‘abnormal’
Most means that are used for sexual gratification between consenting adult, independent of the
partners’ sex
o Homosexuality was a mental disorder
o Masturbation and oral sex are fixations: non-adult, immature expressions of sex (Freud)
o Paraphilias are still ‘mental disorders’
> 6 month, distress, limitations in social or professional life
But in SM-sex rule = ‘safe’ and ‘consensual’
o Transsexuals still have a ‘mental disorder’ = gender dysphoria
Sex defined by ‘laws’
Legal framework that defines what is normal (legal) in terms of sexuality
Specific types of sexual behavior are ‘illegal’ and ‘prosecutable’ in court
o Illegal = non-consensual
Paraphilia’s = voyeurism, exhibitionism
Sex with youngsters <14 years old (even with consenting) = prosecutable
Rape
Sex defined by the ‘public health’ debate
Sex education sex is supposed to be ‘safe’ to prevent sexual transmitted diseases/ infections
and unplanned pregnancy
Good sex = sex with a condom
o Paradox:
The one who has an STD is responsible to protect the other one
Women have to protect themselves against rape by ‘wearing descent clothes’
The ‘weak’ party is responsible for its own safety
Sex defined by ‘moral standards’
Religious meaning
o Sex is given by god and thus good
, o Sex is only acceptable within a marriage
o Sex is only acceptable when it holds in it the possibility of procreation – sex is not for
pleasure
o Contraception is not acceptable
o Masturbation, oral and anal sex, sex during menstruation is not acceptable
o Celibacy is commended
Sexuality is relational
Sexual behavior a relational context
o Exception: masturbation (~ imagination)
Relations organize our life, but are quite diverse:
o Can last for some minutes until several decades
o Can be based on physical attraction, emotional bonding, obligation, the wish to become
father or mother, to comply of fight to cultural standards, economical reasons, …
o Can bring happiness for one or both partners; but also unhappiness to one or both
partners and even be abandoning or abusive
o Two or more people
o Can be centered around sex or be asexual
o Can be confirmed, disapproved, hidden or illegal in the cultural context
Sexuality is related to identity:
Sexual identity
o Feeling of who, what, how you are
o Feeling to belong to a certain group
Gender identity
o Feeling to be a ‘man’ or ‘woman’
o For most people this is in line with their anatomical, biological sex
o [gender dysphoria – gender incongruence (transgenders, transsexuals, trans*)]
Sexual identity – sexual orientation
Sexual feelings, behaviors and experiences also determine our place in society sympathy for
the group we belong to and less sympathy for others
Sexuality = a complex phenomenon of which we always have to make a kind of construction to be able
to better understand it … a construction of reality, rather than true reality ~ Bancroft
Unbridgeable difference in perspectives:
Inner-perspective : experience and meaning given those involved
o Think, feel, do
Outer-perspective: meaning that others/ outsiders give to it
II. Anatomy and physiology
Our relationship with our genitals:
We cover our genitals
We punish children when they touch and play with their genitals
We don’t know the (right) words for our sexual anatomy
We are discouraged to speak and ask questions about sex
- Sexuality = relevant theme in society & personal experience
- Premise = the (behavioral) expression and experience of our sexuality are influenced and
regulated by biological factors as well as psychological, cultural and social processes, including
inter- and intra-personal norms and values
What is sexuality?
PSYCHOLOGY BEHAVIOR
- Relationship - Making love
- Intimacy - Sexual intercourse
- Love - Masturbation
- Trust - Experimentation
- Bonding - Sex toys
- Power
- Shame
BIOLOGY SOCIO-CULTURAL
- Physical body - Religion
- Sex - Education
- Reproduction - Law
- Birth control - Media
- Genitals - Norms and values
Bij ons is een liefdesrelatie belangrijk (partner 1e plaats), vb japan: op de 1e plaats werk, dan ouders,
dan kinderen en pas op de 4e plaats komt de partner
Etymology: Sex
Latin
o Sexus – group, part, sort, kind, form
o Secare – to cut, to divide
English – sex
o 1382: person with a certain sex
o 1526: characteristic of being women or men
o 1929: sexual intercourse (dirty word)
o 1950: gender – men and woman (gender role – gender identity)
Sex – sexual behavior and attraction to others
French – sexualité
o What is related to a certain sex
Sexuality = broader meaning (all that is related to sexual life)
o Refers to emotions and behavior(s)
o Ideas and desires
o Sexuality = an euphemism for sex (rougher)
// ‘elderly’ and ‘old people’
Definition: Sex =
1. [noun] (chiefly with reference to people) sexual activity, including specifically sexual intercourse
1. euphemistic [in singular] A person’s genitals
2. Either of the two main categories (male and female) into which humans and most other living things
are divided on the basis of their reproductive functions:
1. [noun] The fact of belonging to either the male or female sex:
2. The group of all members of either the male or female sex:
Alles wat seksueel is, biologische verschillen, seksueel leven, gedragingen en gevoelens gerelateerd
aan arousal en het hebben van seks, gedragingen waar genitaliën een rol spelen
Definition: Sexuality =
,1. [noun] Capacity for sexual feelings:
1. [noun] A person’s sexual orientation or preference:
2. Sexual activity
Hoe je iets ervaart en uit, emoties, ideeën, verlangens en gedragingen, alles wat gerelateerd is aan
iemands seks leven
All aspects of feeling and being sexual:
o Narrow definition = sexual acts (kissing, masturbation, intercourse)
o Broad definition = being flirtatious, seductive dressing, playboy reading, …
Behaviors that are defined as ‘sexual’ vary:
Over time
Between different groups
Between different cultures
‘sexual’ is dependent of:
Ideas of ‘normality’ about sex
Male and female role patterns
Social context
Culture
Vb Victorian tijdperk: hoge klasse = prostituees heel normaal ; werkvolk = zwijgen over seks
Sanders SA, Reinisch JM (1999) : ‘Would you say you had sex if …?’
Touching genitals : 15% says yes
Oral contact with genitals: 40% says yes
Penil-vaginal intercourse: 99,5% says yes
Good sex presuppose a balance between:
Lust, pleasure (recreation)
Relation
Reproduction (procreation)
Institutionalization
Dimensions of sexuality:
Biological dimension
o Controls sexual development
o Affects sexual desire, sexual functioning and sexual satisfaction
o Influence sex differences
Sexual turn-ons influence biological events (erection, lubrication, …)
Psychosocial dimension
o Psychological
Emotions, thoughts and personality
Interaction between people
o Social
Regulated by society through law, taboo, family and peer group pressures to
follow certain paths of sexual behavior
Behavioral dimension
o What people do
o Tendency to think in terms of ‘normal’ and ‘abnormal’ based on our own experiences
Cultural dimension
o Cultural attitudes towards sexuality are not universal
, o “There is no comprehensive sexual value system that is right for everyone and no single
moral code that is indisputably correct and universally applicable”
Clinical dimension
o Sexual problems (epidemiology, causes, treatments)
Sex as a ‘human’ and ‘natural’ behavior
Kinsey et al (1948, 1953)
o A legitimate study object
o Detailed description of human sexual behavior
o ‘normal’ and ‘abnormal’
Masters & Johnson (1966, 1970)
o Studied the biological/ physiological basis of sexuality
Sex defined by the ‘media’
Sex is everywhere and all over the place in our society
o Information, ideas, images, websites, movies, TV, glossies, newspapers, books, …
o A way to sell things (“sex sells”)
o Narrow picture of / message about sex(uality)
o Sex = sex between two young, heterosexual people with a good looking (muscles for
men; thin for women) body that always ends in a simultaneous, best-ever orgasm for
both partners based on penetration
Old ‘out’
Ill or disabled ‘asexual’
Sex defined by ‘psychiatrists’
‘healthy’ vs ‘unhealthy’ – ‘normal’ vs ‘abnormal’
Most means that are used for sexual gratification between consenting adult, independent of the
partners’ sex
o Homosexuality was a mental disorder
o Masturbation and oral sex are fixations: non-adult, immature expressions of sex (Freud)
o Paraphilias are still ‘mental disorders’
> 6 month, distress, limitations in social or professional life
But in SM-sex rule = ‘safe’ and ‘consensual’
o Transsexuals still have a ‘mental disorder’ = gender dysphoria
Sex defined by ‘laws’
Legal framework that defines what is normal (legal) in terms of sexuality
Specific types of sexual behavior are ‘illegal’ and ‘prosecutable’ in court
o Illegal = non-consensual
Paraphilia’s = voyeurism, exhibitionism
Sex with youngsters <14 years old (even with consenting) = prosecutable
Rape
Sex defined by the ‘public health’ debate
Sex education sex is supposed to be ‘safe’ to prevent sexual transmitted diseases/ infections
and unplanned pregnancy
Good sex = sex with a condom
o Paradox:
The one who has an STD is responsible to protect the other one
Women have to protect themselves against rape by ‘wearing descent clothes’
The ‘weak’ party is responsible for its own safety
Sex defined by ‘moral standards’
Religious meaning
o Sex is given by god and thus good
, o Sex is only acceptable within a marriage
o Sex is only acceptable when it holds in it the possibility of procreation – sex is not for
pleasure
o Contraception is not acceptable
o Masturbation, oral and anal sex, sex during menstruation is not acceptable
o Celibacy is commended
Sexuality is relational
Sexual behavior a relational context
o Exception: masturbation (~ imagination)
Relations organize our life, but are quite diverse:
o Can last for some minutes until several decades
o Can be based on physical attraction, emotional bonding, obligation, the wish to become
father or mother, to comply of fight to cultural standards, economical reasons, …
o Can bring happiness for one or both partners; but also unhappiness to one or both
partners and even be abandoning or abusive
o Two or more people
o Can be centered around sex or be asexual
o Can be confirmed, disapproved, hidden or illegal in the cultural context
Sexuality is related to identity:
Sexual identity
o Feeling of who, what, how you are
o Feeling to belong to a certain group
Gender identity
o Feeling to be a ‘man’ or ‘woman’
o For most people this is in line with their anatomical, biological sex
o [gender dysphoria – gender incongruence (transgenders, transsexuals, trans*)]
Sexual identity – sexual orientation
Sexual feelings, behaviors and experiences also determine our place in society sympathy for
the group we belong to and less sympathy for others
Sexuality = a complex phenomenon of which we always have to make a kind of construction to be able
to better understand it … a construction of reality, rather than true reality ~ Bancroft
Unbridgeable difference in perspectives:
Inner-perspective : experience and meaning given those involved
o Think, feel, do
Outer-perspective: meaning that others/ outsiders give to it
II. Anatomy and physiology
Our relationship with our genitals:
We cover our genitals
We punish children when they touch and play with their genitals
We don’t know the (right) words for our sexual anatomy
We are discouraged to speak and ask questions about sex
