DANICA D.

CONCEPCION
BSA 2C
IV. What is Sexuality
The sexual knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, values and behaviors of individuals. Its dimensions
include the anatomy, physiology and biochemistry of the sexual response and reproductive
systems; gender identity, sexual orientation, roles and personality; as well as thoughts,
attachments, physical and emotional expressions, and relationships. Sexuality can also refer
to a person's capacity for sexual feelings. More than the need to reproduce, sexual drive is
an important part of human emotional expression and deep connection with another.
A. Psychosocial dimensions of sexuality
These psychological dimensions often include the cognitive and emotional factors
underpinning sexual response, personality and psychopathology related variables,
socio-cognitive variables, interpersonal/relationship variables and cultural aspects
influencing sexual functioning and behavior. The psychological dimension of
sexuality is probably the clearest example of learned aspects of sexuality. Our
attitudes and feelings toward ourselves and other people begin to develop very early
in life. From the time we are born, we get signals from all around us telling us how to
think and act.

-Psychological Domains:
Psychosocial domain in the human development refers to the series of stages of
development in the emotional, personal characteristics, and interpersonal aspects of
a person. The psychosocial domain of human sexuality refers to the social and
emotional/psychological aspects of sexuality. This domain takes into consideration
our psychological development and experiences in the context of our social
development and experiences. The psycho sexual domain is a blending of sorts of
the sexual aspects of our personality with other psychological factors.
As we explore the psychosocial/psychosexual domain of sexuality throughout our
time together, among other issues we will examine the following:
• Feelings and emotions
• Interpersonal relationships
• Sexual health

 Self Awareness
Self-awareness is the experience of one's own personality or individuality. It is not to
be confused with consciousness in the sense of qualia. While consciousness is being
aware of one's environment and body and lifestyle, self-awareness is the recognition
of that awareness. Self-awareness is how an individual consciously knows and
understands their own character, feelings, motives, and desires. There are two broad
categories of self-awareness: internal self-awareness and external self-awareness.
Self-awareness is the ability to focus on yourself and how your actions, thoughts, or
emotions do or don't align with your internal standards. If you're highly self-aware,
you can objectively evaluate yourself, manage your emotions, align your behavior
with your values, and understand correctly how others perceive you.

 Sexual Self Awareness

Sexual self-awareness is about moving from an outside-in experience of our sexuality
to an inside-out experience. It is about understanding our inheritance so that we can
determine our legacy. It is about the kind of sexual healing that allows us to honor
the erotic as one of the pleasures of being human. Greater sexual self-awareness
may be the key to more satisfying intimacy with a partner. Practicing sexual self-
awareness is proven to lead to better sex because when you are curious about your
sexual thoughts, feelings, and beliefs, you can take charge and create more
pleasurable sexual experiences for yourself. Aside from this, getting to know yourself
sexually can help you “choose a partner who is a good fit, practice healthy
boundaries, and navigate the inevitable bumps in the road.”

 Sexual Self
Sexual self-concept--defined as an individual's evaluation of his or her own sexual
feelings and actions--is proposed as an important predictor of contraceptive
behavior among teenagers, and a scale measuring the concept is described. Sexual
self-concept refers to the totality of oneself as a sexual being, including positive and
negative concepts and feelings. According to theorists, sexual self-concept is
described well along three dimensions (Snell & Papini, 1989): sexual self-esteem,
sexual depression, and sexual preoccupation.

-Social Domains
A social domain refers to communicative contexts which influence and are
influenced by the structure of such contexts, whether social, institutional, power-
aligned. Human sexuality can be understood as part of the social life of humans,
governed by social norms, implied rules of behavior, and the status quo.

 Other Awareness
As a basic human cognitive ability, other-awareness refers to the capacity to
distinguish between the behavior, cognitions, and emotions of the self and that of
others.

 Sexual Attraction
Sexual attraction refers to experiencing sexual desire or arousal in relation to
another person or group of people. Sexual attractiveness or sex appeal is an
individual's ability to attract the sexual or erotic interests of other people, and is a
factor in sexual selection or mate choice. The attraction can be to the physical or
other qualities or traits of a person, or to such qualities in the context where they
appear. The attraction may be to a person's aesthetics or movements or to their
voice or smell, besides other factors. The attraction may be enhanced by a person's
 adornments, clothing, perfume or style. It can be influenced by individual genetic,
psychological, or cultural factors, or to other, more amorphous qualities. Sexual
attraction is also a response to another person that depends on a combination of the
person possessing the traits and on the criteria of the person who is attracted.
Though attempts have been made to devise objective criteria of sexual
attractiveness and measure it as one of several bodily forms of capital asset, a
person's sexual attractiveness is to a large extent a subjective measure dependent
on another person's interest, perception, and sexual orientation. For example, a gay
or lesbian person would typically find a person of the same sex to be more attractive
than one of the other sex.
B. Discovering human sexuality
 Sexual Identity
An individual’s sense of self as a sexual being, including gender identity, gender role, sexual
orientation and sexual self-concept. Sexual identity may also refer to the language and
labels people use to define themselves. Sexual self-concept refers to the individual’s
assessment of his or her sexual identity. Development of sexual identity is a critical part of
adolescence. Sexual identity is how one thinks of oneself in terms of to whom one is
romantically or sexually attracted. Sexual identity may also refer to sexual orientation
identity, which is when people identify or dis-identify with a sexual orientation or choose
not to identify with a sexual orientation. Sexual identity and sexual behavior are closely
related to sexual orientation, but they are distinguished, with identity referring to an
individual's conception of themselves, behavior referring to actual sexual acts performed by
the individual, and sexual orientation referring to romantic or sexual attractions toward
persons of the opposite sex or gender, the same sex or gender, to both sexes or more than
one gender, or to no one.
 Sexual Orientation
An individual’s enduring romantic, emotional or sexual attractions toward other persons.
“Heterosexual,” “homosexual” and “bisexual” are examples of specific sexual orientations.
Sexual orientation is a complex interaction between sexual attractions, behaviors, and self-
identity. Sexual orientation refers to feelings and identity, not necessarily behavior.
Individuals do not always express their sexual orientation through their sexual behaviors.
Sexual orientation or sexuality is an aspect of self that involves:
 how you identify
 the way you experience sexual or romantic desire (if you do)
 the gender(s) or sex(es) of the people who someone engages in sexual or
romantic activity with (if any)
 the gender(s) or sex(es) of the people someone is attracted to (if any)
Sexuality can change over the course of someone’s life and in different situations. It’s
understood to be a spectrum instead of a series of mutually exclusive categories.
V. Types of Sexuality
 Heterosexual
People who are heterosexual are romantically and physically attracted to members of the
opposite sex: Heterosexual males are attracted to females, and heterosexual females are
attracted to males. Heterosexuals are sometimes called "straight." As a sexual orientation,
heterosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to
persons of the opposite sex; it "also refers to a person's sense of identity based on those
attractions, related behaviors, and membership in a community of others who share those
attractions. Along with bisexuality and homosexuality, heterosexuality is one of the three
main categories of sexual orientation within the heterosexual–homosexual continuum.
Across cultures, most people are heterosexual, and heterosexual activity is by far the most
common type of sexual activity. Scientists do not know the exact cause of sexual
orientation, but they theorize that it is caused by a complex interplay of genetic, hormonal,
and environmental influences, and do not view it as a choice. Although no single theory on
the cause of sexual orientation has yet gained widespread support, scientists favor
biologically-based theories. There is considerably more evidence supporting nonsocial,
biological causes of sexual orientation than social ones, especially for males. The term
heterosexual or heterosexuality is usually applied to humans, but heterosexual behavior is
observed in all other mammals and in other animals, as it is necessary for sexual
reproduction.
 Homosexual
An outdated term rooted in the fields of medicine and psychology that refers to individuals
who experience sexual, romantic, or emotional attraction to people of the same or a similar
gender. People who are homosexual are romantically and physically attracted to people of
the same sex: Females who are attracted to other females are lesbian; males who are
attracted to other males are often known as gay. (The term gay is sometimes used to
describe homosexual individuals of either sex.). Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual
attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual
orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual
attractions" to people of the same sex. It "also refers to a person's sense of identity based
on those attractions, related behaviors, and membership in a community of others who
share those attractions." The percentage of people who are gay or lesbian and the
proportion of people who are in same-sex romantic relationships or have had same-sex
sexual experiences are difficult for researchers to estimate reliably for a variety of reasons,
including many gay and lesbian people not openly identifying as such due to prejudice or
discrimination such as homophobia and heterosexism. Homosexual behavior has also been
documented in many non-human animal species, though homosexual orientation is not
significantly observed in other animals. Many gay and lesbian people are in committed
same-sex relationships, though only since the 2010s have census forms and political
conditions facilitated their visibility and enumeration. These relationships are equivalent to
heterosexual relationships in essential psychological respects. Homosexual relationships and
acts have been admired, as well as condemned, throughout recorded history, depending on
the form they took and the culture in which they occurred. Since the end of the 20th
century, there has been a global movement towards freedom and equality for gay people,
including the introduction of anti-bullying legislation to protect gay children at school,
legislation ensuring non-discrimination, equal ability to serve in the military, equal access to
health care, equal ability to adopt and parent, and the establishment of marriage equality.
 Bisexual
A sexual orientation that describes those who experience sexual, romantic, or emotional
attractions to people of more than one gender. Also referred to as “bi,” bisexual typically
includes individuals who are attracted to a variety of people, with genders that are similar to
and different than their own. People who are bisexual are romantically and physically
attracted to members of both sexes. A bisexual person may be more attracted to one sex
than another, equally attracted to all sexes and genders, or may consider sex and gender
unimportant. The intensity of a bisexual person’s attractions toward one sex or gender or
another may vary over time. While this offers a basic definition, bisexual people are a
diverse group. Each individual perceives their sexual orientation differently. Some may be
equally attracted to both men and women, while others have a stronger attraction toward
one gender over another. A bisexual identity does not necessarily equate to equal sexual
attraction to both sexes; commonly, people who have a distinct but not exclusive sexual
preference for one sex over the other also identify themselves as bisexual. Scientists do not
know the exact cause of sexual orientation, but they theorize that it is caused by a complex
interplay of genetic, hormonal, and environmental influences, and do not view it as a choice.
Although no single theory on the cause of sexual orientation has yet gained widespread
support, scientists favor biologically based theories. There is considerably more evidence
supporting nonsocial, biological causes of sexual orientation than social ones, especially for
males. A bisexual person may be in a long-term same-sex or heterosexual relationship, or
they may alternate between the two.
 Pansexual
A term that describes individuals who can experience sexual, romantic, or emotional
attraction to any person, regardless of that person’s gender, sex, or sexuality. The prefix pan
is the Greek word for all. Pansexuality is a noun, and pansexual can be used as a noun or an
adjective to describe a person who is pansexual. Pansexual people may refer to themselves
as gender-blind, asserting that gender and sex are not determining factors in their romantic
or sexual attraction to others. Pansexuality may be considered a sexual orientation in its
own right or a branch of bisexuality, to indicate an alternative sexual identity. Because
pansexual people are open to relationships with people who do not identify as strictly men
or women, and pansexuality therefore rejects the gender binary, it is often considered a
more inclusive term than bisexual. The extent to which the term bisexual is inclusive when
compared with the term pansexual is debated within the LGBT community, especially the
bisexual community. The prefix “pan-” means “all.” Similarly, pansexuality means that
you're attracted to people of all genders. This includes people who don't identify with any
gender (agender). Many pansexual people describe themselves as being attracted to people
based on personality, not gender.
  Asexual
People who are asexual may not be interested in sex, but they still feel emotionally close to
other people. Asexual identity or orientation includes individuals who don’t experience
sexual attraction to others of any gender. Also referred to as “aces,” some people who are
asexual do experience romantic attraction to people of one or multiple genders. Asexuality
describes a lack of sexual attraction. Asexual people may experience romantic attraction,
but they do not feel the urge to act on these feelings sexually. Asexuality is a sexual
orientation, like being gay or straight. It is different from celibacy or abstinence. Asexuality
exists on a spectrum, with much diversity in people’s experiences and desires for
relationships, attraction, and arousal. Asexual people have the same emotional needs as
everyone else. Most will desire and form emotionally intimate relationships with other
people. Asexual people may be attracted to the same sex or other sexes. Asexual people
have the same emotional needs as everyone else. Everyone is different, and how individuals
fulfill those needs varies widely. Some asexual people do not want to have sexual contact,
while others may feel “sex-neutral.” Other asexual people will engage in sexual contact to
gain an emotional connection.
VI. Introduction to Sexual Harrassment: Understanding Sexual Behaviors
Sexual harassment is a form of discrimination that includes gender harassment (verbal and
nonverbal behaviors that convey hostility to, objectification of, exclusion of, or second-class
status about members of one gender), unwanted sexual attention (verbally or physically
unwelcome sexual advances, which can include assault), and sexual coercion (when
favorable professional or educational treatment is conditioned on sexual activity). Sexual
harassment involves sexualized forms of unwanted or unwelcome behaviour or conduct. It
has the “purpose or effect of violating the dignity of a person and of creating an
intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment.” Although anyone
may be subject to sexual harassment, women are the overwhelming majority of reported
victims. “Sexual harassment includes such unwelcome sexually determined behaviour as
physical contact and advances, sexually coloured remarks, showing pornography and sexual
demand, whether by words or actions. Such conduct can be humiliating and may constitute
a health and safety problem; it is discriminatory when the woman has reasonable ground to
believe that her objection would disadvantage her in connection with her employment,
including recruitment or promotion, or when it creates a hostile working environment.”
(United Nations Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against
Women (CEDAW), General Recommendation No. 19, Violence against Women, paragraph
18, XI session, 1992.). Sexual harassment can be physical, psychological, verbal and non-
verbal and can include conduct such as: sexual violence and assault, including rape;
unwelcome requests for sexual favors and dates; unwelcome touching; leaning over;
cornering; stalking; making sexually-lewd comments or unwelcome communications of a
sexual nature, including displaying or sharing sexually lewd pictures and pornographic
material.
 A. Sexual Behaviors
Human sexual behaviour is the manner in which humans experience and express their
sexuality. People engage in a variety of sexual acts, ranging from activities done alone
(e.g., masturbation) to acts with another person (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-
penetrative sex, oral sex, etc.) in varying patterns of frequency, for a wide variety of
reasons. Sexual activity usually results in sexual arousal and physiological changes in the
aroused person, some of which are pronounced while others are more subtle. Sexual
activity may also include conduct and activities which are intended to arouse the sexual
interest of another or enhance the sex life of another, such as strategies to find or attract
partners (courtship and display behaviour), or personal interactions between individuals
(for instance, foreplay or BDSM). Sexual activity may follow sexual arousal. Sexual
behavior refers to a broad spectrum of behaviors in which humans display their sexuality.
These behavioral expressions contains both biological elements and cultural influences
and involves sexual arousal (with its physiological changes, both pronounced and subtle,
in the aroused person). Sexual behavior ranges from the to partnered sex that is engaged
in periodically. Sexual behavior can also involve behavior that is aimed at arousing desire
in potential partners (courtship displays or rituals) or behavior aimed at enhancing sexual
experiences.
-Factors Contributing to sexual behaviors
 Genetic variables
Chromosomal sex is determined at the time of fertilization and depends upon the
particular chromosomes contributed by the parents. Many problems of sex
determination at the gene level of analysis remain to be solved, but these need not
concern us here. Classification of the individual as male or female is usually based on
the appearance of the external genitalia. Unfortunately sex classification based on
this criterion does not always correspond to chromosomal or gonadal sex, nor does
it necessarily correspond to the pattern of sexual behavior displayed by the animal.
In addition to these possible inconsistencies, chromosomal sex itself may not be
normal, as for example in the case of an individual whose chromosomal pattern is XO
and who, accordingly, lacks one of the sex chromosomes.

 Hormone variables
Sexual behavior among females of lower mammalian species is characterized by its
cyclicity. The display of sexual behavior is referred to as estrus or heat. The period
coincides with the presence of mature ovarian follicles and, generally, with changes
in the vaginal epithelium. The term estrus is sometimes used to refer to the
physiological state of the ovary or condition of the cells in the vagina. The multiple
meaning attached to the term is testimony to the close relationship between the
physiological state and the behavioral state. Ovulation usually, although not always,
accompanies estrus; and thus mating is most likely to occur at a time when
fertilization is possible.
  Sensory variables
The senses serve several functions vital to sexual behavior. They are essential in
bringing together the male and female of a given species and in arousing and
directing behavior that eventually results in copulation and reproduction. The
distance receptors play a major role in locating appropriate sex partners, and all of
the senses probably contribute to the arousal and performance of the behavior
sequence culminating in insemination. Generally, the female is less dependent upon
multiple stimulation for display of adequate sexual behavior. A female deprived of
vision, olfaction, and audition may continue to mate successfully, but this is not true
of the male.

 Neural variables
The neural tissues constitute what is presumed to be one of the primary loci of
gonadal hormone action controlling behavior. The site of action within the nervous
system is not definitely known, but it is assumed to include both spinal cord and
brain.

 Experiential variables
Although it has been pointed out that differences in patterns of sexual behavior are
associated with differences in genetic background, this does not preclude the
importance of experiential factors in determining the particular pattern displayed by
the individual. The limits to which experience can modify the behavior pattern are,
however, largely determined by genetic factors. In studying the influence of
experiential factors on mating behavior, we are indirectly examining the variability
allowed by genetic endowment.

-Components of sexual behaviors

 Mounting
The most readily identified aspect of animal sexual behavior is the mounting
response. It is an essential component of the male mating pattern but frequently
occurs in females, especially during estrus. In a successful mating sequence the male
mounts the female from the rear. The forelegs are placed on the back or around the
sides of the female with the hind legs on the ground. The male may then execute a
series of rapid pelvic thrusts.
 Intromission
Intromission is obviously restricted to the male. To achieve intromission, not only
must the male be properly oriented, but the male private part must be erect. The
detection of intromission is difficult in most species and often requires special
conditions of observation. In some species, such as the guinea pig, the rate of pelvic
thrusting may be slower during intromission.
 Ejaculation
Ejaculation, as in the case of intromission, is not identified directly but is commonly
inferred by changes in gross body movement. In the guinea pig, for example, at the
 moment of ejaculation the flanks of the male are drawn in as in a spasm. The male
then dismounts, or the female pulls away, and both male and female clean the
genitalia. Following ejaculation the male dismounts much more slowly than he does
following intromission, and there ensues a period of relative inactivity.

 Lordosis
The one outstanding component of female sexual behavior common to all
mammalian species except man is the lordosis response. In the monkey the
receptive posture is referred to as a “present.” The receptive posture or lordosis
consists of a particular stance, with the four legs fixed and a straightening and
arching (in some cases) of the back with elevation of the pudendum. In some species
the head is thrown backward and the tail is deviated or displaced so as to expose the
genitalia. A number of minor species differences exist, but in all species the pattern
facilitates both mounting and intromission by the male.

B. Human sex drive

Libido (colloquial: sex drive) is a person's overall sexual drive or desire for sexual activity.
Libido is influenced by biological, psychological, and social factors. Biologically, the sex
hormones and associated neurotransmitters that act upon the nucleus accumbens
(primarily testosterone and dopamine, respectively) regulate libido in humans. Social
factors, such as work and family, and internal psychological factors, such as personality and
stress, can affect libido. Libido can also be affected by medical conditions, medications,
lifestyle and relationship issues, and age (e.g., puberty). A person who has extremely
frequent or a suddenly increased sex drive may be experiencing hypersexuality, while the
opposite condition is hyposexuality. A person may have a desire for sex, but not have the
opportunity to act on that desire, or may on personal, moral or religious reasons refrain
from acting on the urge. Psychologically, a person's urge can be repressed or sublimated.
Conversely, a person can engage in sexual activity without an actual desire for it. Multiple
factors affect human sex drive, including stress, illness, pregnancy, and others. A 2001
review found that, on average, men have a higher desire for sex than women. Sexual desires
are often an important factor in the formation and maintenance of intimate relationships in
humans. A lack or loss of sexual desire can adversely affect relationships. Changes in the
sexual desires of any partner in a sexual relationship, if sustained and unresolved, may cause
problems in the relationship. The infidelity of a partner may be an indication that a partner's
changing sexual desires can no longer be satisfied within the current relationship. Problems
can arise from disparity of sexual desires between partners, or poor communication
between partners of sexual needs and preferences.
C. Erotic mode
If you describe something as erotic, you mean that it involves sexual feelings or arouses
sexual desire. Eroticism is a quality that causes sexual feelings, as well as a philosophical
contemplation concerning the aesthetics of sexual desire, sensuality, and romantic love.
That quality may be found in any form of artwork, including painting, sculpture,
photography, drama, film, music, or literature. It may also be found in advertising. The term
may also refer to a state of sexual arousal or anticipation of such – an insistent sexual
impulse, desire, or pattern of thoughts.
D. Sensorium
The totality of those parts of the brain that receive, process and interpret sensory stimuli.
The sensorium is the supposed seat of sensation, the place to which impressions from the
external world are conveyed and perceived. The sensorium also refers to the entire sensory
apparatus of the body. The term "sensorium" comes (as does the word "sensation") from
the Latin sensus, "the faculty of perceiving." The plural of "sensorium" is rarely used but in
case of need you can choose between "sensoriums" and "sensoria." The term originally
entered English from the Late Latin in the mid-17th century, from the stem sens- ("sense").
In earlier use it referred, in a broader sense, to the brain as the mind's organ (Oxford English
Dictionary 1989). In medical, psychological, and physiological discourse it has come to refer
to the total character of the unique and changing sensory environments perceived by
individuals. These include the sensation, perception, and interpretation of information
about the world around us by using faculties of the mind such as senses, phenomenal and
psychological perception, cognition, and intelligence.
E. Sexual Gratification
Sexual gratification means a behavior or act committed to stimulate the sexual interest or
desire of the actor or actors. It can include deferred gratification, as would be the case
where the perpetrator coerces the victim to be present during sexual activity with the
intention that he or she will then consent toparticipate in sexual conduct with the
perpetrator.