Lesson 8: Sexual Self

This section tackles one of the most crucial aspects of human development, the
sexual self. It highlights biological and environmental factors that shape sexual
development. Being a complex and amazing structure, the human body is a source of
strength, beauty, and wonder. Like a well-designed machine, a healthy body have parts
whose parts functions smoothly together. Like a harmonious orchestra that musicians play
together, they produce beautiful music, a healthy body have parts who operations are in harmony with
others.

Introduction

▪ Sexual selfhood is defined as how one thinking about himself or herself as a sexual individual.
Human sexuality is a topic that just like beauty is culturally diverse. This should be understood in
varied ways.

1. Historical.

▪ In Ancient Greece, it is the male that assumes the dominant

role. The male symbol, the penis, was viewed as the symbol
of fertility and how the male body was structured and was
greatly admired. Their wives were considered as objects to be
possessed just like property. Women, on the other hand, were
forbidden to own property and had no legal and only function
was to bear children. The Greek word for woman is “gyne”
means – bearer of children.

▪ In Middle Ages (476-1450), bore witness to the strong influence of church particularly in matters
of sexuality. The church decreed that all sexual acts that do not lead to procreation were considered
evil. Women were labelled as either temptress (like Eve) or a woman of virtue (like Virgin Mary).

▪ In the protestant reformation of the 16th century (1483-1546) Martin Luther, John Calvin and other
Protestant leaders initiated a movement against the Roman Catholic Church. Protestantism believed
that sexuality is a natural part of life and that priests should be able to marry and have families.
Martin Luther King and John Calvin believed that the reason for sexual intimacy was to strengthen
the physical and emotional bond between husbands and wives and not just procreation.

▪ By the 17th and 18th century, the Puritans, a group of people who were discontented with the Church
of England rallied for religious, moral and societal reformation. They had positive view on marital
sex and did not tolerate sex outside marriage. Premarital sex, therefore, was considered immoral.

▪ In the Victorian Era (1837-1901), homosexuality and prostitution were rampant and considered to
be threats to social order. People in this era were not comfortable in discussing breast or buttocks,
they used other terms instead.

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▪ Through the years and in the 20th century, interest in sexuality became more evident and accepted
in society. The separation of church and state reduced the influence the church had over sexual
mores. Also, the rise of feminism allowed for changes in employment, home life, and sexual
standards for women. Over time, cultural diversity and social norms offered varied views on what
today may be considered as sexually normal.

2. Biological.

▪ Knowing the structures and functions of the reproductive system is essential to the understanding
of sexuality. In the nervous system, it is the brain that initiates and organizes sexual behavior.
Through the process of sexual reproduction, the next generation of human beings are created by
the fusion of the egg cell and sperm cell. This will be discuss further in the next pages.

3. Sociobiological/Evolutionary.

▪ This perspective studies how evolutionary forces

affect sexual behavior. According to sociobiological
theory, natural selection is a process by which organisms
that are best suited to their environment are most likely to
survive. Traits that lead to reproductive advantage tend to
be passed on, whereas maladaptive traits are lost. On the
basis of human sexual behavior, it all begins with physical
attraction.

▪ Beauty is more than just cultural standard. It is

primarily an evolutionary standard for attracting the best
male or female in the lot to ensure that one’s genetic
characteristics will be passed on to the next generation.

▪ Although survival is the goal of the evolutionary perspective, physical attraction which ends in sex
does not mean that the attraction will be lasting. For what is really important in human sexual
relationships is the love, care, and responsibility each gender has for the other.

4. Psychological

▪ Rosenthal (2013) also explained that sexuality is not a mere physical response. Rather, it also
involves emotions, thoughts and beliefs.

▪ Sigmund Freud was one of the most prominent person to explain sexuality, through is theories.
According to him, human beings are faces with two forces – sex instinct and libido (pleasure) and
death or aggressive instinct (harm toward oneself or towards others).

▪ Sex instinct does not only pertain to the sexual act rather it could also mean anything that could
give pleasure to the person. Thus, human behavior is geared towards satisfying the sex instinct
and/or death instinct. A person’s libido or sexual energy is located in an area of the body at different

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 psychosexual stages. These area of pleasure are called erogenous zones. These will be discussed
further in the following pages.

▪ Freud also regarded personality as composed of three structures: the id, the Ego and the Superego.
The id is the part which always seeks for pleasure and aggression. It follows the pleasure principle
because it wants the person to attain gratification immediately. It is unconsciously saying “I want
it now!”. The Superego is the person’s sense of morality it follows the moral principle whose role
is to restrict demands of the id. It is developed when children are taught the difference between
right and wrong. The ego follows the analytical principle. It analyses the need of the id and its
consequences as dictated by the superego and thinks of ways to satisfy the need in an acceptable
manner.
5. Religious

▪ Judaism holds a positive and natural outlook toward marital sex which they consider as blessed by
God and pleasurable for both men and women. Sexual connection provides an opportunity for
spirituality and transcendence.

▪ In Islam, family is considered of utmost importance, and celibacy within marriage is prohibited.
Muslim men are allowed to have up to four wives but Muslim women can only have one husband.
Sex is permitted only within marriage and extramarital sex is penalized.

▪ According to Taoism, which originated in China, sex is not only natural and healthy, but a sacred
union necessary to people’s physical, mental, and spiritual being. The sexual union is a way to
balance male and female energy.

▪ In Hinduism, sexuality is seen as spiritual force, and the act of ritual lovemaking is a means of both
celebrating and transcending the physical

▪ For the Roman Catholic Church, marriage is purely for intercourse and procreation. Pope John Paul
II confirmed the idea that married couples should engage in intercourse only for the purpose of
procreation. They further believed that homosexual orientation, in itself is not sinful, but
homosexual acts are immoral and sinful. The use of birth control is strongly opposed but they agree
to natural family planning and prohibit abortion.

Development of Secondary Sex Characteristics and Reproductive System

▪ This part is understanding the sexual self in Biological manner.

▪ From a purely physical standpoint, our bodies are made mainly of water. We are also made of
many minerals, including calcium, phosphorous, potassium, sulfur, sodium, chlorine,
magnesium, and iron. In order of size, the elements of the body are organized into cells, tissues,
and organs. Related organs are combined into systems, including the musculoskeletal,
cardiovascular, nervous, respiratory, gastrointestinal, endocrine, and reproductive systems

▪ There are two kinds of reproduction: asexual and sexual. Many biochemical events must
occur before an organism can reproduce either way.

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1. Asexual reproduction
The simplest form of reproduction that literally means without sex. A single celled animals
grow to a certain stage or size and divide into two identical organism. Multi-celled asexual
organisms have developed several unique reproductive strategies. For example, the jellyfish
reproduces by budding, a process where a new individual begins to grow (bud) from the
original organism and is eventually released as a small, free swimming organism.

2. Sexual reproduction
In organisms that reproduce sexually, there are males and females and reproduction occurs
when partners coming together. This also involves reproductive cells, including a female ovum
(egg) and a male’s sperm.

▪ Network of organs and signaling molecules happened on the process of the human reproductive
system. In which, interaction and communication make it possible to the human ability to
produce and bear live offspring. It is distinguished from all other organ systems of the human
body by the fact that it is composed of two anatomically different organ plans, one for the
female and one for the male. It is also a slow-developing system, with the reproductive organs
obtaining full maturity at some point during adolescence, the transitional phase of growth and
development between childhood and adulthood.

▪ In both male and female embryos, the tissues that will form the structures of the internal
genitalia that are destined to develop in only one way, either as structures in the female
reproductive system or structures in the male reproductive system, but not both.

▪ Provided all organs are present, normally constructed, and functioning properly, the seven
essential features of human reproduction are:

o (1) liberation of an ovum, or egg, at a specific time in the reproductive cycle;

o (2) internal fertilization of the ovum by spermatozoa, or sperm cells;
o (3) transport of the fertilized ovum to the uterus, or womb;
o (4) implantation of the blastocyst, the early embryo developed from the fertilized
ovum, in the wall of the uterus;
o (5) formation of a placenta and maintenance of the unborn child during the entire
period of gestation;
o (6) birth of the child and expulsion of the placenta; and
o (7) suckling and care of the child, with an eventual return of the maternal organs to
virtually their original state.

▪ The male reproductive system essential parts are as follows:

1. Penis – a male sexual organ consisting of the internal root and external shaft and glans.
2. Root – the portion of the penis that extends internally into the pelvic cavity.
3. Shaft – the length of the penis between the glans and the body.
4. Glans – the head of the penis; richly endowed with nerve endings.
5. Cavernous bodies – the structures in the shaft of the penis that engorge with blood during
sexual arousal.
6. Foreskin – a covering of skin over the penile glans.

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 7. Corona – the rim of the penile glans.
8. Frenulum – a highly sensitive, thin strip of skin that connects the glans to the shaft on the
underside of the penis.

▪ The female reproductive system essential parts are as follows:

1. Vulva – encompasses all female external genital structures – the hairs, fold of skin, and
the urinary and vaginal openings.

a. Mons Veneris – a triangular mound over the pubic bone above the vulva.
b. Labia majora – the outer lips of the vulva.
c. Labia minora – the inner lips of the vulva, one on each side of the vaginal opening.
d. Prepuce – the foreskin or fold of skin over the clitoris.
e. Clitoris – a highly sensitive structure of the female external genitals, the only function
of which is sexual pleasure.
f. Shaft – the length of the clitoris between the glans and the body.
g. Glans – the head of the clitoris; richly endowed with nerve endings.
h. Cruca – the innermost tips of the cavernous bodies that connect to the pubic bones.
i. Vestibule – the area of the vulva inside the labia minora.
j. Urethra – the tube through which urine passes from the bladder to outside the body.

2. Internal Structure
a. Vagina – a stretchable canal in the female that opens at the vulva and extends about
four inches into the pelvis.
b. Rugae – the folds of tissue in the vagina.
c. Cervix – the small end of the uterus, located at the back of the vagina.
d. Uterus – a pear shaped organ inside the female pelvis, within which the fetus develops.
e. Fallopian tubes – two tubes in which the egg and sperm travel, extending from the
sides of the uterus.
f. Ovaries – female gonads that produce ova and sex hormones.

▪ These are the parts of the reproductive organs that is considered to be important. The primary
and secondary characteristics refer to specific physical differentiate males and females in
sexually dimorphic species – species having two forms that are determined by their sex; that
is, species in which males and females look different from each other. Primary characteristics
are there from birth (for example, penises and vaginas). Secondary sexual characteristics
emerge at puberty (such as low voices and beards in men, and high voices and no facial hair in
women). Samples includes:

▪ These secondary sexual characteristics are not used in reproduction, but are apparent in most
dimorphic species. Hormones secreted through the hypothalamus initiate the development of
classically male or female secondary sexual traits.

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 ▪ These secondary sex characteristics can
also be known as some of the first changes in a boy
are the growth of his and growth of pubic hair.
Later, the chest becomes larger, hair grows in the
armpits, muscles grow in the arms and legs and
shoulders become larger and stronger.

▪ In some males, hair also grows on the

chest, but generally, Asian men are less hairy and
less muscular than Caucasian men, and those from
Africa have coarser body hair. Facial hair, which
usually grows first above the lips and later grows
on the cheeks, may grow into a mustache and
beard unless the boy shaves regularly.
The larynx (voice box) becomes larger as well,
resulting in a deeper voice. In girls, pubic hair begins to grow, followed by underarm
hair; breasts develop, with the areola around the nipple becoming darker. Fat deposits around
the hips and buttocks also contribute to the female's more rounded appearance.

▪ With girls, the menstrual cycle begins, it may be irregular, with some monthly cycles occurring
without ovulation. Since 1840, menstruation has been beginning a few months earlier every
decade, possibly due to better nutrition or to the consumption of meat that contains hormones.
In general, girls gain less height and weight than boys do during their teenage years.

▪ The list below shows some of these characteristic differences between human males and
females.

For boys, these include For girls, these include

• More pronounced body hair • Less pronounced body hair

characteristics (beard, chest, etc.) and
usually more coarse
• Heavier musculature
• Angular features (i.e. square jaw,
triangular mid region)
• Narrow hips
• Muscular pectorals (chest)
• Less fat tissue overall
• Deeper voice
characteristics (mostly in pubic
region, hair all over is usually finer)
• Lighter musculature
• Rounded features (i.e. softer facial
features, hourglass mid-region)
• Wider hips (for child bearing)
• More pronounced breasts with more
fatty tissue
• More fat tissue overall
• Higher voice

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• Puberty is the stage of physical maturation in
which an individual becomes physiologically
capable of sexual reproduction. The biological
changes include: (1) neurosecretory factors and/or
hormones, (2) modulation of somatic growth, and
(3) initiation of the development of the sex glands.
The physiology of puberty includes also the
activation of the hypothalamic pituitary-gonadal
axis which induces and enhances the progressive
ovarian and testicular sex hormone secretion.

• It is also responsible for the profound biological,

morphological, and psychological changes to
which adolescent is subjected. In addition, there
are sex steroid production which appearance and
Source: https://goo.gl/8NsTKd
maintenance of sexual characteristics are included
as well as the person’s capacity for reproduction.

• Puberty proceeds through five stages from childhood to full maturity as described by Marshall and
Tanner (2006). In both sexes, these stages reflect the progressive modifications of the external
genetalia and of sexual hair. Secondary sex characteristics appear at a mean age of 10.5 years in
girls and 11.5 to 12 years in boys.

• Puberty Stages (Female )

P1 Prepubertal
P2 Early development of subareolar breast bud
+/- small amounts of pubic hair and axillary hair
P3 Increase in size of palpable breast tissue and areolae
Increase amount of dark pubic hair and axillary hair
P4 Further increase in breast size and areolae that protrude above breast level
Adult Pubic hair
P5 Adult Stage
Pubic hair with extension to upper thigh

• The prepubertal uterus is tear-drop shaped, with the neck and isthmus accounting for up to two-
thirds of the uterine volume; then, with the production of estrogens, it becomes pear shaped, with
the uterine body increasing in length and thickness proportionately more than the cervix.

• The rising levels of plasma gonadotropins stimulate the ovary to produce increasing amounts of
estradiol. Estradiol is responsible for the development of secondary sexual characteristics, that is,
growth and development of the breasts and reproductive organs, fat redistribution (hips, breasts),
and bone maturation. The maturation of the ovary at adolescence correlates well with estradiol
secretion and the stages of puberty.

• During puberty, plasma estradiol levels fluctuate widely, probably reflecting successive waves of
follicular development that fail to reach the ovulatory stage. The uterine endometrium is affected
by these changes and undergoes cycles of proliferation and regression, until a point is reached when
substantial growth occurs so that withdrawal of estrogen results in the first menstruation
(menarche). Female secondary sexual characteristics includes breast development, pubic and/or
axillary hair, and menses occur earlier than normal variations from the mean, the terms premature.

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 Puberty Stages (Males)

P1 Prepubertal
Testicular length less than 2.5 cm

P2 Early increase in testicular size, scrotum

slightly pigmented
Few long and dark pubic hair

P3 Testicular length 3.3-4 cm

Lengthening of the penis, increase of
pubic hair

P4 Testicular length 4.1-4.5 cm, increase in

Source: https://goo.gl/d314zv
length and thickening of the penis
Adult amount of pubic hair

• Secondary sexual development in boys includes growth kinetics are enhanced from early puberty
on, this is on maximal velocity of attaining it only around 14 to 15 years of age. Testis increases in
size, mainly at the expense of the seminiferous tubules. Also the interstitial (leydig) cells develop
and ensure synthesis and secretion of testosterone. A testicular volume of 4ml or a longitudinal
diameter greater than or equal to 2.5 cm and a slight progressive increase in scrotal folds and
pigmentation constitute the first signs of puberty. The increase in testicular size observed during
prepuberty and puberty results essentially from the development of the seminiferous tubules.

• The testicular volume increases throughout puberty up to Tanner stage P4 when a longitudinal
diameter of 5.0 + 0.5 cm or a volume of 17.6 + 4.0 ml is reached. A significant increase of plasma
testosterone is found only between Tanner pubertal stages P3 and P4. Dihydrotestosterone shows
a pattern similar to that of testosterone, and the proportion of dihydrotestosterone to testosterone
decreases gradually until adulthood, when dihydrotestosterone levels are approximately 10% of
those of testosterone.

• Remember, that at the start of puberty, changes that happen in the bodies of young males and
females are both secondary and primary sexual changes. Whereas, secondary sexual changes are
physical changes that distinguish males from females.

Discussing Erogenous Zones

• This part could be understanding the sexual self in a Psychological manner.

• Erogenous zones can be understand in a certain way we understand our body. These are areas of
the human body that has heightened sensitivity. The stimulation of these areas may result in the
foundation and production of sexual fantasies, sexual arousal, and orgasm. These are areas that are
more sensitive than others all over the body.

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• Varieties of sexual excitement may be provoked that will classify the erogenous zones. Erogenous
zones vary from culture to culture and over time. Essentially, these parts have high concentration
of nerve endings, that the result is they are particularly sensitive to touch, pressure, or vibration.

• In psychology, the five stages of Freud’s psychosexual theory of development:

1. Oral stage, the child erogenous zone is the mouth which receives gratification through
eating and sucking.
2. Anal stage, the erogenous zone is the anus in which sexual gratification is derived from
defecation
3. Phallic stage, erogenous zone is the genitals. Here the child experiences sexual attraction
towards the opposite sex parent. Oedipus complex (sexual attraction of the body child
toward the mother) and Electra complex (sexual attraction of the girl child towards the
father)
4. Latency stage, sexual impulses lie dormant as the child is occupied by social activities
such as going to school and playing.
5. Genital stage, where the erogenous zone is again the genitals. At this time, the sexual
attraction is directed towards others, usually one of opposite sex.

• According to his theory, each stage of psychosexual development must be met successfully for
proper development; if we lack proper nurturing and parenting during a stage, we may become
stuck in, or fixated on, that stage. Freud’s psychosexual theory has been seriously criticized for the
past few decades and is now considered largely outdated. However, the erogenous zones were
discussed in each of the stages of psychosexual development, that if not outgrown will have
fixations for that certain stage.

• Erogenous zones is different from sexual fetishes. According to Freud, a fetish is an inappropriate
object (a shoe for example) that is substituted for a woman and used for sexual gratification. An
erogenous zone is a body part (a foot, for instance) that arous es sexual curiosity and draws a man's
attention to the whole female body. Fetishism is an individual personality disorder, while
erogenous zones are sexual preferences shared by most men at a given time or place. Fetishes
belong to the science of psychopathology while erogenous zones belong to the social world of
costume and fashion.

• The phrase erogenous zones was coined near the end of the nineteenth century and used in the early
twentieth century by some psychologists to describe how simple pressure to these parts of the body
could arouse complete orgasm in what were defined as hysterical persons (generally understood to
be women).

• The second general meaning of the phrase, to be dealt with at some length here, refers to a visual
phenomenon associated with clothing and body adornment. For cultural anthropologists, erogenous
zones are those areas of the female body which men find sexually arousing and which women alter
or adorn to attract the male eye.

• Because of this understanding, it can be noted that culture determines their unique fixation for
erogenous zones. Examples are Asian men prize the nape of the neck while Europeans are fixated
with waist. In defiance of common sense, the genitals rarely become erogenous zones.
• Human increases their likeness through body paint, cosmetics, mutilation or other procedures like
Western women paint their lips red, enhancing resemblance to the labia; Aristocratic Chinese

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 women bound their feet so it would be tiny, curled feet more closely resembled the vulva. More
societies alter their erogenous zones to make them more beautiful or prominent.

Understanding Human Sexual Response

• One of the great qualities of human being is its ability to be modified by experiences. This process
is known as learning and conditioning, which most of the aspects of human behavior even sexual
behavior appear to be a product of it. Like the preferences people have of type of individual as
partners – tall, short, younger, or varieties of partners like heterosexual/homosexual. The
classification of behavior as normal or away from normal represents culture based rather than
scientific explained.

• As part of the transition from childhood to adulthood, all adolescents experience sexual feelings.
Some act upon these feelings by having sexual intercourse; others don’t have intercourse but
engage in behaviors stopping short of penile/vaginal intercourse; some engage in anal intercourse
or oral sex (Remez, 2000); and others deny their sexual feelings by focusing intensely on non-
sexual pursuits.

• Other adolescents are able to have socially acceptable intercourse through early, sometimes pre-
arranged, marriages. Sexual behavior among adolescents is not new – what is new is the delay in
marriage that attends increasing educational attainment, and non-agricultural and increasingly
technological free market societies.

• Individuals become erotically aroused when they observe other individuals engaging in sexual
activity. The human sexual response can be understood through a cycle. This is also called the
sexual response cycle. It refers to the sequence of physical and emotional changes that occur as
person becomes sexually aroused and participates in sexually stimulating activities.

• Advantages can be known if a person would know how their bodies respond during each cycle.
Men and women experience sexual arousal very differently, not only physiologically but
psychologically. For many women, the excitement phase has much more of an emotional
component. Women are motivated to sexual response by a need for emotional intimacy. It is this
motivation that causes them to react to sexual stimuli and thus enter the excitement phase.

• Master and Johnson categorized the human sexual response into four stages which they called the
Human Sexual Response Cycle (HSRC);

Stage Description

Excitement This is the body’s initial response to sexual arousal.

It is characterized by an increase in heart rate and blood pressure as

well as heightened muscle tone.

Plateau This is the period of sexual excitement prior to orgasm

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 It is characterized by intensification of the changes begun during the
excitement phase.

Orgasm This is characterized by waves of intense pleasure (climax), often

associated with vaginal contractions in females and ejaculation in
males.

Resolution In this phase of the body returns to its non-excited stage.

• Sexual response varies from person to person and sexual fulfillment can occur without the
completion of all phases described by Master and Johnson. Rosenthal (2013) has included the stage
of desire prior to excitement which is a drive or motivation to seek out sexual objects or to engage
in sexual activities.

References:

Arcega, A M., Cullar, D. S., Evangelista, L. D. & Falculan, L. M. (2018). Understanding the Self. Malabon
City: Mutya Publishing House Inc.

Gazzingan, L. B. et al. (2019). Understanding the Self. Muntinlupa City: Panday-Lahi Publishing House,
Inc.

Marshall, E. and Tanner, S. Introduction to Psychology. Accessed July 28, 2020.

https://opentextbc.ca/introductiontopsychology/chapter/6-3-adolescence-developing-independence-and-
identity/

Master, A. and Johnson, T. Human Sexual Response. Accessed July 28, 2020.
https://canvas.du.edu/courses/24161/files/1152570

Remez, R. Developing Adolescene. Accessed July 28, 2020.

https://www.apa.org/pi/families/resources/develop.pdf

Rosenthal, M. (2013). Human Sexuality from Cells to Society. Asia: Cengage Learning
Seventeeth congress (First Regular session). Accessed July 20, 2020.
http://www.congress.gov.ph/legisdocs/first_17/CR00101.pdf

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