Psychology Reading Notes Set 1:Chapter 1-3, 6,7,10 Chapter 1: Why A Course in Human Sexuality - Sexuality- All of the sexual attitudes, feelings, and behaviors associated with being human. DOES NOT refer specifically to a person’s response to sexual acts. It is a dimension of one’s personality. - Sex is a source of physical and emotional pleasure o Sex can relieve stress and tension, enhances well-being and healtho There are hundreds of reason people give for having sex - Most people claim that they learn about sex from their friends and the media rather than their parents o Nearly 3/4th of TV shows contain sexual behavior or talk about sexo Ads often use sex to sell their products. - Sex education o Canada and most of Northern Europe have extensive sexuality education programs o The result is a much lower teen pregnancy rate o Creates a feeling of tolerant attitudes towards others - Cross-Cultural Comparisons o People’s sexual attitudes and behaviors differ o The missionary position was named that because Christian missionaries instructed people that other positions were unnatural. o The “normal” standard is defined by society o Americans are viewed as ethnocentric  We view our beliefs and customs as right and they way things ought to be done. - Sexual attractivenesso Cultures differ in regard to what they view as erotic  Samoan men find the navel arousing  Another culture views the armit of women attractive  The knee is found to be erotic in New Guinea  Some cultures view skinny men and women attractive while others view Americans standard of obese men and women attractive  What is found sexually attractive is a culturally learned response o Sexaul behaviors such as kissing and foreplay differ across cultures o Mangaians who live in the South Pacific are the most sexually permissive group in the world.  Boys and girls are separated by gender and then boys have a operation leaving a scab on their penis which is then removed 1by an older woman who shows him how to have sex with her. Boys on average will then have sex 18-20 times a weeko Oral genital sex is common in Western cultures but is seen as disgusting in others o Incest and sexual interaction with minors is taboo in some cultures and widely practiced and accepted in others - Cultural Diversity Within the United Stateso Even among the same subgroups in ethnic groups there are different factors that can influence sexual attitudes and behaviors.  Can include factors of religion, level of education, or socioeconomic status o One example of changing cultural differences is in regards of oral-genital sex  Oral genital sex is commonly practiced by young white middle class people Oral se is less common among less educated and low socioeconomic groups o African Americans tend to start having sex at a younger age than Caucasians o Asian Americans have the lowest rate of premarital sex and multiple partners but they have the highest rate of abortion. o Another factor that can affect the sexual behaviors is how long the generations have been in the United States since they migrated. The longer a generation has been in the US the more that their beliefs and attitudes about sexual behavior match mainstream American beliefs. - Historical Perspectiveso In American culture today sex is emphasized everywhere in the media,but then children and young adults are getting the opposite reaction and belief set from school, family and religions.  We are permissive yet repressed - Judaismo Was seen as an advantage to have many children o Having many children was seen as an obligation but it assured the survivals of the Jewish peopleo Hebrews associated sex with procreationo Sons were valued because they were seen as defenders and providers o Daughters and wives were viewed as propertyo Not ashamed of genitals because it was thought to have been created in the image of God. - The Greeks and Romans o Placed a strong emphasis on marriage and family. o People had children for the State not for God o Dualism- the belief that the mind and body are separate 2o Dualism gave the rise to ascetic philosophy which taught that wisdom came from virtue. o Dualism influenced many Christian leaders o Plato was a Greek Philosopher - Christianity o Separated physical love from spiritual love o It was important for Christians to act right behaviorally and have pure inner thoughts as well. o Saint Paul was one of the most influential  He blamed Eve for the expulsion of the garden  Thought celibacy was the way to heaven  Marriage was for the ones who had weak will power  Celibacy was spiritually superior to marriage o Saint Jerome If one loved his wife too much is what thought to be adultery o The major influence on Christian beliefs was Saint Augustine  As a young adult he lead a promiscuous life  Solidified the church’s antisexual attitudes Believed that all sexual encounters were sinful and children were the sin of the parents  Sex was shameful and associated with guilt o All Christians share the same early history o Catholic Church believes that sex is only used for procreation - Victorianism o 19th century is the Victorian Era after Queen Victoriao era of public prudery and purity o all aspects of pleasurable sex was denied o men were seen as responsible for lust o masturbation was thought to cause blindness, consumption, other physical disorders and insanity o the thought of sex was thought to be harmful o sex was seen as a wifely duty o nocturnal emissions were wet dreams o devices were invented to help prevent masturbation and wet dreams o prostitution and porn flourished during the Victorian Era - The Sexual Revolution o The industrial revolution allowed people to have more free time whichmeant they were able to engage in sexual activities more often o The 1950s abled young adults to have time and mobility which was needed in order for leisure sex o The penicillin shot was created in 1950s which was able to cure STD’so Sexual Revolution- a time when ore people were engaging in premarital sex, beginning at an earlier age, and more partners.3o 1980s- the emergence of HIV and AIDS HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) o From 1991-2011 there was a decline in tens having sex, births, and abortions.o Teen pregnancy is still higher in the US than other developed nations - What influences our attitudes about sex today? o Socialization- the