Process of Psychosexual Development
- Is a critical important area of growth, whether or
not a person enters priesthood or religious life,
marries, or remains single.
Rational Fears Related to Sexuality
 Fears of perversion/addiction
 Pregnancy
 Sexually transmitted diseases
 Other sexually associated malfunctions
Nature of Psychosexual Development
1. Cognitive Dimension – Perceiving one’s body,
gender, and growth producing sexual behaviors
in a positive light, and perceiving the body
gender, growth producing behaviors of the
opposite sex with a positive attitude.
2. Emotional Dimension – Feeling comfortable,
confident, and competent with one’s body and
sexuality, and with the body and sexuality of the
opposite sex.
3. Social Dimension – relating with the same and
opposite sex in ways that are not self-conscious,
in ways that are open, and in ways that are
potentially, mutually fulfilling.
4. Moral Dimension – valuing the ways of allowing
and encouraging the behaviors which are
necessary for ongoing sexual growth, thus
preventing the harmful expression of one’s
sexuality.
Stage of Psychosexual Development
Stage 1) Childhood Sexuality (Age 3 to 7)
Phase 1: Sexual Unawareness – infants
& young children have weak sexual
identity; not yet attuned cognitively or
emotionally to their sexuality or the
sexuality of others.
Phase 2: Sexual Awakening – children
gradually notice that their bodies are
different from those of their opposite
sexed parents and siblings, and they
become fascinated of their own bodies
and those of others. Children start to ask
questions, acquire sexual vocabulary,
sexual jokes, and etc.
Phase 3: Sexual Superstitiousness –
because the sexual behaviors common
in the previous phase raise anxiety in
most adults at least in our culture,
children learn that it is better to do
“underground” with their sexual
development in their late childhood.
They feign disinterest in sex in general
and in the opposite sex in particular.
Results of Fixation on Stage 1
 Secretly sexual
 May act sexually but they are
afraid to let anyone, including
their friends, know the extent of
their sexuality.
Stage 2) Adolescent Sexuality (Age 13 to 20)
Phase 1: Sexual Fantasy – adolescents
imagine themselves to be in sexual and
romantic situations with real or imagined
people.
Phase 2: Sexual Preoccupation – time
of being highly distracted and absorbed
by sexuality. Preoccupation with the
sexuality-related physical changes
taking place that seem to appear from
nowhere and for no reason.
Phase 3: Superficial Sexual Relations –
adolescent spend increasingly more time
together and group dating evolves into
dating as a couple.
Results of Fixation on Stage 2
 Generally drawn to opposite
sexed people in markedly
superficial, self-centered,
ambivalent, or conflicting ways.
 Tend to be overly dependent on
parental affirmation, support,
and values.
Stage 3) Adult Sexuality
Phase 1: Psychosexual Mutuality – from
viewing heterosexual relationships as
instruments of attaining affirmation and
gratification, to viewing them as
opportunities to express and share care,
trust, and affection.
Phase 2: Psychosexual Integration –
psychosexual needs gradually assume
their place among other equally
important values.
Results of Fixation on Stage 3
 May be capable of relating to
others superficially.
 They are in a psychological
straitjacket.
Sexuality in Broad Strokes
 Physical and biological aspect of sexuality –
human reproductive functions and human
response cycle.
 Physical and emotional aspects of sexuality –
bonds between individuals that are expressed
through profound feelings or physical
manifestations of love, trust, and care.
 Social aspects of sexuality – the effects of
human society on one’s sexuality.
  Spiritual aspects of sexuality – an individual’s
spiritual connection with others
Sexuality – also affects and is affected by
cultural, political, legal, philosophical, moral,
ethical, and religious aspects of life.
Family
- meaning of family changes over time and
contexts and cultures
- no standard universal definition of a family; it
exists in many forms and arrangements are
often complex.
- are more fluid than they were in the past.
What is a Family?
- Live together in a committed relationship.
- Care for one another and any children.
- Share activities and close emotional ties.
For some, family includes fictive kin who are accepted
as part of the family group but have no blood ties.
Five Functions of the Family
1. Regulation of Sexual Activity - An incest taboo
against sexual relations between parent and
child or two full-blooded siblings is a cultural
universal (meaning, it is an element, pattern,
trait, or institution that is common to all human
cultures worldwide).
2. Procreation and Socialization - Procreation is
an essential function of the family because it
ensures that society will continue. Through
socialization, children learn the rules and
customs of their culture and the first place they
are socialized is in the family.
3. Economic Security - the family is an important
economic unit that provides financial security
and stability. Families provide for their own
physical survival.
4. Emotional Support - is probably one of the
most important aspects of family. Charles Horton
Cooley proposed the concept of primary groups
and said that family is the main primary group
in every society.
5. Social Class Placement - A social class is a
category of people who have a similar standing
or rank in society. We are all born into a specific
social class based on things like our parents’
income, education, job, attitudes, and values.
Other Functions of Family
a) Replacements for dying members of
the society must be produced.
b) Provision must be made for solving
conflicts and maintaining order within
the family and the larger society.
c) Individual goals must be harmonized
with the values of the society.
d) Goods and services must be
produced and distributed.
e) Procedures must be established for
supplying intimacy and emotional
gratification and for maintaining a
sense of purpose within the family.
Marriage - is a socially approved mating relationship that
people expect to be stable and enduring.
Types of Marriage
Ceremonial marriage - is one in which the couple
follows procedures specified by the state or other
jurisdiction.
Common-law marriages - are ones in which people
establish a relationship and consider themselves
husband and wife, however, they have never
performed a ceremony to solidify their commitment.
Three requirements for common-law
marriages:
•They must live together.
•They must present themselves as husband
and wife.
•They can have no future plans to marry—
they consider themselves married already.
Patrilocal - residential pattern, the newly married
couple lives with the husband’s family.
Matrilocal - residential pattern, the couple lives with
the wife’s family.
Neolocal - residential pattern, the couple sets up its
own household.
Endogamy - requires people to marry or have
sexual relations within a certain group. These might
include racial or ethnic groups or clans or tribes.
Exogamy - permits marriage outside of one’s own
group.
Monogamy - one person is married exclusively to
one other person.
Serial Monogamy - We are married to only one
person at a time, but in at least half of marriages, we
are married to more than one person over our
lifetime.
Polygamy - is when a man or a woman has two or
more spouses.
Polygyny - (the practice of more than one wife)
Polyandry - (the practice of more than one
husband)
 Cousin Marriage - is a marriage where the partners
are cousins.
Levirate Marriage - is a type of marriage in which
the brother of a deceased man is obliged to marry
his brother's widow; Latin word levir meaning
"husband's brother."
Sororate Marriage - is a type of marriage in which a
husband engages in marriage or sexual relations
with the sister of his wife, usually after the death of
his wife or if his wife has proven infertile.
Ghost Marriage - In Chinese tradition, a ghost
marriage is a marriage in which one or both parties
are deceased.
Three Opposing Views:
1. The family is deteriorating - This view of the
family says that divorce, economic decline, and the
decline of two-parent intact families have hurt the
institution of family.
2. The family is changing - This view looks at the
changes in family life as just that, changes.
Proponents of this view say that families are indeed
changing—they are adapting to a new economic
environment.
 Micro-level influences on the family –
There are many influences on the family
at the micro-level. Decisions family
members make affect everyone in the
family unit, however, we must not blame
all change on personal choice.
 Economic Forces - Many people from
developing countries went overseas to
find employment opportunities.
 Technological Innovations - We live
longer. Medical technology allows us to
live full lives, however, poverty becomes
an issue for many elderly.
Other Macro-Level Influences:
 Social Movements - Over the years, a
number of social movements have
changed family life, including the civil
rights movement, the gay rights
movement, and most recently a
marriage movement.
3. The family is transforming - Whether we want to
believe it or not, families are transforming, not
destroying themselves. In the end, people create
families that met their needs for love and security.
Understanding other cultures gives us a less
ethnocentric view of the world and challenges us to
put ourselves in someone else’s shoes.
Types of Family Structures
1. Traditional or Nuclear Family – married couple
and one or more dependent children.
2. Extended Family – family, children,
grandparents, uncles, aunties, and cousins.
3. Step-Family – two families brought together due
to divorce/marriage.
4. Single-Parent Family – one parent, either the
mother or the father, and one or more children
who all reside together. Single parents may be
divorced, widowed, unmarried, or abandoned.
5. Adoptive Family – one or more of the children
has/have been adopted.
6. Bi/Multi-Racial Family – parents are members
of different racial groups.
7. Trans-Racial Family – adopted child is of
different racial identity than parents.
8. Blended Family – married couple, their
children, and their children from previous
marriages. Consist of member from two/more
previous families.
9. Gay/Lesbian Family – one or both the parents’
sexual orientation is gay/lesbian.
10. Childless/Child-Free Family – married couple
without children
11. Immigrant Family – parents have immigrated to
another country as adults.
12. Migrant Family – a family that moves regularly
to places where they have employment.
13. Multigenerational Family – nuclear, single-
parent, blended, childless, or foster families, plus
other relatives such as grandparents, aunts,
uncles, and cousins who reside together.
14. Foster Family – families who care for children
when their parents are unable to care for them.
15. Grandparents-Headed Family – grandparents
take the role of parents when parents are not
able or willing to care for their children.
16. Single Person – single adult, male or female,
living alone.
17. Conditionally Separated – a member is
separated from the rest through employment,
military, incarceration, or hospitalization but
remains as part of the family.
Family as a System According to Systems Theory
 Principle of Wholeness – the whole is greater
than the sum of its parts. Each is partly a whole,
and wholly a part. Family members interact with
one another. Without the interaction of family
members, there is no family.
 Principle of Relationship – any family system
is composed of connection relationships
between and among individualized persons.
 Family Needs:
o sense of self-worth
o sense of physical security or productivity
o sense of intimacy and relatedness
o sense of unified structure
o sense of responsibility
o a need for challenge and stimulation
o sense of joy and affirmation
o spiritual grounding

Key aspects of the family as a system
 Interdependence – family members’ actions
and behaviors are interdependent, meaning that
what one person does can have an impact on
the others. Changes in one part of the system
can trigger changes in other parts.
 Roles and Relationships – each family
member occupies a specific role within the
family structure, whether it’s a parent, child,
sibling, or grandparent. These roles come with
expectations and responsibilities that influences
how individuals interact with each other.
 Boundaries – families establish boundaries to
define who is part of the family system and who
is not. Boundaries can be flexible or rigid,
affecting how much individuals interact with
others outside the family.
 Communication Patterns – the way family
members communicate with each other plays a
significant role in shaping family dynamics. Open
and effective communication is essential for
maintaining a healthy family system.
 Feedback Loops – Family systems involve
feedback loops, where actions and responses
create ongoing patterns of behavior. Positive
feedback loops reinforce existing behaviors,
while negative feedback loops may trigger
changes
 Equilibrium and Change – Family systems
strive for equilibrium, seeking balance and
stability. However, change is inevitable and can
disrupt the equilibrium. The family system must
adapt and adjust to maintain a sense of balance.
 Family Culture – Each family develops its
unique culture, with shared values, norms,
traditions, and rituals that shape its identity. This
culture can influence decision-making, conflict
resolution, and overall family cohesion.
Family Code of the Philippines: The Family Code
of the Philippines, specifically in Article 38, defines
the prohibition of marriage between certain relatives,
thereby addressing the concept of the incest taboo.
This article explicitly outlines the relationships that
are considered "collateral blood relatives," including
legitimate and illegitimate relationships, up to the
fourth degree of consanguinity.
Article 38 of the Family Code of the Philippines
states:
(1) Between collateral blood relatives whether
legitimate or illegitimate, up to the fourth civil degree;
(2) Between step-parents and step-children; (3)
Between parents-in-law and children-in-law; (4)
Between the adopting parent and the adopted child;
(5) Between the surviving spouse of the adopting
parent and the adopted child; (6) Between an
adopted child and a legitimate child of the adopting
parent; (7) Between adopted children of the same
adopter; and (8) Between parties where one, with
the intention to marry the other, killed that other
person's spouse, or his or her own spouse."
Marriage is defined in Article 1 of the Family
Code of the Philippines as follows: ◦"Marriage is a
special contract of permanent union between a man
and a woman entered into in accordance with law for
the establishment of conjugal and family life.
How is marriage defined in the Catholic Church:
The Catholic Church defines marriage as a sacred
and indissoluble covenant between a baptized man
and a baptized woman, freely and knowingly entered
into, with the intention of lifelong partnership of love
and unity, ordered to the good of the spouses and
the procreation and education of children.
Society is not a static entity; it evolves over time due to
various factors such as technological advancements,
cultural shifts, economic changes, and shifts in
societal norms and values. As a result, families, as
microcosms of society, are subject to these influences.
Myths about the family (“natural”)
o universally accepted or expected life path --
individuals are supposed to follow a
predetermined sequence of events, including
growing up, getting married, and starting a family
o suggests that this path is considered the default
or "natural" progression in life
Myths about the family (“self-sufficiency”)
o families should be able to independently
manage all aspects of their lives, including
financial stability, emotional well-being, and
caregiving, without seeking help or support from
others, including government programs or
community resources.
Myths about the family (“loving refuge”)
o families are universally safe, nurturing, and
loving environments where individuals can find
emotional support and security ◦But contrasts
this with the reality that family dynamics can
sometimes involve conflict and violence.
Myths about the family (“perfect family”)
o there is an idealized, flawless, and trouble-free
state of marriage or family life ◦leads to
unrealistic expectations that can clash with the
complex realities individuals encounter in their
relationships.